We sat down with rapping sensation Amelia Hamilton, who is presenting her debut hour of comedy at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. Set to an original soundtrack of live rap, Hamilton brings her character blend of wit, charm, and musical talent in this high-energy stand-up hour with ‘a proper gag in every line’ (Chortle.co.uk).
See her at the Attic at Pleasance Courtyard from 30th July – 24th August. Get tickets here.
Can you summarise your show in two lines?
Failing, family, philosophy and a fat helping of rap. Why the ultimate freedom is to be forgotten (please like and follow me on social media).
This show feels deeply personal but also a little surreal – how did you go about crafting something that mixes eulogies, fire, family and rap?
I think the top line is everything personal is a little surreal. I don’t know exactly what goes on in your head but I suspect it’s similar in the sense it doesn’t neatly reflect reality.
Every topic I write about has a strong emotion attached to it. That could be joy, sadness, frustration with myself, or anger at something out in the world. It almost feels like there’s not much choice in what I write about.
I think it’s important to trust when you write, it will all probably link up in some way because it’s coming from you and the place you are at in your life. No two thoughts are unattached or incompatible, even if you initially think what could; old women’s eulogies, stocks and shares ISAs and my Daddy have in common. The answer, Amelia Hamilton. Because I have strong feelings about them all.
It’s like a whirlpool, wherever you jump in you’ll end up in the same place at the end.
You play with the idea of being “everything” – which sounds empowering but also exhausting. Where do you think that pressure comes from?
Oh my word everywhere, but I’ll take it in three sections:
Growing up schools and parents
Feminism
Gifted child syndrome
First, growing up: My whole generation was definitely raised on the belief that we could achieve anything and everything we set our minds to. Which sounds empowering—and of course it is, especially compared to being told your horizons are limited. But they forgot to mention the reality: you physically can’t do everything. And the pressure comes from the gap between what we were told and what’s actually possible.
Secondly, feminism. What a gift it is to be raised as a girl with the confidence to take up space in the world and ability to take that in whatever direction I decide. But knowing the right thing to do with that is impossible. I have conflicting desires daily. I want to be seen as smart and empathetic and I also want to wear a little crop top. Is that betraying my outlook on feminism or fulfilling it?
And finally, gifted child syndrome. If you do well at school and find things easy you get put into lots of gifted and talented programmes where you internalise the idea that you’re destined for greatness and your potential is enormous. Mix that with ADHD and a constant feeling you should be doing more and doing better, then pressure is an inevitability.
You’ve been nominated for the BBC New Comedy Awards. What’s been the biggest shift or lesson for you since getting that recognition?
Competitions are a beast in themselves. It requires a very specific skill set to excel in that environment and I have huge respect for people who really flourish. I’ve not really entered many competitions, less than a handful in fact. I find the process quite restrictive and I’ve never had a precise competition 5 or 10. I change it all the time and I enjoy that. I also don’t like the idea of being in competition with other comics. Stand-up feels like a relay race on a fun night.
Of course it’s validating to be recognised by industry judges but I think the recognition that means the most to me is from my peers. I really want to be respected as a good comedian and perhaps that’s a big part of why my sets change so often. I want to show other comics that I have more in the tank. I want to impress them and make them laugh as well as the audience.
I’m not sure that’s exactly answered your question. I’m definitely going to think about this a lot more.
How did rap come into your comedy? Did it feel like a natural blend, or more like, “Let’s see what happens if I do this wild thing”?
It was an incredibly natural blend. I did rap before I got into comedy, but when I first started stand-up, I focused purely on doing straight sets—no rap. I wanted to make sure I could hold my own as a comic before adding anything else. But once I did bring rap into the equation it felt very instinctive.
At first, I was more worried about how to introduce rap to the audience. I thought I’d need to set it up or explain what was coming, but I underestimated how willing audiences are to go with you. I quickly realised I didn’t need to waste time signposting it—just do it, and trust the audience to keep up.
My club sets and my debut show is a 50/50 split between stand-up and rap. It’s not back-to-back music—I’m a stand-up rap comedian. I love doing straight stand-up just as much, and I want that material to be just as strong. I still often do purely stand-up sets to make sure that side of things is sharp and I am not resting on any laurels.
When you imagine someone walking home after your show, what do you hope is echoing in their head?
What a lovely question. In fact all of these have been a pleasure to reflect on thank you for asking such considered and thoughtful questions.
The feedback that makes me happiest is when people say the show made them feel empowered. I think the dissonance between irrelevancy and freedom is the key to action. There’s a Gandhi quote that sums it up for me: “Everything you do in life will be insignificant, but it’s very important that you do it.” If people leave the show with a feeling of joyful nihilism, then I think I’ve done my job.
I also hope the raps stay in people’s heads. “Burn the house down” and “Women in STEM” seem to be particular favourites. Audiences have asked to download the raps to listen again—and this year, they actually can. I’ve got an album coming out that’ll be available to buy at the show. So hopefully they’ll keep listening and finding new things in the tracks.