Pop singer Skye Newman began a five-gig November run at Brixton Academy on Thursday, a record for a British female solo artist at the south London venue, the BBC reported. The BBC Sound of 2026 winner is set to overtake rapper Little Simz, who headlined three nights there in 2021. The run caps a rapid rise for the 23-year-old Brit Award nominee, who performed at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland last month. Speaking to the BBC's Mark Savage ahead of the shows, Newman said it had given her "goosebumps and chills." "It's crazy. My jaw drops all the time. I feel honoured to be the first woman, and I don't take it lightly."
Born in south-east London, Newman broke through last year when her debut single, "Hairdresser," went straight into the top 20. The follow-up, "Family Matters," reached number five in June, the first time a female artist had made the top 20 with her first two singles since Ella Henderson in 2014. The husky-voiced soul and R&B singer has supported Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi on tour and been praised by Sir Elton John. During her opening night in Brixton, she debuted a new song, "Survival," and was joined by fellow London soul-pop singer Gabrielle for a duet of Gabrielle's 1993 hit "Dreams."
US artists including Debbie Harry, Phoebe Bridgers, Chappell Roan, and Tash Sultana, as well as The xx's Romy Croft, have also had big Brixton residencies. After three more gigs this weekend and an extra date next weekend, Newman will lead the way among UK female solo stars at the venue. She also insists on an all-female band. "Women are the centre of my world," she said. "They're the people that built me. They allowed me space to grow and find myself. So, I definitely had to take that out on stage with me." She added that she is "really big on trying to keep women everywhere" and will give a job to a woman when she can.
The record is about the number of headline nights by a British female solo artist at this particular venue, not a claim that no woman has ever played Brixton more often in another format. The verified story is a sold run, a fast chart start, and a clearly stated hiring choice, reported as the residency began. Brixton Academy has long been a proving ground for British acts, and a five-night run is a logistical as well as a symbolic test, filling a large room again and again in the same month.