In conversation with Beabadoobee

By Lucas Arthur, Music Editor

10 Questions for the British breakthrough artist Beatrice Laus, better known as Beabadoobee.

‘Coffee’ is a world away from the tone of Fake It Flowers – the project packs in loads of confidence, anger and sensitivity. Do these changes in your music reflect your personal changes since 2017?

I think it’s just the sound of me growing as an artist, ‘Coffee’ feels like such a long time ago but I think that part of me is still represented on my album sonically, like I made ‘How Was Your Day?’ in my boyfriend’s garden on a 4-track and there's a dog barking in the background. Haha. That really felt like taking things back to when I started.

*Fake It Flowers* album art | *Courtesy of: Ian Cheek Press*

There’s a lot of raw honesty in your lyrics too. Have you always felt comfortable talking openly about your mental health, or did it take time?

It just feels really helpful to me to do that; just sitting in my room and writing these songs is good for my head. I hope it can even help just one other person, that makes talking about it worth it.

‘Dye It Red’ and ‘Charlie Brown’ are packed with grungy teenage angst – how much of that stems from your own upbringing?

‘Dye It Red’ is really about someone else and not about me, it’s about a situation that I just thought sucked and made me really angry when a friend told me about it. ‘Charlie Brown’, though, is really personal. I never know how much to say about it, really, but it’s another example of getting these thoughts out there being helpful.

Those tracks channel the best of 90s MTV – Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morrissette, Beck, The Cardigans … did you ever feel you were born a decade too late?

Ha! Yes! I mean, in some ways, that’s definitely the music I love but also, I guess so much is different now too. I mean, I got my music noticed online so who knows really?

Beyond the 90s, which contemporary artists have inspired your songwriting?

Alex G is someone I love, I think he’s incredible. I also got to do, like, my second show with my band with Mac DeMarco, that was pretty cool. We got drunk after and he gave me a tattoo!

One of your producers actually compared your songwriting to Kurt Cobain. Surely that’s a pretty sweet compliment to receive?

Yeah, that’s a weird one to receive too though, I can’t really think about stuff like that. I just try and be me and be honest really.

And yet, you’ve mentioned that music isn’t something you’d like to do forever. What’s not to love about being a rock star?

I still really want to be a nursery school teacher one day and have a really simple life. I love what I do and I dont take it for granted. I’ll always make music I just think it’s nice to still have these other things I’d like to do one day.

‘Powfu’s Death Bed (Coffee for your head)’ racked up 4.1 billion plays on TikTok in a single month. That’s a huge audience to reach – do you reckon the app has had a big effect on today’s popular music?

Yeah, I mean it’s like anything else that gets people sharing music. Right now, its Tik Tok and I’m super grateful for that situation but it kinda fell in my lap too. I dont always understand it, though. When I’ve used it, it’s just me and my band being dumb and kinda wholesome, haha.

‘How Was Your Day’ is a personal favourite from the new album, it’s got this cozy, fuzzy, lo-fi feeling to it, just like ‘Coffee’ and your other early self-releases. Any advice for the aspiring bedroom artists out there?

Exactly! Yeah, I guess just do what you want to do and don't worry about other people. Do it for yourself!