Self Esteem: Rebecca Lucy Taylor on university honour

Self Esteem singer Rebecca Lucy Taylor has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Sheffield.

The songwriter was recognised for her success in the music industry and "public championing of inclusivity and diversity", the university said.

Her Prioritise Pleasure record reached 11 in the UK albums chart, also earning Brit and Mercury Prize nominations.

Rotherham-born Taylor recently composed the music for West End and Broadway play Prima Facie, starring Jodie Comer.

The singer was given the Doctor of Music accolade during a graduation ceremony on Monday for students studying in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

"I'm immensely proud and patriotic about this city and this really, really means the world," she told graduates.

"Rebecca champions inclusive and diverse communities in all the work she does and as a public educator works to address the rights and aspirations of women to achieve and be proud," the university said.

"Her success has come relatively later in life, which is a transparent element of her identity, and she uses this meteoric and mature rise to reflect upon how women are often positioned in music, despite generations of feminism."

The university called her a "proud ambassador for Sheffield", with the singer's 2022 Glastonbury outfit famously inspired by the city's Meadowhall shopping centre.

Taylor said she was "overwhelmed, galvanised and energised" by the honorary doctorate.

"I love Sheffield with all my heart and to be acknowledged like this bolsters my dream of changing so much for people in music like me," she said.

"Also thrilled to finally get a cute pic of me in a cap and gown, not gonna lie."

The university will honour 11 other notable public figures with links to the city during summer graduation ceremonies, including Olympic gold medallist hockey player Hollie Wearne-Webb and author Bernardine Evaristo.

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