Little Boots facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Little Boots
Little Boots in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Victoria Christina Hesketh
Born	(1984-05-04) 4 May 1984 (age 41) Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Genres	Electropop synth-pop dance-pop house disco
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter DJ
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards synthesizer Tenori-on Stylophone
Years active	2005–present
Labels	IAMSOUND 679 Atlantic Elektra On Repeat Kobalt

Victoria Christina Hesketh (born May 4, 1984), known as Little Boots, is an English singer, songwriter, and DJ. She was once part of the band Dead Disco. As a solo artist, she has released four albums. These include Hands (2009), Nocturnes (2013), Working Girl (2015), and Tomorrow's Yesterdays (2022). She has also released many EPs and remixes.

Little Boots has traveled the world performing. She has done shows as a DJ and with a full band. Her album Hands reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. Her songs "New in Town" and "Remedy" became top twenty hits.

About Little Boots

Early Life and Music Journey

Victoria Hesketh was born in Blackpool, England. Her father worked in car sales, and her mother was a writer. She grew up in Thornton, Lancashire, with three younger brothers.

Victoria started playing the piano at age five. She began formal lessons at six and later won a music scholarship. During her childhood, she also learned the flute and played the harp. She was part of her school choir. By age thirteen, she was writing her own songs.

Hesketh attended Rossall School and then Blackpool Sixth Form College. Around age sixteen, she tried out for the TV talent show Pop Idol. She made it to the third round but was eliminated. She later said this experience helped her become stronger. It also made her realize there were no shortcuts to her goals.

After singing with a jazz orchestra, Victoria focused on her education. She studied cultural studies at the University of Leeds. She earned a top degree. To help pay for school, she played jazz songs in hotels. She said it paid well but was not what she wanted to do. While at Leeds University, she formed an all-female band called Dead Disco. She became their lead singer.

Joining Dead Disco

Dead Disco performing at the Leeds Festival in 2006

While at university, Victoria saw an online ad. Lucy Catherwood and Marie France were looking for a singer. They all loved bands like The Killers and Ladytron. In August 2005, they formed the electropunk band Dead Disco. They chose the name by picking words from a hat. Victoria sang lead vocals and played synth. Lucy played guitar, and Marie played bass.

Dead Disco started playing gigs in northern England. A show in Manchester helped them get noticed. They recorded their first song, "The Treatment," in April 2006. Their second song, "City Place," was released digitally.

The band had many sold-out shows. They also played at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. They then moved to Los Angeles to record their first album. However, Victoria started writing songs that did not fit the band's "indie" style. She decided to try a new musical path and left Dead Disco. The band announced they were breaking up in December 2008. Victoria explained that she wanted to make music she truly loved. She felt pressured to fit a certain style.

Solo Career and Hands Album

Little Boots in 2008

After leaving Dead Disco in August 2007, Victoria started her solo pop career. She went back to her parents' house to write songs. She also posted cover songs on YouTube and MySpace. Within a year, she had enough songs for an album. She worked with Greg Kurstin, who she had met with Dead Disco.

In early 2008, she began using the stage name Little Boots. A friend gave her this nickname because of her small feet. The name is also linked to the ancient Roman emperor Caligula, whose nickname meant "Little Boot."

Little Boots appeared on TV shows like Later... with Jools Holland. She then worked on her first album, Hands. It was recorded in Los Angeles. By January 2009, she was choosing the songs for the album. Media attention grew, and she won the BBC Sound of 2009 poll. She also received a Critics' Choice nomination at the 2009 BRIT Awards.

Hands was released in June 2009. It came out with a special limited edition vinyl record. The album reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. It featured the hit songs "New in Town" and "Remedy." The album also did well in Europe and Japan. In June 2009, Little Boots released an EP called Illuminations in the United States and Canada. This EP helped relaunch Elektra Records. It reached number fourteen on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

Little Boots performing at the Arvika Festival in 2009

Critics generally liked the album. Many called it a "glorious pop record." Some compared it to music by Lady Gaga and Lily Allen. The song "Symmetry," a duet with Philip Oakey, was called a "joyous" collaboration. The album's artwork was created by Chrissie Abbott. Its design was compared to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. Hands was released in the United States in March 2010. It debuted at number seven on the Heatseekers Albums chart. Little Boots was seen as part of a new wave of female artists. These artists made 1980s-inspired music.

Nocturnes Album Release

In March 2010, Little Boots said her second album would be "dark and spooky." She found inspiration from the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe. In May 2011, she performed a new song called "Crescendo" in Beijing. In late 2011, she performed old and new songs acoustically in Los Angeles. In October 2011, she released a mixtape called Shake Until Your Heart Breaks. She also announced a DJ tour to promote her new music.

She released the song "Shake" digitally in November 2011. Little Boots also worked with producer Michael Woods on the song "I Wish." This song was first heard on BBC Radio 1 in December 2011.

Little Boots at Rough Trade, May 2013

Little Boots released her third mixtape, Into the Future, in March 2012. It included new versions of other artists' songs. It also had a remix of "Every Night I Say a Prayer." This song was released in April 2012 as a free download. It also came out on vinyl for Record Store Day. She performed a short show at Rough Trade East in London to celebrate. Next came "Headphones" in June 2012. Its music video was inspired by the movie Paris, Texas. Little Boots toured internationally in late 2012. She played at events like San Francisco's Folsom Street Fair and Ibiza's Space.

In January 2013, Little Boots released two songs under the name LB. Her second album, Nocturnes, came out in May 2013. It included the songs "Shake," "Every Night I Say a Prayer," and "Broken Record." Little Boots said she felt more confident about her music. She described Nocturnes as "less 80s synth pop influenced." She said it was an upbeat album. She also called it "still electronic but draws a lot more influences from early house music and classic disco."

