Rhian Teasdale

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Rhian Teasdale
Teasdale in a white dress standing onstage with a guitar, smiling and looking to the left
Teasdale in 2022
Background information
Birth nameRhian Louise Teasdale
Born1992 or 1993 (age 30–31)[1]
Formby, Merseyside, England
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter

Rhian Louise Teasdale is a musician from Formby, England. While best known for being one of the members of Wet Leg, she released several songs before that under the name Rhain. She was associated with the music scene in Bristol.

Life and career[edit]

Early life[edit]

Rhian Louise Teasdale[2] was born in Formby but moved to the Isle of Wight when she was eight.[3] Her parents were both in the merchant navy.[4] After early reviews misidentified her as being from Iceland, she used a December 2016 interview to joke that this was due to the presence of "a secret tunnel that runs right through from Reykjavik to Sandown, [with the] entrance where Woolworths used to be".[5] Teasdale dropped out of her A-levels to undertake a music Btec[6] at Platform One music college on the Isle of Wight, at which she met future-bandmate Hester Chambers,[7] with whom she bonded over a shared love of Laura Marling, Patrick Watson, and Nordic music.[6]

Around age 16, Teasdale met Aled Chivers,[5] the future founder of Chiverin,[8] who later drew her to Bristol and signed her as Rhain.[5] In 2016, she released a single, "Humdrum Drivel", which NME described as "every inch charming",[9] followed by another single, "Pavlova", which The Independent described as "stripped-back" and "featur[ing ...] unmistakable vocals fit with haunting piano accompaniment".[10] She released the single "Solid Gold" in 2018, which she had developed with Plastic Mermaids,[11] a band fronted by Douglas Richards and containing his brother Jamie Richards.[12] She then released "Time Traveller", a song about her grandfather,[13] which she had previously performed for Burberry Acoustic in February 2017.[14]

Wet Leg[edit]

On 2 September 2018, Teasdale and Hester, having contributed guitar and piano to each other's works, were sitting on a Ferris wheel at that year's End of the Road Festival, when they decided to form Wet Leg together. [15] They named the band after closing their eyes,[6] shuffling through emoji combinations, and coming across one that happened to be a local term for an overner.[16] They recorded ten songs in April 2021 produced by Dan Carey,[17] and in June 2021, the band signed to Domino Recording Company and released "Chaise Longue", which was produced by Jon McMullen,[18] written during Christmas 2019 five weeks into Teasdale staying at Chambers' and her boyfriend's house,[19] and for which a video was also released.[18] On 28 September 2021, they released "Wet Dream", by which time "Chaise Longue" had been streamed three million times and its video viewed over a million times. "Wet Dream" was written about an irritating ex-boyfriend who continued to love bomb Teasdale despite her breaking up with him.[20]

On 29 November 2021, the pair released the double-A side single "Too Late Now"/"Oh No", and announced their debut album, Wet Leg.[21] They released a further single on 28 February 2022, "Angelica",[22] which was produced by Josh Mobaraki,[17] and then a further single on 4 April 2023, "Ur Mum",[23] which features an 11.02 second scream,[24] inspired by Teasdale's experiences of living above a London branch of the Psychedelic Society that ran scream therapy sessions at 7pm on Tuesdays.[25] Their debut album was released on 8 April 2023,[26] and contained "Chaise Longue", "Angelica", and the ten tracks they had recorded with Carey in April 2021,[17] all of which were written or co-written by Teasdale.[27] The album charted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart; the same day, "Chaise Longue", "Wet Dream", "Angelica", and "Ur Mum" entered the UK Independent Singles Chart, peaking at No. 13, No. 7, No. 38, and No. 46 respectively. "Chaise Longue" and "Wet Dream" would both additionally peak at No. 74 on the UK Singles Chart.[28] In June 2022, the band asserted that they had completed their second album.[29]

Artistry and personal life[edit]

Teasdale's voice has been compared to Kate Bush, Bjork,[5] and Joanna Newsom.[30] In a December 2016 interview, Teasdale noted that she had an eclectic taste in music as a teenager, listening to various artists, including A Tribe Called Quest, Arcade Fire, The Bees, Devendra Banhart, Bjork, Joni Mitchell, and Scout Niblett.[5] She also noted she was inspired by "the attitude [...] of people that have just picked up an instrument, used their ears and made something that sounds good to them".[5]

In July 2022, Teasdale announced that she had "a pretty good-looking girlfriend", and labelled herself as "queer…querying?";[31] the following July, Douglas Richards used an article in The Sunday Times to make assertions about Teasdale's personal life and Wet Leg, including that he and Teasdale had dated off and on between 2013 and 2019 and returned to his home during the first United Kingdom COVID-19 lockdown. Richards also used the piece to claim that during the latter period, Teasdale would get "really furious with" him and would use "anything that she could to throw at [him] and make [him] feel shit", and that "at least five songs" from Wet Leg's eponymous debut album made "direct attacks on him", including "Piece of Shit", "Wet Dream", and "Ur Mum". Richards also claimed he had written several of the band's songs, including "Oh No" and "Too Late Now", and that his brother, Jamie Richards, came up with the name "Wet Leg" after mishearing Douglas's suggestion of "Wet Book" from one of the "lists of stupid band names" Douglas and "a couple of friends" had added to whenever they thought "of a funny combination of words".[32]

