Pillow Queens -return with a raw reclamation of power on the new single ‘Be A Big Girl’

Pillow Queens return with the defiant ‘Be A Big Girl’ – a track that tackles the urge to shrink, whether as a woman, a musician, or simply someone living in Ireland today. It’s a raw, urgent reclamation of strength that refuses to come at the expense of vulnerability. The new single is released independently via Pillow Queen Records, produced and mixed by Daniel Fox (Gilla Band, Sprints, Lambrini Girls) at Sonic Studios in Stoneybatter, and mastered by Jamie Hyland (Mhaol, Gilla Band).
 
The phrase “be a big girl” is usually shorthand for swallowing emotion, keeping quiet, and holding it together. Pillow Queens turn that on its head: here, screaming, crying, fighting, and standing your ground are all part of being a big girl. It’s a song that lives in the tension between exhaustion and persistence – between being pummeled by the world and finding power in simply enduring. It’s about being told there’s no space for you – in your country, at the table, in the music industry – and deciding to take up even more.
 
Speaking about the track, the band explains, “I think people expect ‘being a big girl’ to mean keeping your chin up, not making a fuss, and politely ignoring the fact you’re being shoved towards the door. For us, it’s the opposite. It’s staying exactly where you are when you’re told to leave, making a fuss, and taking up more space in the process. Living in Ireland, making music here, and not hopping on the first flight out is already an act of stubborn optimism. And yeah, sometimes you’re crying in Lidl or planning a better life in Australia, but at least you’re still standing. That’s the kind of ‘big girl’ we’re interested in being.”

The track arrives during a period of transformation for the band in which founding members Cathy Mc Guinness, Sarah Corcoran, and Pamela Connolly have sharpened their focus. After three acclaimed albums: In Waiting (2020), Leave the Light On (2022), and Name Your Sorrow (2024) – Pillow Queens have built a reputation for emotional depth, anthemic power, and live shows that feel like a collective release: intimate, vigorous, and impossible to ignore.
 
After the release of their 2022 sophomore album Leave the Light On, the band earned a nomination for Irish Album of the Year and made their late night television debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Pillow Queens have received widespread critical acclaim across press outlets such as The Irish Times (“Astounding from every angle”), NPR (“Really spectacular”), The Guardian (“A joyful, raucous celebration of queer love”), Pitchfork (“Burnished heartland euphoria, defiant lyricism bolstered by ragged harmonies, lashings of pride, and an unabashed love of crescendos”), NME, The Line of Best Fit, Rolling Stone UK, CLASH, DIY, DORK, The Independent, The Times, The Telegraph, Hot Press, Stereogum & more. With regular radio plays across BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music (Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq) and Radio X (John Kennedy).
 
In the live space, the band have opened for the likes of IDLES, Pavement and Phoebe Bridgers. ‘Be A Big Girl’ is released just as Pillow Queens join US indie heavyweights Lord Huron for a major European tour playing to a combined audience of 50k people, including stops in Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, the UK, and more.

Pillow Queens | 2025 Tour Dates

Mon 01 Sep – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg*
Tue 02 Sep – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Stichting de Effenaar*
Thu 04 Sep – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene*
Fri 05 Sep – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet*
Sat 06 Sep – Copenhagen, Denmark – Poolen*
Mon 08 Sep – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom*
Tue 09 Sep – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola*
Wed 10 Sep – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer*
Thu 11 Sep – Zurich, Switzerland – Halle 622*
Fri 12 Sep – Vernon, France – Rock in the Barn (festival performance)
Sat 13 Sep – Paris, France – L’Olympia*
Sun 14 Sep – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg*
Mon 15 Sep – Cologne, Germany – E-Werk*
Thu 18 Sep – Bristol, UK – Bristol Beacon*
Fri 19 Sep – London, UK – Eventim Apollo*
Sat 20 Sep – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow*
Sun 21 Sep – Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo Manchester*
Tue 23 Sep – Edinburgh, UK – Usher Hall*
Wed 24 Sep – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton*
Tue 21 Oct – Dublin, Ireland – National Concert Hall (headline show)

*supporting Lord Huron