Recent Music and Projects

Little Boots released her fifth EP, Business Pleasure, in December 2014. The first song from it, "Taste It," came out a month earlier. Her third album, Working Girl, was released in July 2015. It came out on her own record label, On Repeat Records. In August 2015, she worked with Jean-Michel Jarre on the song "If..!" for his album Electronica.

In June 2016, Little Boots announced her sixth EP, After Hours. This EP continued the style of her Working Girl album. The first song, Staring at the Sun, was released on June 3, 2016. The EP followed on June 17, 2016.

EPs and Hands Anniversary

Little Boots released her seventh EP, Burn, on April 6, 2018. This EP had four songs. All of them were collaborations with female producers. The song "Shadows" came out before the EP. In September 2019, she announced a special 10th-anniversary re-release of Hands. It included "Echoes," which was an unreleased demo. It also had other rare songs and B-sides. She explained that "Echoes" was meant to be a follow-up song to "Hands." Fans loved it when she played it live.

In November 2019, Spice Girl Melanie C said she was working with Little Boots. They were creating songs for Melanie C's eighth album. That same year, Little Boots released her eighth EP, Jump.

ABBA Voyage and Tomorrow's Yesterdays

In 2021, Little Boots joined the ABBA Voyage show. She announced her fourth album, Tomorrow's Yesterdays. The first song from it was "Silver Balloons." Tomorrow's Yesterdays was released on March 18, 2022. It was her first album in seven years since Working Girl (2015). She wrote and produced the entire album herself.

Musical Style and Instruments

Little Boots performs on the Stylophone during her 2009 North American tour

Little Boots is a talented musician. She sings and plays the piano, keyboards, and synthesizer. She also plays the Stylophone and a Japanese electronic instrument called the Tenori-on. She has a soprano singing voice.

She has said that her music is influenced by artists like The Human League, Pink Floyd, and Britney Spears.

Performances and Tours

2009 Performances

Little Boots first appeared on TV on Later... with Jools Holland in November 2008. She was invited after posting songs online. In March 2009, she was on the US TV show Last Call with Carson Daly. She was interviewed, and clips of her live show were shown. She performed "Stuck on Repeat" using the Tenori-on on BBC Breakfast in May 2009. She returned to Later... with Jools Holland later that month. She also appeared on the BBC Radio 4 show Woman's Hour. In 2009, her song "Meddle" was used in a Victoria's Secret advertisement. In June 2009, she performed "New in Town" live on the Bebo music show Beat.

In July 2009, Little Boots performed on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. A week later, she played at Oxegen 2009 in Ireland. The next weekend, she performed at T4 on the Beach 2009.

She performed "Remedy" and a cover version of JLS' "Beat Again" on BBC Radio 1 in August 2009. Later that month, she played at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. She also performed at Manchester Pride 2009, an LGBT event. In September 2009, she went on a five-city North American tour. This tour supported her Illuminations EP. In October, she performed at the Bestival 2009 in Downend, Isle of Wight.

Little Boots had a sold-out US tour in autumn 2009. In October 2009, she performed at 53 Degrees in Preston, Lancashire. She also visited Blackpool Sixth Form College to film a special session for Channel 4. Students from the college worked with her. In December, Little Boots sang a duet with Gary Numan for a 6 Music Live Combos show.

2010 Performances

Little Boots performing in Seattle in 2010

In March 2010, Little Boots planned a thirteen-date North American tour. This was to go along with the US release of Hands. She did not bring her laser harp because of US legal rules for laser equipment. However, seven of the concerts were canceled due to other commitments in the UK.

The next month, Little Boots performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. She told the audience that her crew and costumes were stuck in the UK. This was because of the Icelandic volcano. This forced some other artists to cancel their shows. Two months later, Little Boots performed on the NewNowNext Awards show. This was on the US LGBT cable channel Logo.

2012 Performances

In May 2012, she performed a special show at London's XOYO. That same month, she opened for The Scissor Sisters at their London concerts. From October to November, she toured internationally. She performed in Madrid, Barcelona, Poland, Brazil, and Chile. In December, she shared a video on YouTube. It showed behind-the-scenes footage of her touring in South America.

2022 ABBA Voyage

In September 2021, Little Boots announced exciting news. She was chosen as one of ten musicians to be a backup band for the ABBA Voyage concert. This show uses "ABBAtars," which are digital versions of the group. She said, "I have been a lifelong ABBA fan so it is an absolute honor to share that I will be joining ABBA Voyage live on stage on keyboards/synth and BVs."

Other Projects

Many of Little Boots' songs have been used in TV shows and movies. "New in Town" appeared in the 2009 horror film Jennifer's Body. "Remedy" was used in an episode of Dollhouse. It also appeared in a scene in the TV series Gavin & Stacey.

"Meddle" was featured in an episode of the British teen drama Skins. It also appeared in a Victoria's Secret commercial. The song "Click" from Hands was used in episodes of The Vampire Diaries and Melrose Place.

Little Boots has also contributed to a documentary about the Stylophone. She worked with RjDj to release a remix app for the iPhone. It is called The Little Boots – Reactive Remixer. This app lets users remix her songs and share them.

She has joined the War on Want campaign. This campaign supports protests against child labor sweatshops.

Awards and Nominations

Discography

• Hands (2009)
• Nocturnes (2013)
• Working Girl (2015)
• Tomorrow's Yesterdays (2022)

Personal Life

In May 2022, Little Boots became a mother. She gave birth to her first child, a son named Monty.

See also

In Spanish: Little Boots para niños