Saving Lilibet
"Saving Lilibet isn't a sob story... It's a fucking battle cry"
Sometimes you have to break your silence to protect your peace...
Chess Smith has been a commanding presence on the Kent music scene for over a decade, both as a solo artist and a frontwoman, most recently as critically acclaimed power vocalist for Salvation Jayne... until 2020, when an abuser tried to take her power, dull her shine, and break her spirit. But they didn't succeed.
Despite enduring a devastating nervous breakdown at the time, Chess has come back fighting in spectacular style with Saving Lilibet, her most personal, and relatable, work to date. She has made it her mission to provide a voice for those who have experienced abuse and toxicity, and to show the world that you can not only heal after these experiences - you can thrive.
The EP is a synth packed anthemic alt-pop journey through heartache, self-discovery, rejecting toxicity, and turning pain into power to become your most beautiful, radical, and unapologetic self - whole, healed... and saved.
"Flowers don't bloom in the dark - so blaze fiercely, believe in your strength, and become your own sunlight"
Produced by Kent wunderkind Fuji Hideout, and featuring 6 full-length tracks plus an intro, including Bounce Back, Drama King, Disassociate, and 3 NEW songs, Saving Lilibet is poised to be the 'sonically infectious' soundtrack to your summer!
Release Date 4th July 2025
Gallery
EP Release Show
The much anticipated launch show for Chess Smith's 'Saving Lilibet' EP, was held at The Penny Theatre, Canterbury, at 7:30pm on 8th August 2025 - with support from Fuji Hideout and We Were Young. Check out the launch video below!
The Penny Theatre, Canterbury
The Singles
Disassociate
Release Date 23rd May 2025
Hot on the heels of her first 2 singles, Bounce Back and Drama King, which focused on the abuser/survivor dynamic, Disassociate serves as a stark warning to the sycophants and fake friends who are sucked into the abuser's orbit. It is an eyes wide open account of the dangers of pandering to megalomaniacs in pursuit of your own aims - when you turn a blind eye to side with an abuser, it's only a matter of time before you become a victim yourself...
"If you wanna play the puppet to the puppeteer..."
"...They'll end up disloyal to you too... If they haven't already"
Despite it's serious themes, Disassociate is a raucous, inspiring slice of pop that crackles with defiance and radical self-love, extolling the virtues of protecting your own peace, taking the high road, and tuning out the noise. With melodic echoes of Billie Eilish and a distinctly 80s sound, Disassociate is a powerful anthem with an important message:
When you choose to ignore the misdeeds of others to benefit yourself, those benefits often have barbed wire strings attached... and you may find yourself entangled in an inescapable web of your own making.
"I was pretty blown away by this from Chess Smith - [disassociate is] an empowering and strong self-love anthem to blast out loud [...] PREACH!"
~ Abbie McCarthy, BBC Introducing Kent
Drama King
Release Date 27th March 2025
Drama King is the 2nd single from alt-pop powerhouse Chess Smith. Following on from Chess' first single, Bounce Back, which was written from the perspective of a survivor of narcissistic abuse, Drama King is an electrifying takedown of the toxic, controlling people who perpetuate it... The narcissists themselves. It lays bare their psyche, strips them of their mask, and exposes their lies and manipulation for the world to see. This song is for anyone who's run the gauntlet with their own Drama King or Queen, and at its core is a message of support and hope: 'I've been there, I believe you, and I believe in you'.
When we stand shoulder to shoulder, support each other, and we call these people out, it strips them of their power and they have nowhere to hide... We know who they are, and the stream of destruction that they leave in their wake will eventually be their undoing.
Bounce Back
Release Date 7th February 2025
Bounce back is an anthemic alt-pop track written from the perspective of a survivor of narcissistic abuse. It takes what is frequently a life-shattering experience and turns it on its head, reversing the victim/abuser narrative to show how piteous and shallow narcissists truly are. People who constantly cover up the lie that is their life to hide their real selves.
Bounce Back takes a serious and very personal subject and turns it into an uplifting message - know your worth, speak your truth, call out abuse, and stand tall in the face of people who would tear you down. It celebrates the survivor coming full circle and refusing to stay in the shadows. Narcissists are stuck in their vortex of shame and dishonesty forever...
Survivors Bounce Back.
Album Tracks
Happiness & Laughter
‘We all talk about the calm before the storm but not many of us talk about the calm after’.
