Cornish songwriter Polly Money’s steady ascent in the music industry is nothing short of deserved—and fifteen years in the making.

Many will recognise Polly Money as the poised and effortlessly cool guitarist and vocalist for The 1975’s current live-touring ensemble. However, the singer-songwriter is so much more. In recent years, she has quietly released stellar EPs like Trip2020 and 2022’s It’s Not That Deep—two R&B-tinged projects featuring lush vocals, sleek electronic textures, and introspective lyricism. That same year, she officially joined The 1975’s whirlwind tour, performing through to 2024 before the band’s hiatus.

Undoubtedly, touring with one of the biggest bands in the world has been an elevating experience, leaving her reinvigorated to pursue her solo artistry. But what’s even more impressive is the journey Money has been on for the past decade and a half. She’s been gigging since before she moved to London at age 16 to chase her musical ambitions. At 18, she released an acoustic-led EP in 2013, and shortly after, a chance encounter changed everything—when Matt Bellamy caught her performance at Marylebone Summer Fayre, she landed a support slot for Muse in Paris. In 2014, she had earned a degree from London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, all while continuing to hone her craft and find her artistic voice.

Now, Money is expanding her sonic horizons with her third official EP, T-Shirt Nothing Else, out tomorrow via CoolOnline. The five-track body of work blends her infectious hooks and narrative-driven storytelling with soaring indie and alt-pop soundscapes. With her artistic vision becoming fully realized, a slew of UK festival dates on the horizon, and the spotlight firmly—and deservedly—on her, it feels like Polly Money is on the precipice of greatness.

For her debut 1883 Magazine interview, Polly Money sits down to discuss her new EP T-Shirt Nothing Else, headlining Glastonbury with The 1975, hitting the road with her own band, and reflecting on her 15-year journey as an artist.

Hi Polly, thanks for speaking to 1883 Magazine. Since your new EP T-Shirt Nothing Else was created on the road, how did the process differ from It’s Not That Deep or Trip2020? Was it weird collaborating with your friends Connor James and Chloe Kraemer online rather than in person?

It was a very different writing environment for me, because my first two EPs were kind of very much songs that I would have completed and taken to the studio. Not all the time though, me and Chloe have worked together for years and years, and she’s written tracks for me to write over but mostly it would be songs coming from an acoustic instrument. When I was on the road and resources were a little harder to come by, sometimes I didn’t always have a guitar with me and things like that. It just kind of completely opened up my world of writing. 

Myself, Connor, and Chloe would be bouncing stuff back and forth, especially me and Connor in the early days of being on tour, and I thought it was actually really nice to do things with other people and kind of shift some of the responsibility. If I couldn’t write for a couple of weeks, I knew that Connor was busy messing around with bits that I’d sent him and little ideas and he would send that back as a bigger song. 

So a little tiny chord sequence I’d sent him, suddenly, a week later, I’d have a full track to write to. It was really eye-opening for me to see what collaboration can do. It’s great.

Is there a song that stands out or resonates the most with you on T-Shirt Nothing Else?

Yeah, I think “30 Minutes” which hasn’t been released yet. It is resonant for me because it’s basically about the first time being with a new person after a breakup, and just the feelings that come with that. Like the guilt, and for me, it was just being full of loads of feelings. When actually you just want to be enjoying that first experience with somebody new, and all of the feelings that come with that, so that’s a really big one for me.

I would imagine it’s cathartic writing about something and then putting it out in the world, is that how it feels for you?

Sure, I am kind of, at the moment, trying to write both about my own experiences and about others. I find it incredibly cathartic, and it’s very good therapy [laughs].

Growing up in Falmouth, Cornwall, what was one of the defining moments from your childhood that led you to want to sing and pick up an instrument at the age of ten?

You’re completely right. It was actually a big moment for me, because I went to see Newton Faulkner at Hall For Cornwall, which is our kind of local theatre in Cornwall. Just the way he played guitar, I was super young, I was there with my dad, and I was just like, ‘well, I want to be able to play like that and sing like that and do that at the same time’.

Obviously, down in Cornwall, the kind of vibe is very much sort of a beachy-singer-songwriter type of thing. At the time, Ben Howard was big, Faulkner was big. So that gig was really poignant for me.

I’ve got to ask—what kind of CDs did your brother rip for you growing up, and did any of them shape your musical taste?

Ah, he loved the Red Hot Chili Peppers [laughs] which hasn’t really shaped my music, but that kind of world he absolutely loved. I just remember there being loads of chilies on there, and he was kind of more indie music, whereas I was more into sort of the singer-songwriter vibe. But he was really great at burning a CD that was the soundtrack of a summer. So yeah, that was kind of cool.

I just want to take a moment to really reflect and appreciate how far you’ve come because I think people really don’t realise the years of graft that goes on behind the scenes and how artists learn and grow over time. From your “Paper Aeroplane” era, playing Boardmasters, little folk festivals, supporting Muse in Paris, getting a degree at London’s ICMP, working on The 1975 shows, doing the most – when still pursuing your artistry and evolving it, is amazing. What comes to mind after saying all that? It has been a long journey…

Yeah, it has. I think it’s really easy to forget how much has happened in the last 15 years. I moved up to London when I was 16-years-old, and I had been gigging before then. All of this stuff has kind of happened without sort of realizing it, and I haven’t reflected a huge amount. So hearing you say that is really cool. It kind of feels like when The 1975, came along a few years ago, it was at a moment where I’d been doing music for a long time, and I kind of felt a little stagnant, because it’s tricky to be an artist and a musician. It’s an amazing career, and I love it but you know, there are moments where you’re like, ‘God, I’m gonna have to do this whole EP process again, or single process again’ and nobody could listen, or it could be like a viral hit, you never know. 

