“a dreamy synth-laced post break-up anthem, with Roberts spilling his relationship regrets over a pop/indie-rock sound that places him in the same company as his idol Troye Sivan.” – Evening Standard

“Fred Roberts — a newcomer from England — takes the standard sounds of big guitar bands and queers them, producing songs like “Runaway”, a touching, vocally-led song about the agonising feeling of running into someone you thought you’d romantically left behind. An exciting pop prospect for the year ahead.” – i-D

“Fred Roberts wants you to know that everything’s going to be alright…After building up a following through covers on Instagram and a stint on The X Factor: The Band in 2019, Roberts has arrived onto the scene with the euphoric guitar-pop inspired debut single ‘Runaway’” – Rolling Stone 

“Inside the waves of Fred Roberts’ full throttle pop lies an emotionally savvy current; a stream of diaristic and introspective writing, confidently frothing with youthful freedom” – The Line Of Best Fit

“Pop’s newest creator Fred Roberts debuts “Runaway”, an anthemic and introspective exploration of identity and navigation of the modern day” – Notion

“Centred around growing up and figuring out your identity, Runaway is a product of Fred contemplating his past and reflecting on his upbringing as a young queer artist. He brings a sense of youth and freedom back into the generation, a necessary escape from the pressures and anxieties of everyday life.” – Wonderland

“A Gen Z popstar in the making” – Gay Times

“A startling opening gambit, ‘Runaway’ is a fantastic introduction to the world of Fred Roberts” – Clash

On the rise British artist Fred Roberts has released his brand new single Disguise, today via Universal Music. Written and produced alongside Andrew Wells (Phoebe Bridgers, Halsey) between LA and the UK, Disguise details the 21 year old’s reckoning with his first love and the secrecy that sometimes still accompanies queer love, even today. Listen here.

Disguise follows Fred’s previous two singles Runaway and Say, both of which garnered him instant acclaim from critics from the likes of Radio 1, i-D, Rolling Stone, Evening Standard, Apple Music’s Proud Radio, Gay Times, Wonderland, Notion, Clash and US based queer title Them. 

Of Disguise Fred said, “Disguise tells the story of my first experience of love with a boy and the rejection that followed. The song details my frustration of being kept as a secret by a boy who hadn’t fully come to terms with his sexuality and how that impacts your own self confidence and sense of identity. I questioned whether I needed to be ‘somebody else’ in order to be loved and found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that he couldn’t accept me as I was. Despite knowing this I still battled with the desire to be the right person for him as much as that was impossible. 

However the song does come from a place of retrospection and asks the question if it was better that he was never really mine. The harsh truth is that what we had would never have ended happily, as much as I desperately wanted it to. But as the end of the song explains – ‘sometimes you try, sometimes you only get it after some time.’”

News of the single arrives alongside the announcement of a new headline show confirmed for March 7 at The Courtyard Theatre in London. For tickets please click here.