Holly Humberstone – Cruel World European Tour
September 20, 2026 @ Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
Support: Nell Mescal
With “Cruel World,” her second studio album, Holly Humberstone delivers the long-awaited follow-up to her 2023 debut, “Paint My Bedroom Black.” Released on April 10 via Universal Music, the album sees the 26-year-old British singer-songwriter further develop the alternative-pop sound and deeply personal songwriting that have made her one of the most compelling young artists of her generation.
Since the release of her first EP, “Falling Asleep at the Wheel,” Humberstone has built an international reputation for turning intensely personal experiences into emotionally resonant songs. On “Cruel World,” she explores one of the most universal contradictions of all: the way love can be both beautiful and painful, grounding and destabilizing at the same time.
Humberstone describes the album as an exploration of what it means to be in love — something capable of making us feel completely at home while simultaneously throwing everything into uncertainty. That tension runs throughout the record, which blends timeless alternative pop with vulnerable lyrics and atmospheric production.
The single “To Love Somebody” captures that emotional duality particularly well. Its accompanying video, directed by Silken Weinberg, known for her work with Ethel Cain, transforms the song’s romantic dilemma into a dark fairytale inspired by the Brothers Grimm and Nosferatu. The Gothic house where Humberstone grew up, alongside her three sisters, provides the appropriately haunting setting.
“Cruel World” follows the success of “Paint My Bedroom Black,” an album largely written while Humberstone was on the road and living out a childhood dream: becoming a professional singer. Her determination began paying off early. In 2022, she received her first Ivor Novello Award nomination before winning the BRIT Rising Star Award, cementing her position as one of Britain’s most promising emerging artists. She subsequently performed “London Is Lonely” at the BRIT Awards in front of a television audience of millions.
The singles released ahead of “Cruel World,” particularly “To Love Somebody,” have already generated considerable attention. Humberstone appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, while her music has received airplay from German stations including 1LIVE, FluxFM, egoFM, YOU FM, Radio FFH, Bayern 3 and NRJ.
Her rise as a live performer has been equally impressive. Humberstone has toured with Olivia Rodrigo, girl in red and Sam Fender, while one of the biggest moments of her career so far came when she performed at Wembley Stadium as support for Taylor Swift. She has since progressed to selling out increasingly large venues of her own in the United Kingdom.
In 2026, Humberstone will bring her emotionally charged alternative pop to festivals including Golden Leaves in Darmstadt and Coachella in California. Her Central European tour will also take her to four German cities: Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich.
For fans of intimate songwriting, atmospheric alternative pop and emotionally unfiltered performances, Holly Humberstone is an artist well worth keeping an eye on.
