30 SEPTEMBER 2026 (TORONTO, ON) — Today, award-winning singer and songwriter Holly Humberstone announces Cruel World…So It Ends, a deluxe edition of her critically acclaimed second album, to be released on 13 November 2026. Featuring five brand new tracks, Holly today shares “Too Cute To Be Lonely”, a euphoric, dancefloor-leaning alt-pop song that marks a shift into brighter, more expansive territory. Inspired by ABBA, Madonna and Robyn, “Too Cute To Be Lonely” is a reminder of Holly’s singular songwriting and precise storytelling. The video, directed by Silken Weinberg — who has worked with Holly and her sister Eleri Humberstone on creating the enchanting dark fairytale world of Cruel World — tells the story of the fairytale’s next chapter. As Holly puts it: “To me the fairytale doesn’t end, it just turns a page to a new chapter. Cruel World was a journey of self discovery and finding my confidence in my voice, the songs within So It Ends feel more confident and self assured.”And so it starts.. became the entry point into Holly’s Cruel World, telling the story of a girl sat at a bar, becoming a performer in “Beauty Pageant”, an autobiographical third-person look at her astonishing career over the past five years. The Grantham-born artist will be bringing the record to life on her UK and Ireland tour for January 2027, with support from Chloe Qisha throughout, culminating in a headline show at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on 26 January. Full dates below.
PRE-ORDER “CRUEL WORLD.. SO IT ENDS…”
LISTEN TO TOO CUTE TO BE LONELY
The announcement caps a full summer of festivals and touring, having performed at Reading & Leeds, supported War on Drugs at British Summertime, played at Summer Sonic, Mad Cool, All Things Go, Governors Ball and headline dates across North America. Holly has also been invited to support Gracie Abrams at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles this December 2026.
In April, Holly released her critically acclaimed second album Cruel World, which debuted at No.4 on the UK Albums Chart and has since amassed more than 83 million streams, establishing herself as one of the most distinctive British singer-songwriters of her generation. A richly detailed exploration of love, longing and self-discovery, Cruel World traces the fine line between pain and pleasure, capturing the moments where devotion becomes obsession and comfort becomes chaos. Through razor-sharp lyricism and expansive, cinematic production, Holly maps the emotional terrain of modern relationships with remarkable honesty. Fans were welcomed into Holly’s Cruel World with striking live performances on Later… with Jools Holland, the finale of season one of SNL UK and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, continuing to cement her status as one of Britain’s most compelling live artists. Earlier this summer, Holly released it’s a real Cruel World, a strikingly intimate EP that reimagined four standout tracks from the album, offering a new perspective on some of her most beloved songs. The collection features fresh versions of of fan favourites “White Noise”, “Red Chevy”, the title track “Cruel World”, and “To Love Somebody”.
LISTEN TO it’s a real Cruel World
Nominated for an Ivor Novello for her debut EP and winning the BRIT Rising Star in 2022 — Holly has grown into a global force, whose lucid storytelling resonates far beyond her own walls. Holly’s story began with Falling Asleep At The Wheel, the breakthrough EP that revealed a young woman translating her haunted childhood home and three-sister household into vivid, unforgettable songs like “Vanilla,” “Overkill” and “Deep End.” The intimacy and precision of her lyrics marked her as a diarist of the small details that make up big emotions. That voice quickly carried her from her gothic family home to the international stage: performing “London Is Lonely” live to millions at the BRIT Awards in 2022, supporting Olivia Rodrigo and Girl in Red across North America, and releasing her acclaimed debut album Paint My Bedroom Black in 2023, written partly in hotel rooms while living the dream she had imagined as a girl.
WATCH AND LISTEN “TO LOVE SOMEBODY”
Place has always anchored Holly’s lucid storytelling. From her breakthrough EP Falling Asleep At The Wheel, which is a portrait of a girl growing up in a “haunted house” in Grantham – through The Walls Are Way Too Thin and her #3 debut album Paint My Bedroom Black, Holly documented the dislocation of leaving home, capturing life in fragments: hotel rooms, late-night messages, and new cities. Now 26, Holly has built a home of her own in South-East London, restoring a dilapidated house alongside her sisters and best friend Scarlett. Where her debut was steeped in turbulence and longing, Cruel World is anchored in stability and routine. Also written with the live experience in mind, the album layers backing vocals, shaped by years on the road, from festival stages to stadium tours with the likes of Sam Fender, Olivia Reodrigo and Taylor Swift.
GRACIE ABRAMS SUPPORT TOUR
18 Dec – Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
19 Dec – Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
20 Dec – Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum+
CRUEL WORLD .. SO IT ENDS
Sat 16 Jan – Cardiff, University Great Hall
Sun 17 Jan – Manchester, Academy
Tue 19 Jan – Belfast, Limelight
Wed 20 Jan – Dublin, 3Olympia
Fri 22 Jan – Birkenhead, Future Yard
Sat 23 Jan – Newcastle, NX
Sun 24 Jan – Glasgow, Barrowland Ballroom
Tue 26 Jan – London, O2 Academy Brixton
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