Erin Vemby Anna Doyle, known professionally as Venbee, is an English musician. Five of her singles, "Low Down" (with Dan Fable), "
Messy in Heaven" (with
Goddard.), "Gutter", "Die Young" (with
Rudimental
Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle.
They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, and ...
) and "No Man's Land" (with
Marshmello
Christopher Comstock (born May 19, 1992), known professionally as Marshmello, is an American DJ and record producer. His songs "Silence (Marshmello song), Silence" (featuring Khalid (American singer), Khalid), "Wolves (Selena Gomez and Mar ...
) charted on the
UK singles chart at numbers 59, 3, 95, 73 and 61 respectively. She is a member of
Loud LDN
Loud LDN is a British collective of female and gender-expansive artists based in London. Formed in May 2022 by Coupdekat and Maisi as a WhatsApp group chat called Ladies Making Noise in London, the chat started off with ten members including P ...
.
Early and personal life
Erin Vemby Anna Doyle
was born in
Chatham, Kent
Chatham ( ) is a town within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. In 2020 it had a population of 80,596.
Th ...
.
She has
ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...
,
which allows her to
hyperfocus
Hyperfocus is an intense form of mind, mental attention, concentration or creative visualization, visualization that focuses consciousness on a subject, topic, or task. In some individuals, various subjects or topics may also include daydreams, c ...
on writing songs;
she also suffers from
depression and
dyslexia
Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...
, the latter of which meant she was unable to read properly until she was eighteen,
and would keep a
Voice Notes diary of how she felt day to day.
Before releasing music, she worked in a pub, a call centre and as a personal trainer.
Career
In 2020, Doyle released a number of laptop recordings under a pseudonym.
In March 2022, Doyle released a video on to
TikTok
TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
of a then-unfinished "Low Down" featuring Dan Fable; Doyle wrote the song after rediscovering a retired
iPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is a smartphone that was developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the List of iPhone models, fourth generation of the iPhone lineup, succeeding the iPhone 3GS and preceding the iPhone 4s. Following a number of notable leaks, ...
, and hearing how low she was.
At the time she released the video, she had written most of her verse and the chorus, but neither had recorded their verses, meaning that the pair had to rush to record it.
When self-released
as "Low Down" on 15 April 2022,
the song peaked at number 59 on the
UK Singles Chart;
the song would later be re-released by
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
as "low down" on 23 May 2022.
On 23 September 2022, Doyle released "
Messy in Heaven", which included "Low Down".
She wrote the song at 3am on her guitar,
and after a dream in which
Jesus
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
walked down her local high street while drunk;
and intended the song as an "anti-drug anthem", following a friend being afflicted by
drug addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
.
The song charted at number 3 on the
UK Singles Chart, and spent fifteen weeks at No. 1 on the
UK Dance Singles Chart
The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synth-pop) in record stores ...
.
On 16 March 2023, she released "Gutter",
and was written about her own struggles.
The song charted at number 95 on the UK Singles Chart.
On 20 May 2023, Doyle performed "Gutter" on
Later... with Jools Holland.
On 20 June 2023, she released "Die Young" with
Rudimental
Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle.
They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, and ...
,
which charted at number 73 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 26 on the UK Dance Chart.
Artistry
Doyle was inspired to take up guitar and piano after seeing her grandfather play. When asked by
Clash Magazine
''Clash'' is a music and fashion magazine and website based in the United Kingdom. It is published four times a year by Music Republic Ltd, whose predecessor Clash Music Ltd went into liquidation.
The magazine won awards including the Best New M ...
in March 2023 what her influences were, she replied that the first album she bought was by
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...
, and that she grew up listening to
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
,
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...
,
The Carpenters
The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining ...
,
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
and
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
.
She,
piri,
Issey Cross,
Charlotte Plank, and
Willow Kayne
Willow Katherine Kayne is a British singer. She won an Ivor Novello Rising Star Award in 2021. She is a member of Loud LDN.
Early life
Willow Katherine Kayne was born to Toploader's ''Dancing in the Moonlight''. Her sister makes classical music ...
are members of
Loud LDN
Loud LDN is a British collective of female and gender-expansive artists based in London. Formed in May 2022 by Coupdekat and Maisi as a WhatsApp group chat called Ladies Making Noise in London, the chat started off with ten members including P ...
, a collective of female and
non-binary
Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...
musicians based in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and its suburbs.
Discography
Mixtapes
Singles
Notes
References
{{authority control
2001 births
English drum and bass musicians
Musicians from Kent
Musicians with dyslexia
People from Chatham, Kent
People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people