Interview: 2019 Must-Know - Beabadoobee

After having already amassed millions of streams with her own self-released recordings (despite only picking up a guitar a year ago), Beabadoobee (real name: Bea Kristi) signed to Dirty Hit last year and released her homey 'Patched Up' EP in December - which begins with the comforting sentiment of "you’re all right, you’re still breathing" in the opening-track, 'Everest'.

Described by Beabadoobee as "a collection of songs that patch up a history of teenage unhappiness in the lead up to turning 18-years-old," the EP is a seven-track snapshot into her busy mind, from the earnestness of 'Art Class' ("'Cause you’re my cru-cru-crush / And I like you very much / And I'd appreciate / If you'd like me back"), to the relatable late-night woes of 'If You Want To' ("Bed bugs in my mind / Keep them all alive / Insomnia creeps at night / Sleep paralysis till I die"), and the intimate 'Dance With Me' ("If you wanna dance then / Dance with me / It's pretty fast but / This is what you do at parties, right?").

Born in Manilla but raised in London, Beabadoobee names the likes of Daniel Johnston and Elliott Smith as influences, but works a cosy songwriting magic completely of her own, enchanting more and more new fans all across the world as they become familiar with this prolific artist who often teases new material via Instagram, and speaks of the importance to not sugarcoat life, but instead to embrace your sadness as a path through to happiness.
 
MUST-LISTEN: 'If You Want To', 'Art Class', 'Everest'.
YOU WILL LIKE, IF YOU LIKE: Karen O's 'Where the Wild Things Are' soundtrack, Angel Olsen, Clairo, Roy Blair, Fazerdaze, the 'Juno' soundtrack... and ugly Christmas sweaters.

COUP DE MAIN: ‘Eighteen’ has such a relatable sentiment about the fear of getting older (“Sometimes I get scared of growing up / Entering a world with broken dreams”). Why do you think the feeling of growing older, especially as a teenager, is such a terrifying thought?
BEABADOOBEE: What I find personally scary about growing up is the fear of losing the innocence we once had when we were children. I miss the blissfulness and naivety I used to have when I was young, I think it's so important to at least keep an ounce of that within ourselves.

CDM: What was running through your mind while you were writing ‘If You Want To’? It’s our favourite on the EP!
BEABADOOBEE: Thank you! It's pretty exaggerated. I mean, I find it really hard sleeping at night, I had to keep this sleeping schedule from my councillor because it was getting so bad... It's pretty hard organising my thoughts in the night and it bothers me just like how bed bugs would if I ever had them. And the chorus just explains how my boyfriend Soren somehow emits this weird sleeping drug that helps me sleep, and how I basically can’t really sleep properly without him being next to me.

CDM: Is there a song on the ‘Patched Up’ EP that you’re most proud of now following its release?
BEABADOOBEE: I really like 'Tired', that song hits home for me the most.

CDM: You’ve said that you spend a long time working on your lyrics. Do you spend longer working on lyrics than the music for your songs?
BEABADOOBEE: It takes 10x longer finding the lyrics. I think time should be spent longer on lyrics for it to really be genuine.

CDM: If you could remake a soundtrack to any movie of your choosing, which film would you want to do?
BEABADOOBEE: Ah I could never replace movie soundtracks to my favourite movies because I think they’re so perfect already. Like, ah I can’t do that to Kimya Dawson in 'Juno' I CAN'T, or Elliott Smith in 'Good Will Hunting'. No, no, no. I would have to make my own movie or get given a completely new movie.

CDM: In your Noisey interview you mention that you don’t think music explores subjects which are scary to talk about, but that it’s okay to have feelings which might feel intimidating. Do you think it’s important for music (and your music) to explore these feelings, to help show people they’re not alone in the way they feel?
BEABADOOBEE: Yes! Definitely! I think it's important not to sugarcoat things, instead we should just say it how it is! I want people to know that it could be shit right now, but it always gets better at the end, so there's no harm with embracing your sadness, you have to get through it first to get happy again.

CDM: How does your songwriting process work?
BEABADOOBEE: I have to be reallYY worked up with a feeling and then I find the chords first and sing gibberish to find a cool melody, and then add lyrics that’ll probably take some time.

CDM: Do you write your lyrics specifically for the songs, or do you write poems or prose and then evolve them into song-form?
BEABADOOBEE: I don’t write it specifically for the songs, I just see where the melody takes me and the feeling I want to express with it. And from there I write lyrics.

CDM: Lyrically, what's your favourite song that you’ve written?
BEABADOOBEE: Mmmmmm I wrote one a few days ago that I really love and I don’t have a name for it and I honestly think it's my favourite, the lyrics are so relatable to me, it hits home. But in terms of the music I have released, I would have to say 'Everest' because the lyrics in that are hopeful and meaningful and I get told it's helped some people which makes me happy. Someone got a lyric from that song tattooed on their arm which is insanely cool.

CDM: What do you hope for people to take away from listening to your music?
BEABADOOBEE: That it's okay to feel sad sometimes.

CDM: If B.E.A.B.A.D.O.O.B.E.E. was an acronym, what would each letter stand for?
BEABADOOBEE: Oh god that would take ages… I called myself Beabadoobee as a joke because I didn’t think this music thing was ever going to work out and now I have to make acronyms for it. I’ll get back to you with that.

CDM: You’re one of our 'must-know’ artist picks for 2019… who are yours?
BEABADOOBEE: My BFF who produced my music called PIG, he is awesome, and Molly Payton who is sososo lovely and makes the best tunes, and this kid called Scruffpuppie from America who is fricken awesome.

CDM: If you could steal one thing without consequence what would it be?
BEABADOOBEE: Timothée Chalamet.

CDM: If you were a country, what would be your national anthem?
BEABADOOBEE: Daniel Johnston's 'Devil Town'.

CDM: This is a question from Girl In Red (who is another one of our 2019 Must-Knows) who asks: "At what age did you discover your talent for twerking? Love, Marie."
BEABADOOBEE: When I came out of the womb.

Watch the music video for 'Dance With Me' below...