Divergent Beats

This morning I had the pleasure — no, the honour — of waking up to A Complicated Woman, the third studio album from Self Esteem (aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor), and trust me: it hits. From the very first seconds of “I Do and I Don’t Care,” you know you’re in the presence of something important. This isn’t just pop. This is power. This is truth dressed in production and poetic rage.

That first track? One of the most empowering pieces I’ve ever heard. As a man who proudly calls himself a feminist, I found myself floored — not just by the sound, but by the clarity and boldness of her words. This album is full of reminders that being a woman in 2025 still means surviving expectations, roles, and emotional labor that shouldn’t exist anymore. And I say shouldn’t because I’ve seen those dynamics up close — and I refuse to be part of them.

The Album: Feminism, Frustration, and Fire

A Complicated Woman doesn’t hold back. It’s fearless and full of layers — musically and emotionally. Taylor speaks directly to the experience of women navigating patriarchy, misogyny, and the emotional burdens placed on them. As a man, I’m not the target of this album. But that’s exactly why I need to listen to it. And amplify it. And stand with the women who live the realities she’s singing about.

Take “Mother,” for example — a standout track that flips the traditional narrative. She sings:

“I’m not your mother, and nor should you want me to be.

Falling asleep on my chest is your fantasy — but where does that leave me?”

“I’m not your therapist. You don’t pay me enough for this.

Work on your own shit — yeah, ’cause it’s your shit. And get back to me when you can see me.”

She’s not singing about motherhood — she’s exposing the exhausting emotional labor women are expected to carry in relationships with men. It’s a boundary. A refusal. A lesson for all of us.

Other tracks like “Focus Is Power” and “Logic, Bitch!” hit just as hard. The former is a bold affirmation, the latter a feminist spoken-word experience that might confuse some… and that’s the point. It’s not here to comfort. It’s here to confront.

The Theatre Tour: Art Meets Activism

To launch the album, Taylor collaborated with theatre director Tom Scutt and choreographer Stuart Rogers to create a series of shows at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre. It was a theatrical experience — complete with dancers dressed like they walked off the set of The Handmaid’s Tale — that blended sound, performance art, protest, and vulnerability. It was feminist storytelling done with unapologetic flair. A show that said: this is what it means to exist in a body the world still tries to control.

The Verdict: 12 Tracks. Zero Skips. A Necessary Soundtrack

A Complicated Woman is not just a pop record. It’s a manifesto. It’s an invitation for all of us — especially men — to sit down, shut up, and listen. And then do something with what we’ve learned.

Rebecca Lucy Taylor doesn’t sing to make us comfortable. She sings to make space for truth. And in 2025, that might just be the most punk, radical, and necessary thing an artist can do.

As a man, I see this album as a mirror and a megaphone. A mirror to check ourselves — our silence, our assumptions, our privilege. And a megaphone that I hope keeps getting louder until we finally get it.

Top Tracks:

“I Do and I Don’t Care”

“Mother”

“69”

“Focus Is Power”

… and honestly? All of them. No skips. No compromises.

And Here our emotional tracker for music:

Ivan Gorini – Freelance Journalist