Bess Atwell

Bess Atwell's route into music began with learning guitar through Taylor Swift songs. Born in South London and raised in Cambridgeshire and Sussex, the English indie folk musician, born Bess Harriet Hildick-Smith, found her direction at a Johnny Flynn concert she attended with a friend. Flynn led her to London's early 2010s nu-folk scene, and her teenage listening ranged from Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver to Joni Mitchell and Beach House, The National and Sharon Van Etten.

Her debut full-length, Hold Your Mind, arrived when she was 19, followed three years later by the EP Big Blue. Second album Already, Always came out in 2021, and in 2024 she released Light Sleeper, produced by Aaron Dessner, who had approached her about working on her next record. The album was well received by critics. Her influences also include Julia Jacklin, Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy and Gillian Welch.