Louise Redknapp talks gaining confidence with age and ‘freedom’ of the 90s as she likens social media to ‘self-harm’
During a TV interview, the star opened up about feeling comfortable in her skin now she's older, and why the 90s was such a freeing and 'private' decade
Louise Redknapp has spoken candidly about the benefits of getting older on her confidence, and why she misses the "freedom and privacy" of the 90s - despite the many flaws the decade did have.
During an appearance on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, the singer said that all of the decades she's been in the public eye for have had their "positives and negatives."
While the misogyny and exploitation experienced by women in the music industry has been highlighted retrospectively by the stars of the time who lived it, and the recent BBC documentary Girlbands Forever really brought the reality of it into sharp focus, Louise points out an major positive from the era.
She misses the "privacy" of the 90s, saying to Sunday Brunch hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer, "There was no social media, no comments" during the decade.
Explaining her dislike of social media in today's world, Louise shares, "Now, the comments section freaks me out because I just can't believe people would say that stuff."
Sometimes, she still finds herself compelled to read comments about herself, likening this act to "self-harm." She says, "That self-harm gets the better of you, and you read the first one [comment] and you think, 'Maybe there will be a better one,'" and she carries on reading.
Louise says that when she tries to find the "better one [comment]," it's not usually there. Now she avoids looking altogether, but reveals getting to this stage has "taken a long time."
The singer later talks about her career and the confidence that's come with ageing. Now 51, she says, "I spent a long time during my career thinking I shouldn't be there, it's that self-worth thing."
In later life, she says, "You do find your confidence, and maybe I'm just at an age now where I care a lot less about what people think and I know what's important in life."
As she prepares to embark on a new tour, Louise says she's only just come to the time in her career where she can "walk on stage and love every second of it."
She continues, "I genuinely feel, 'This is good,'" of her songs and music, adding, "and that's been a long time coming for me."
The star's Naked // Confessions UK tour begins in April 2027 and celebrates the 30th anniversary of her debut solo album, Naked, as well as tracks from her newest album, Confessions.
Louise says her children "take no notice" of her success, and to them, "I am just their mum." She shares sons Charley, 21, and Beau, 17, with former husband Jamie Redknapp.
"I think secretly they're proud, and just want me to be happy," she says of her boys. Although Louise hasn't quite reached the stage of being an empty nester, she shares that her children are often out doing their own thing and she misses them.
"They're not home as much as I'd like," she says, adding, "But I do have a lot more free time, and I'm at my best when I'm working."
Speaking about life away from work, Louise says, "I think I've got quite a lot of peace in my life - there's still a lot to achieve and I'm looking after myself."
