Neu Get To Know… Precious Pepala
Stomping, story-driven pop-rock from Sheffield’s loudest new voice.
Hello and welcome back to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.
Shaped by her Zambian heritage, gospel roots, and the musical might of her Sheffield hometown, Precious Pepala first demanded attention back in 2023 when she dropped her provocatively-titled breakout single ‘Pls Cheat On Me’. Having spent the years since honing her knack for high-drama, warts’n’all storytelling, this month has seen her release latest EP ‘Rosey’ - a narrative-centric but hook-laden concept project which incorporates Paramore-like addictive pop-rock with huge vocals and bombastic brass interludes (à la RAYE) to tell a punchy tale of doomed romance.
To celebrate the EP’s arrival, we catch up with Precious to talk Disney villains, secret MTV viewing, modern dating and more…
If your music was a dog breed, what would it be (and why)?
My first thought was a Dalmatian because then I can be Cruella de Vil.. but a nice version who treats the doggies kindly because dogs are better than humans. I just love her aesthetic!
You hail from Sheffield - musically, what was it like growing up there? Was there much of a scene to get involved with, or a good supply of venues for you to sneak into as a teenager?
Truthfully, I didn’t go to my first show until I was 17, because my Dad is a pastor and my parents only ever played gospel music around the house. My version of sneaking into a venue was sneaking downstairs in the night to watch MTV. I’m ashamed to say I’m a Sheffielder who only discovered Arctic Monkeys when I was 15!
You’ve spoken in the past about being a pastor’s daughter; how do you think coming from a religious family has shaped who you are today, both as a person and an artist?
Although I’m not particularly religious, I do think it taught me to be kind and honest. I discovered my love of singing in church, and it’s how I developed my voice at a young age - so I owe a lot to that.
“I didn’t go to my first show until I was 17 — my version of sneaking into a venue was sneaking downstairs in the night to watch MTV.”
Your new EP ‘Rosey’ charts the course of a tumultuous relationship - one that you’ve said is rooted in “the more bleak realities of romance”. Can you tell us a bit more about the role of storytelling in your work; why did you want to make a project with an overarching narrative, as opposed to a collection of standalone singles? How do you think modern dating has changed the landscape of love (and love songs)?
I’ve always wanted to write a concept EP (and hopefully one day a concept album!) that follows the story of a character. It was so fun to immerse myself in the world of Rosey - although, if I’m being completely honest, I think she turned out a lot more like me than I meant her to be when I began writing the music. There was a moment when I thought: “Rosey is crazy… but wait, I’ve said and done all those things too!” As for modern dating, I think toxicity and drama is almost celebrated - it’s as if people think that a plain sailing, happy relationship is boring.
Who would be your dream collaborator?
Beyoncé. Always.
What’s your personal song of the year so far?
‘Leak It’, by FLO - I can’t get it out of my head!
Finally, DIY are coming round for dinner - what are you making?
I love Caribbean food so it would have to be brown stew chicken, rice and peas, mac and cheese, coleslaw, dumplings and plantain. We’d be having a feast!
‘Rosey’ is out now.
Records, etc at
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