Far Out magazine's Tom Taylor[33] and Glamour magazine's Chloe Laws responded by accusing Richards of misogyny.[34] Consequence's Abby Jones said, "To paraphrase Teasdale's own words, he seems a bit like a 'piece of shit,' indeed".[35] The i's Rebecca Reid suggested his time would be better spent working harder and rebuilding better instead of wasting time "firing shots" at Teasdale's career.[36] The Forty-Five's Jenessa Williams criticised The Times for "gleefully leaning into the narrative that any successful female artist must have been hiding her secret male songwriter all along".[37]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "100% Wet Leg: the Isle of Wight duo who'd like to butter your muffin". The Face. 15 October 2021. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Repertory - TEASDALE RHIAN LOUISE". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  3. ^ Hemmings, Jeff (29 October 2021). "BF Music Radio – Wet Leg". Brightonsfinest Radio Interviews (Podcast). Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  4. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (3 July 2023). "Why Wet Leg will be a Glastonbury 2022 favourite". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Mason-Jones, Sam (2 December 2016). "The Sound of Bristol: RHAIN". 365Bristol.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Wet Leg: 'Chaise Longue was supposed to be just for us'". The Independent. 6 April 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  7. ^ Dempsey, Jemma (7 February 2023). "Wet Leg deserve Grammy wins, says Isle of Wight music teacher". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Chiverin's Aled Chivers interview". Bristol247.com. 22 November 2014. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  9. ^ Buchanan, Rhys (5 September 2016). "5 Bristol Bands Shaking Things Up In 2016". NME. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  10. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (3 November 2016). "RHAIN: Listen to the brand new single from the rising talent you need to hear". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Rhain has debuted her new track, 'Solid Gold'". Dork. 22 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  12. ^ Morris, Damien (29 October 2022). "One to watch: Plastic Mermaids". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  13. ^ Oldfield, Emily (4 September 2018). "TRACK OF THE DAY: RHAIN – 'Time Traveller'". Bittersweet Symphonies. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Don't miss the sensational RHAIN when she plays live in Ventnor". On the Wight. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  15. ^ Manzoor, Sarfraz (25 February 2022). "Meet Wet Leg, the British rock band to know now". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Wet Leg band name: What's the origin and meaning? We have the answer, direct from the band (Updated)". On the Wight. 13 January 2023. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  17. ^ a b c "Wet Leg Announce Debut Album, Share New Video". Pitchfork. 29 November 2021. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  18. ^ a b Perry, Sally (15 June 2021). "Wet Leg: Isle of Wight duo sign to Domino Records and release their first single, Chaise Longue (updated)". Isle of Wight News from OnTheWight. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  19. ^ Wet Leg's Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers on "Chaise Longue," & more (Interview with The Current), archived from the original on 15 April 2023, retrieved 10 September 2023
  20. ^ Aswad, Jem (28 September 2021). "Oddball British Duo Wet Leg Return With Their Second Great Single This Year, 'Wet Dream'". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  21. ^ Jones, Damian (29 November 2021). "Wet Leg announce debut album and share two new songs 'Too Late Now' and 'Oh No'". NME. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  22. ^ brimstin, chelsea (28 February 2022). "Wet Leg's new song 'Angelica' is 'laced with disenchantment'". Indie88. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  23. ^ Perry, Sally (1 April 2022). "Cheeky! Wet Leg's upcoming Ur Mum video sneaks in Isle of Wight in-joke: Can you spot it?". Isle of Wight News from OnTheWight. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  24. ^ Ackroyd, Stephen (5 April 2022). "Wet Leg have done it again with their latest weird, wonderful banger 'Ur Mum' - watch". Dork. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  25. ^ "6 clever pop culture references in Wet Leg's new album". The Independent. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  26. ^ "6 clever pop culture references in Wet Leg's new album". The Independent. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  27. ^ Wet Leg (Media notes). Domino Recording Company. 2022.
  28. ^ "Wet Leg". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  29. ^ Skinner, Tom (21 June 2022). "Wet Leg reveal they've completed their second album: "It's in the bag"". NME. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  30. ^ Empire, Kitty (30 October 2021). "Wet Leg review – an irresistible, stop-start blast". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  31. ^ "Soho House | Wet Leg". www.sohohouse.com. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  32. ^ Glancy, Josh (3 July 2023). "My Wet Leg lover gave me the boot — and won't stop kicking". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  33. ^ Taylor, Tom (2 July 2023). "Wet Leg face misogyny as former member airs "dirty laundry"". Far Out. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  34. ^ Laws, Chloe (4 July 2023). "Wet Leg are award-winning musicians – they don't owe their success to a disgruntled ex-partner". Glamour UK. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  35. ^ Jones, Abby (3 July 2023). "Ex-Wet Leg Member whines about not receiving songwriting credit: It's "tricky to feel happy" for them". Consequence. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  36. ^ Reid, Rebecca (2 July 2023). "Wet Leg are finding out that behind every successful woman is a man wanting credit". I. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  37. ^ Williams, Jenessa (13 July 2023). "Bitter boyfriends, Industry Plants and Nepo Babies – why are we so cynical about the new wave of women-led indie?". The Forty-Five. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
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