“I’ve been listening with a great deal of interest to Roxanne de Bastion…Beautiful. There’s quite a few good things on this record.” – Iggy Pop (BBC 6 Music)
“de Bastion broadens her sound ambitiously, to great effect”– The Observer
“Berlin-born London-based singer-songwriter Roxanne de Bastion amps up her sound to excellent effect on new single Simple Pleasures, an electro-tinged Britpop-adjacent banger that doesn’t overstay its welcome!” – THE NEW CUE
Roxanne de Bastion is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, author and artist activist who has built an international career independently with sheer talent and enterprise. Here new album, Here Lies Human, heralds an exciting new era: 10 energetic, upbeat alt-pop bangers about end of days. Roxanne has worked with producing legends old and new for this album in the form of Tony Visconti (David Bowie, Paul McCartney, T-Rex) and Steph Marziano (MPG producer of the year, Grammy nominated for her work with Hayley Williams). Here Lies Human is the follow-up to her Bernard Butler-produced 2021 album Me and You, We are the Same (“de Bastion broadens her sound ambitiously, to great effect,” The Observer) and comes after her acclaimed literary debut, 2024’s The Piano Player of Budapest, published by Little, Brown.
The book told the remarkable true story of her grandfather’s persecution during World War 2, and how both he and his piano survived. It received widespread international acclaim and coverage, including features in The Observer, The Mail on Sunday, BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, ITV News at Ten and the Times Literary Supplement. Accompanying the book was a companion album, Songs from the Piano Player of Budapest, created with Simon Tong (The Verve). Both projects were launched with a special event at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and Roxanne was the featured guest on an episode of Jools Holland’s BBC3 show Earlier. The audiobook was selected as The Guardian‘s Audiobook of the Week, The book has since been published across the UK, USA, Australia, Ireland, South Africa and Hungary.
Long before her success as an author, Roxanne established herself as one of the UK’s most trailblazing independent artists. Leaving school to move to London from Berlin to pursue music, Roxanne self-released her debut album, Heirlooms and Hearsay in 2017, when she toured opening for artists including Martha Wainwright, Lambchop and Marillion, and appeared at major festivals including Glastonbury’s Acoustic Stage and Cambridge Folk Festival.
You & Me, We Are The Same producer Bernard Butler jumped at the chance to collaborate with Roxanne upon hearing her demos. Exploring themes of loss and identity following the death of her father, the album was released through Republic of Music, entered the Official UK Album Downloads Chart, and attracted widespread critical acclaim. It received support from BBC 6 Music (“Molecules is a song I’ve really fallen for,” Steve Lamacq), BBC Wales and Absolute Radio, earned praise from publications including The Observer, NME, Record Collector and Rolling Stone Germany, and led to Roxanne being personally selected by Iggy Pop as the featured artist on his BBC 6 Music programme (“I’ve been listening with a great deal of interest to Roxanne de Bastion… beautiful… there’s quite a few good things on this record,” Iggy Pop)
A true trailblazer in the DIY space, Roxanne has consistently created opportunities where none existed. During the first COVID-19 lockdown, she became the first artist to undertake a virtual UK tour, performing online through the social media channels of venues and promoters across the country. Her advocacy for artists and the future of the music industry has been featured by BBC News, The Guardian, LBC, Metro, HuffPost and Sky News.
With more than 700 live performances to her name, Roxanne has toured extensively throughout the UK, Europe and the United States, including two self-organised US tours made possible after securing her own representation and O-1 visa. She has also toured with Howard Jones, Nerina Pallot, Bernard Butler and Katie Melua and a 2023 performance at Latitude Festival. Roxanne has built a very dedicated fanbase that will only continue to grow as Roxanne builds more momentum.
Alongside her creative work, Roxanne has become a respected voice within the music industry. She served on the Board of Directors of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), sits on PPL’s Performer Board, and is an advocate for Imogen Heap’s Creative Passport initiative. She has delivered talks at major international music conferences and institutions, including at the House of Commons, Reeperbahn Festival, The Great Escape, The Roundhouse and Brunel University, helping shape conversations around artist rights, music technology and the future of the creative industries.
