‘I HAD TO LEARN TO LOVE MY FACE WITHOUT MAKE-UP’

Singer and songwriter Anne-marie opens up about learning to love the skin she’s in

in 2016, aged 24, Anne-marie caused a storm on Instagram when she took off her make-up on camera. ‘It’s such a big thing to see someone you follow do something like that. I follow lots of women on social media who show off their bodies, their cellulite and spots. Seeing images like that makes me feel normal. I knew that if I could make people feel comfortable with their face and their features, then I was doing a good thing.’

Fast forward to lockdown, and – as she chats virtually from her east London flat – Anne-marie’s passion for beauty honesty is still palpable. ‘I want to show people the bad days, when I’ve got spots. I want to show that not everything is perfect.’ It’s a sentiment that is a recurring theme in Anne-marie’s songs. In her 2018 hit Perfect To Me, she sings, ‘I’m not a supermodel from a magazine, no, I’m OK with not being perfect, ’cause that’s perfect to me.’ The song shines a light on the power of self-acceptance, a concept Anne-marie readily admits she used to find difficult. ‘I struggled a lot with anxiety and selfconfidence when I was younger. I didn’t want to be seen without make-up. I had to learn to love my face without make-up before I could truly enjoy make-up, instead of wearing it like a mask.’ How would she describe her relationship with cosmetics today? ‘I feel more confident. I feel better. I don’t have to put on a full face of make-up to make myself feel good.’

Now approaching her 30th birthday, and as the newest judge on The Voice UK, alongside Will.i.am and Olly Murs, Annemarie’s audience is growing. The past year also saw her land her first beauty campaign, with make-up brand NYX. ‘Their campaigns are diverse and we have similar morals, so it made sense to me.’ Don’t expect Anne-marie to be any ordinary poster girl, though. She’s on a mission to promote a new age of transparency. ‘It’s so important for all of us to effect a change that will help everyone. The more people trying to break the mould, the better.’