'I've got a band now' - Club anthem star Shygirl on why she's switching up her sound

Hard-hitting beats, club anthems and unapologetically sexy lyrics are what Shygirl is known for.

But the singer and DJ - real name Blane Muise - has introduced a different sound for her second album, Swallow!

Shygirl hasn't totally left her electronic roots behind though.

You can still hear the sweat-soaked energy of Charli XCX's 365 remix and relentless pulse of 2024 hit mr useless on her latest record, which dropped on Friday.

But there's also guitar strums, heartfelt songwriting and a dreamy haze, giving it an indie edge.

"I've learned over the 10 years I've been making music to have this confidence and to not be afraid of failure," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

"The big part of starting this record was wanting to have natural instrumentation and not feel like that was barred from me."

Shygirl puts the change down to a desire for a more "authentic" sound - a growing trend among British electronic artists who've been bringing a rockier influence to their music.

Asked why she took this musical direction, the 33-year-old says it was down to "the nostalgia of the indie sound".

"I felt the familiarity of that feeling, embracing the teenager within and the angst that I had and all the sounds that coloured that environment," she says.

Long-time producers Karma Kid and Casey MQ were "surprised" when Shygirl told them about her desire to work in more indie sounds, but she says the pair trusted her with the new direction.

Fans have been patiently waiting for something other than singles since her debut album Nymph was released in 2022.

The question now is whether they'll relate to this more rose-tinted version of Shygirl.

"It's not like I changed overnight," she insists. "In fact, it was because I was the girl I was in all the other songs that I became who I am now."

There are clear signs that Shygirl is entering a new chapter.

She cleared her Instagram feed before beginning the album rollout, and the artwork shows a bird hatching from an egg, symbolising rebirth.

But she points out the journey is an "evolution" rather than reinvention.

"I think it's less about moving away from me, but I would hate to repeat myself," she says.

"I would only wish to pick up the same tool if I felt like I had grown somewhat or had a renewed expertise for it."

That growth can be heard in tracks like Live the Life You Like - one of Shygirl's favourites on the album.

It features a gritty bassline and a manipulated riff that echoes a klaxon, which she describes as giving off "punk energy".

Leaning into that side of her sound has only made her more excited to take the record on a tour, starting with Europe in March.

"I've got a band now," she reveals with a grin. "I work with a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist and sometimes a bassist.

"It's just so fun to share the stage and be so inspired. We've rehearsed, but there's still so many moments for spontaneity and for us to look at each other and vibe."

Shygirl's the latest artist known for electronic music who's embraced a more organic sound.

Her close friend Charli XCX featured a rockier, guitar-driven style on her latest album Music, Fashion, Film.

One of the standout tracks on that album for Shygirl is SS26, because "her voice is so natural and exposed".

"You forget other people don't know that voice and they need to get to know that starting point to be able to appreciate everything else."

She believes that same stripped-back approach is shaping much of the current wave of British dance music, including Swallow!.

"There's so many of us now, especially coming from the Brit pack, that are doing the same thing," she says.

Artists like PinkPantheress and Fred Again have also spoken about bringing indie influences into electronic music, something Shygirl says is "a reflection of what is going on in the world".

"I think there is a natural desire to have a sense of truth or something grounding," she says.

"And what is more grounding or more truthful than knowing exactly where a sound comes from."

So with artists borrowing more and more from across the musical spectrum, does genre still matter?

For Shygirl, it's less about what box listeners put her music in and more about whether it connects with them.

"Regardless if they like it or they hate it, I want someone to feel something. To be apathetic to my music would be the biggest insult to me."

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