Just because the strident crunch of Freya Ridings' recent singles conjures up images of a medieval army riding into battle, that doesn't mean she's a warrior queen blessed with bottomless self-confidence.
If anything, the recording sessions initially found the singer-songwriter at an all-time low, floored by nerves.
"I was questioning and doubting myself more than I ever had," she tells BBC News.
"I was actually having panic attacks in the studio... but I was determined to write my way out of it."
The crisis of confidence began with her previous album, Blood Orange.