Happiness & Laughter is a goosebump inducing, uplifting ballad about the peace that can be found after turning your back on the people who would otherwise tear you down.
"Breathe, in, out,
You are what it’s all about,
Breathe it all can wait.
The shore will come…
After the waves… "
All My Love
"Open your mind don't live a lie cause all in time you won't just survive, you'll feel alive"
All my love is an electrifying, synth heavy self-love anthem. Its core message is one of strength and radical self-belief - when it all falls down, All My Love strips away the self-doubt and shows you how to stand for yourself, by yourself, and be your own champion
"I'm enough, I'm enough, gave myself all my love..."
Alexa
"Maybe it's time for the fighters to be fought for, the holders to be held and the lovers to be loved more"
Alexa is an edgy, unorthodox love song that brings the story full circle - it shows that even when you've been through hell and hurricanes, there are people out there who will love you fiercely, stand at your side, and face your demons with you. Whilst the whole EP is about the importance of self-love, Alexa speaks to the joy in finding people who love you as radically as you love yourself - which is no less than what we all deserve.
"You swooped in and showed me gold, something I could hold... I was in it from the minute you said Alexa fuck off"
Chess in the Wild
Drama King Launch Party
Happiness & Laughter Live Session
ABOUT CHESS SMITH
Chess Smith is a British pop/rock singer-songwriter with a love for writing passionate, personal & positive songs about mental health and hitting back at toxic behaviour. With her soaring, emotive power vocals, engaging stage presence, and uncanny ability to write relatable songs with unforgettable hooks, Chess is ready to shake up the music scene in 2025. Her music is all about radical self-love, empowerment, and overcoming adversity – in a world full of competition, comparison, narcissism, and self-doubt, Chess' uplifting, anthemic songs are a welcome reminder that when we know our worth and love ourselves, we are unstoppable.
Chess began her career working with local rock bands in London and the Southeast, touring around the UK and experimenting with different genres along the way. Raised on ABBA & Led Zeppelin, with influence from artists like Alanis Morisette, Paper Route, Chappell Roan, Holly Humberstone & Maggie Rogers, Chess' sound is a refreshing amalgamation of diverse genres with an edgy alt-pop feel.
Chess has worked with music legends across numerous genres, including Jocelyn Brown, Emily Dolan Davies (Drummer of The Darkness/ Cher Lloyd), Paul Davis (Drummer of Sugababes/ Jericho), Ashley Kinsley (keys player for Beverly Knight), and Steve Harris (Gary Numan’s guitarist). She toured extensively with Mooli, and fronted Salvation Jayne to wild acclaim, before parting ways in 2022.
In 2020, Chess suffered a severe nervous breakdown as a result of narcissistic abuse, which forced her to take a long break from music. When she eventually started her recovery, it felt like the right time to solely focus on herself & her solo career. Realising that there was so little positive, uplifting messaging about surviving abuse & dealing with trauma, she chose to write music about her experiences in hopes it may help other people. Stepping away from rock and into an alternative pop musical kaleidoscope for a fresh start… A New Reign.
Since 2022 Chess has been working on a solo project called 'Saving Lilibet', co-writing with multi-talented Kent producer Fuji Hideout. Chess has already played an early preview of her new material to an enthralled crowd at The Live Lounge in Canterbury, and will be embarking on a series of live shows to celebrate the release of her new singles and EP, the first of which is on 8th February 2025 at the esteemed Art Club in Dover.
Follow for more news and updates, or contact Chess via email, or on social media, using the links below.
Chess Smith is an independent, self-managed artist
chess@chesssmith.co.uk
TikTok / Instagram / Facebook: @chesssmithmusic
Critics' Reviews
Fame Magazine
"Soundtracked by defiant 80s synths, a modern alt-pop edge, and vocals that cut like a scalpel, Disassociate is as sonically infectious as it is lyrically lethal"
Fortitude Magazine
"Smith’s soaring vocal range … the parallels between Smith’s and Hayley Williams’ vocals can no longer be ignored"
Aural Aggravation
"‘Drama King’ is stirring, soulful and incredibly slick pop. That she’s drawing on experience and processing through art is powerful. That she speaks for so many is a grim reality. Chess is back, alright, and her voice needs to be heard."
The Zine UK
Back Seat Mafia
"The vocals of Chess Smith are strong and full of passion, range and power"
Get In Her Ears
"raw, impassioned vocals"