That process can be quite draining, I think, when you’re focusing so much on that rather than the creative stuff. And so that when they came along, it was such a moment where  I needed that change, and I just went off on tour and I enjoyed every single moment. It was the most incredible experience of my life. It’s just completely re-motivated me as an artist and as a musician. But I think, like now looking back and seeing even before I got that call to join the touring band,  so much had happened, and it’s just really easy to forget about that. 

But I’ve been very lucky with the opportunities I’ve had, played for some really cool people, and like a lot of my sort of journey has been on the live side of things. You know, a lot of my kind of accomplishments have been gigs and festivals and people that I play for and that’s very much the artist I want to be is just a touring musician, you know. It’s been a fun 15 years [laughs].

15 years into your journey, It’s incredibly exciting as it feels like you’re just getting started with your own artistry, I mean that in the best way possible. It’s such a long slog, to navigate this world, and try to find out, pursue what feeds your soul, essentially, and the sonics that you want to explore. So many big acts have gone through numerous different projects before they find a direction that feels right. Now you’ve landed where you are, especially with this third EP. It’s really exciting, and it seems like this is where you’ve always meant to be.

Awh, thank you, Cameron. That’s really sweet, really kind words.

You mentioned earlier you love the live aspect of performing, it wasn’t long ago you were on the Dork tour shows with your new live band, how was that?

It was so great. Like I kind of said before, I’ve been really lucky with the opportunities I’ve had, and on the live side of things, it’s meant I’ve kind of pretty much played such a scale of sizes of gig. The biggest in the world to tiny venues. With the 75 it was a lot of arenas, a lot of big shows. And coming back to 150 to 200 capacity rooms, I absolutely loved it. It’s where I started, It’s where you have the most intimate experiences with fans and it’s where I cut my teeth. So going back to that was really fun. Loading in and out of the van again, getting your hands dirty, making lots of mistakes, not having a whole team of people around to fix things all the time.

You have to do it in the moment, and I really enjoy that about live music. So on this tour, it was really great. I’ve got a new band setup. So it was nice to be able to do eight shows in a row and get super tight with those guys. We had some great shows, we had a couple of shows where we came off a little bit deflated, and it’s all part of it, you know. It was a really great experience for my new band setup to just get out on the road and play.

How are you feeling about taking to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in June? it’s surely a bucket list moment for everyone involved.

It is honestly a complete dream come true, like I as an artist would never have thought that was a possibility. So, it’s going to be a real kind of mix of emotions for all of us, but for me in particular, it’s going to probably be the best gig of my life and I’m so excited. 

I’m going to be equal parts nervous, and there’s going to be so much adrenaline. I just want to be able to step-out and enjoy every moment because, oh, I mean, how many moments will happen like this, especially like a headline slot. So yeah, it’s incredibly exciting.

What have you been playing on your Nintendo Switch recently?

Okay, so my two big games are Zelda Breath of the Wild. I think honestly, when I first got a Switch, I didn’t grow up as a gamer and it was the first game I got on the Switch, and I spent countless hours on it. I couldn’t wait to get on a plane just so I could play it. 

More recently, it’s been Hogwarts Legacy, which is the Hogwarts game set in the 1800s it’s sort of pre-Harry Potter, and I love that as well. So those two are my go-to’s.

If your 2013 EP The That Guy acts as a snapshot at the very start of your career, what does T-Shirt Nothing Else say about yourself in 2025?

I think it’s a much more honest reflection of who I am as a person than an artist. I know myself now, whereas back then, I didn’t, and I think I’m no longer writing for anybody else but myself. I think T-Shirt Nothing Else is a reflection of that.

With the release of T-Shirt Nothing Else, we’re surely approaching debut album territory. What can you share about the concepts and direction you’re exploring for an inevitable and deserved, debut LP?

It’s very early days, but I’ve kind of started that process now and I’m just figuring out how I want it to sound as a whole. I’ve got an idea, and for me, It’s a bit of a mix of the last two EPs.

I have gone more into the indie-pop world with this EP that’s just about to come out, whereas my old ones maybe had a bit more R&B influence. I’m hoping to blend the two and create a world that is very Polly Money [laughs].

It’ll be nice to see the album when it arrives in the future. Finally, now that you’re at a place where it feels like so much is possible, and as you said, you sort of feel rejuvenated with your artistry, is there a certain place you’d like to play – a dream venue for a headline Polly Money show?

Yeah, as an absolute dream venue for me, it would be the O2, but that is completely, you know…

Never say never!

Yeah, as an absolute dream venue for me, it would be the O2, but that is completely, you know… never say, but yeah. Never say, never. I don’t know if you’ve been to the Village Underground in London, but I love that as a venue and for something that I feel could be achievable in the next year or so. That would be my dream venue for this next phase of music.

So yeah, that’s a lot smaller than the O2, but maybe more achievable for now [laughs].

Sometimes the smaller venues are just as well respected or cool as the big ones, sounds good, you’re going to manifest it! Thanks for your time, Polly.

Absolutely, yeah! It’s been a real pleasure, thank you for making the time as well.

T-Shirt Nothing Else is out tomorrow.

Interview Cameron Poole

Featured Image Cal McIntyre