Precious Pepala is sharpening her claws

Precious Pepala has never been afraid of the dramatic. From ‘Pls Cheat On Me’, the viral anti-love anthem that placed her on our For You pages, to the punchy intensity of her most recent single, ‘Love Bombs’, the Sheffield-born artist has built a world where emotion is dialled all the way up. It’s a place where love is obsessive — heard in lyrics about hating a partner for being disloyal in a dream — and where heartbreak is cinematic. Think: Pepala’s ‘Dream Cheater’ music video, where the car-crash ending of a relationship is much more than metaphorical.

But this defiant streak doesn’t only characterise Pepala’s music. It’s the reason we get to hear it in the first place. If those who doubted her had their way, her talents would be confined to her home studio (perhaps accompanied by backing vocals from her dog), rather than heard on the radio and stages across the country. “Anytime someone doesn’t believe in me, it just motivates me,” Pepala says with a smile. “I hope to prove them wrong.”

Her latest achievement? Pepala’s forthcoming EP, Rosey, in which the 21-year-old leans further into darker, more narrative- driven territory as she crafts her most cohesive and fully- realised body of work yet. The project traces the rise and fall of its central character, Rosey, through toxic love, bad decisions and the tragic aftermath. Though Pepala’s music has always thrived in intensity, here, the chaos is even more purposeful, as the EP delves into the darker realities of modern romance.

When the artist joins our Zoom call to discuss Rosey, I’m struck by the same rock-chick attitude that emanates from her tracks. A flash of electric blue cuts through her jet-black hair — a colour that has become inseparable from her identity, reflecting her alternative style and rebellious edge. Just from looking at her, it’s evident that Pepala isn’t interested in singing about fairytale romance. Blending alternative pop, rock, soul and the gospel influences of her upbringing, her music, as she puts it, is “for a rainy day”. And with Rosey, she isn’t softening the edges. Like her signature claw-shaped fingernails, she’s sharpening them.

Yasmine Medjdoub: How did your EP, Rosey, come to life?

Precious Pepala: When I started writing music, I set myself the challenge of writing about big subject matters. But when it came to this EP, I realised I’d accidentally written a bunch of love songs. I was driving to Manchester to a Billie Eilish concert, and was like, ‘Wait, this feels like it’s falling into place: this woman, this person that’s making all these poor decisions’. That’s where we conjured up this idea of Rosey and her story.

YM: What does your signature colour, blue, mean in the world of Rosey and to you?

PP: I have my artsy-fartsy answer, and then I have my realistic answer. I had coloured hair all my life until I was 10, and then school changed the rules to [allow] only natural hair colours. I left school right as I released my first song, and I was like, ‘This song just screams blue to me’. I had the blue braids, and then I just kept them for consistency. Everyone in my life says, ‘I can’t imagine you without the blue’. But I do think it’s very fitting with my music and my sound. It’s a very cold colour, and my music is quite dark. It’s music for a rainy day, it’s not summertime bangers. And very much with this EP, it’s those feelings all round.

“I just don’t take shit anymore.”

YM: Why do you think you were under so much pressure at that young age?

PP: All the pressure came from outside sources. You see people like your Billie Eilishes, the child prodigies, where they’re 14 winning Grammys, and you’re like, ‘I’ve got to play catch up’. For me, it was label execs like, ‘She needs to figure out what she wants’. You know Olivia Rodrigo? She was 18 when Sour came out, and I was like, ‘I need to catch up’. When, in reality, I don’t know her story, so I can’t really compare. Recently, I’ve gotten into the mindset of just focusing on what I’m doing. I can only do the best with what I’ve got.

YM: When did you first realise you wanted to be a singer?

PP: I grew up in a not very nice part of Sheffield. My school was one of those where they didn’t really prioritise music. But I’ve always wanted to sing and grew up singing in church — my dad’s a pastor. When it came to lockdown and I was seeing people start careers off the back of TikTok, that’s when I was like, ‘I want to do this as my job’.

YM: Who inspired you growing up?

PP: It doesn’t seem to make sense, because you can’t really hear it in my music, but I am the biggest Beyoncé fan. I’m a massive Harry Styles fan, too. There’s still a picture of him up on the wall in my childhood bedroom. And Michael Jackson and Destiny’s Child shaped my sound growing up. I didn’t find out about Arctic Monkeys and Bring Me the Horizon until I was like 15, but those rockier influences came into my life and I started really taking
them seriously. Then, all the gospel music I grew up hearing in my household along the way. There’s been many different influences that have shaped me. Olivia Rodrigo was a massive one. Like Sour — that album came out just as I was becoming a teenager and that formed me.

YM: Speaking of the things that formed you, how has being underestimated spurred you on?

PP: Anytime I get rejected, or anytime someone gives off the vibe that they don’t believe in me, or that my vision is going to come to fruition, it motivates me. I’m like, ‘I hope to prove you wrong’. It’s not going to be satisfying [when I do], per se, because I don’t think I’ll even pay attention to negative energy at that point in my life, but it drives me so much.

YM: Your next venture is supporting the Nova Twins on tour. What are you most excited for?

PP: Well, first of all, I’m looking forward to meeting the girls, because we’ve been friends online. And I love performing. I’ve loved it since singing in church. I watch old videos of myself when I was like seven, singing, and I’m just going for it. You can just tell I just loved it, and I love it now. Performing to a new audience is always interesting, seeing what songs people react to, because I’m very biased. Music is so personal, so my favourites are usually not what the fan-favourites are.

YM: And after that, what’s on the horizon?

PP: I hate to use the big bad word, but we’re talking of album one next. I’m very anti another EP, so I am going into album mode. When that will come out,
I don’t know. So, first album, performing, tours, my own tour — that’s the mindset I’m currently in. I’m having the time of my life, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in terms of my team and where everything’s at. I’m very much looking forward to the next 12 to 18 months.