Brooke Combe
{{short description|Scottish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Brooke Combe
|birth_place = Dalkeith, Scotland
|alma mater =
| module = {{Infobox musical artist |embed=yes
|genre = {{hlist|R&B|soul|northern soul|jazz}}
|label = {{hlist|Modern Sky UK (current)|Island Records (former)}}
|occupation = {{Hlist | Singer | songwriter | multi-instrumentalist}}
|website = {{URL|https://brookecombe.os.fan/}}
|background = person
}}
}}
File:Brooke Combe Brudenell.jpg, Leeds on 18th April 2025]]
Brooke Combe is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for her 2025 breakthrough album Dancing at the Edge of the World.{{Cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/it-just-comes-from-my-soul-brooke-combe-interviewed/|title="It Just Comes From My Soul!" Brooke Combe Interviewed|date=February 17, 2025|website=Clash}}
Career
= Early life =
Combe grew up in Dalkeith, a small town near Edinburgh, Scotland, playing instruments from a young age.{{Cite web|url=https://snackmag.co.uk/interview-brooke-combe|title=Interview: Brooke Combe|date=June 13, 2022|website=SNACK Magazine}} Raised on her grandparents’ collection of classic Motown albums, as well as the ‘90s neo-soul and R&B loved by her parents, she began to branch out to rock music at 17 and was encouraged by her school music teacher to develop her vocals and to study music at university.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/brooke-combe-on-the-rise|title=Brooke Combe is on the rise | Interview|website=The Line of Best Fit|access-date=March 8, 2025|archive-date=February 10, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250210025617/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/brooke-combe-on-the-rise|url-status=live}} Combe began to release covers of her favorite songs online, which quickly grew her audience.
= 2021-2024: Island Records =
Combe first came to national prominence with her 2021 debut single, "Are You With Me?", a "glossy", singalong track with a "hand-clapping chorus."{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jan/18/one-to-watch-brooke-combe-dancing-at-the-edge-of-the-world|title=One to watch: Brooke Combe|first=Ammar|last=Kalia|date=January 18, 2025|website=The Guardian}} She would later sign to major-label Island Records, appeared at Glastonbury Festival in 2022, and released 2023 mixtape Black is the New Gold, which "explored oppression and ideas of typical femininity through the lens of a tender homage to her Black roots." Combe later began writing her debut album, but became disillusioned when faced by the commercial constraints and expectations of a major label. She dropped out of her contract and began working with producer and frontman of the Coral, James Skelly.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/brooke-combe-dancing-at-the-edge-of-the-world-play-next-interview-42653/|title=Meet Brooke Combe, the Scottish singer who wants to make the UK soulful again|first=Nick|last=Reilly|date=September 2, 2024|website=Rolling Stone UK|access-date=March 8, 2025|archive-date=February 7, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207013833/https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/brooke-combe-dancing-at-the-edge-of-the-world-play-next-interview-42653/|url-status=live}}
= 2025-Present: ''Dancing at the Edge of the World''=
In 2025, after her stint on Island Records, Combe independently released Northern soul-influenced debut album Dancing at the Edge of the World to acclaim. In a review for music publication Clash, writer Robin Murray praised the project as an "absolute stormer – vintage styled soul that feels totally refreshing... Combe isn’t satisfied with retreading old ground, instead finding her own unique place within an R&B lineage." The Line of Best Fit heralded the album as "a massive step forward."
Discography
=Studio Projects=
- Black Is The New Gold (Mixtape) (2023)
- Dancing at the Edge of the World (2025)
=Guest Appearances=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Artist ! scope="col"| Album |
| scope="row"|"Sweet Surrender"
|2024 |Pink Cactus Cafe |
|---|
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Ceremony ! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Result !Ref |
| 2021
| Best Female Breakthrough | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{Cite web|url=https://www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/smas2021/|title=Scottish Music Awards|access-date=March 8, 2025|archive-date=August 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812015702/https://www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/smas2021/|url-status=live}} |
| 2022
| Scottish Alternative Music Awards | Best Rock/Alternative | {{nominated}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{Cite web|url=https://snackmag.co.uk/nominees-revealed-for-the-13th-annual-scottish-alternative-music-awards-sama|title=Nominees revealed for the 13th annual Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA)|date=November 16, 2022|website=SNACK Magazine}} |
| 2024
| PlayNext Award | {{won}} |