Eleven years after London Grammar’s double platinum-selling debut If You Wait, the band releases their fourth album, The Greatest Love. It’s a celebration of creative freedom for a group who've carved a unique path, performing to stadium crowds while swerving celebrity. Having sold 3 million albums worldwide, with two No. 1 selling records, an Ivor Novello win, and numerous BRIT Award nominations under their belts, Hannah Reid, Dan Rothman, and Dot Major have enjoyed rare longevity and success for three musicians who met as teenagers at university. "Getting to this point is the proudest achievement of my life," says frontwoman and songwriter Hannah.
With this triumphant start to their second decade in the industry, they have doubled down on their musical instincts and found rebellious new confidence. "The last couple of years have changed our priorities and process as artists," says Hannah. "That is a big part of our story." As a young band keen to find their audience, they had held nothing back in promoting 2013’s game-changing If You Wait and 2017’s follow-up Truth Is a Beautiful Thing, which hit number one.
Hannah, who has recently welcomed her first child and lives with the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia, speaks to London Grammar's shifted focus from relentless touring to cherishing the creative process. During lockdown, uncertainty around touring brought introspection, leading them to value art and songwriting as their core pursuit. This period also allowed the band to confront and discuss Hannah’s encounters with misogyny in the industry, fostering a 'band therapy' environment and helping them navigate the pressures and expectations of their career.
Californian Soil was released in 2021 and became another number-one album; once restrictions eased, the band performed their biggest UK tour to date, including two gigs at Alexandra Palace for which they sold 35,000 tickets in a day. They went on to play to over 700,000 fans on Coldplay’s 2022 stadium tour.
Now they return with their fourth album, The Greatest Love, which marks a period of creative liberation, merging their emotive lyrics and ethereal vocals with a celebratory spirit. The lead track "House" embodies empowerment, echoing Hannah's personal growth and the band's emphasis on joy in music-making. Their sound continues to defy genres, blending electronica with pop, especially evident in the poignant "Fakest Bitch," showcasing raw lyrics and Hannah's vocal prowess. This album reflects their evolved confidence, much less affected by external judgement and enriched by their solo ventures.
The three band members all have independent projects, which has enhanced the music they make together: Hannah paints and writes songs; Dot is a DJ who releases electronic music; and Dan produces several other artists. "I think those outlets for self-expression have helped us become more experimental," says Hannah. London Grammar have won over an enormous fanbase. Their music has been streamed more than a billion times – but they never aspired to be famous.
Hannah says, "This album is probably the last time that we'll appear in our music videos." She’s delighted by the balance that they’ve found as a band. "I love the fact that I can walk down the street and nobody knows who I am – and yet we can fill huge spaces with people who love our music. We’ve worked really, really hard, and it has paid off."
The future looks bright. "I want us to keep making music together until we’re old, wrinkly, and completely irrelevant," she jokes. "As long as we prioritise the art, there is no reason why we can't go on for decades."
