BEABADOOBEE
"I love Gabrielle, I love Natasha Bedingfield, and I love Nelly Furtado. Why can't I write a song inspired by those incredible artists?" - beabadoobee
wanted to impress was me." "These past few years have given me the time to reflect on what I actually want to do," Bea adds. Away from what people wanted, away from contrary knee-jerk reactions to success, she realised she didn't have to conform to expectations. "I could just make anything I wanted to," she states. "I mean, who's stopping me?" That freedom *is* 'Beatopia'. "It's a feeling I knew I needed to share," says Bea. "'Beatopia' is a concept record, but it's also something everyone has in them. You just need to dig down, find it within yourself and accept it." That 'Beatopia' feeling is "when you're comfortable in your own body, your decisions and your past. You own all the bad shit, rather than being trapped by it." "I was itching to write these songs," says Bea. It's why the lyrics for this record deal with the present, as opposed to 'Fake It Flowers', which was focused on the past. Demos were written, sat on and revisited over several months. In her confessional lyrics, Bea would talk openly about past traumas, from attending an all-girls Catholic boarding school, to the trauma of moving to England from the Philippines when she was two. "Me and my parents had moved to a completely unfamiliar country, so growing up was hard. School was hard. Not being able to fit in, feeling isolated, that all bled into my songwriting," she says. By contrast, 'Beatopia' takes influence from her Filipino heritage.
"The music is amazing, the people are amazing, and the whole vibe is about being together and open with one another. It's such a vibe. I want to share what I know and what I feel with everyone." "With 'Fake It Flowers', those past troubles kept me stuck in one place," she continues. "I was sad because these things happened to me, but you have to deal with it. You have to learn how to move on. You need to live, y'know?" People still want her to stay sad, though. Earlier this week, a fan DMed her, telling Bea how excited she was to hear 'Ripples' because they knew it was going to be depressing before asking how miserable '10 36' was. "It's got sad lyrics, but it's an upbeat pop song," Bea replied. She was greeted with a sad emoji. "This balance is good for me," she shrugs. Sure, sometimes beabadoobee does beat herself up over the fact she doesn't write sprawling yet intricate poetry about how she's feeling, perhaps via a clever metaphor. She knows she could try (and based on past successes, she'd probably smash it), but "why not just say it straight?" And 'Beatopia' certainly doesn't mince its words with songs about shagging, drugs, and making mistakes. 'Talk' is her way of saying, "I'm going to have fun, I'm going to do bad things, but I'm probably going to learn from these mistakes, so does it really matter?" "There are some songs where I
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lines . . . . . . . . .
We asked Bea to say a few words about her friends, collaborators and tour mates. Join the lines to match the name with the quote, then check your answers over the page. We've done one for you to get started. You're welcome. 1. CAVETOWN
A. Lovely. Really good friend of mine. Best melodies in town.
2. GEORGE DANIEL
B. My mentor. Really inspiring and always knows the best thing to say.
3. GEORGIA ELLERY, JOCKSTRAP
C. Extremely talented, and I can't wait to hear music from him because I think he's so incredible and inspirational. Plus, sick house.
4. HALSEY
D. So talented. Really overwhelming when I met him because I am such a fan of his band. He just completely understood what I was trying to do with my music. A cool dude.
5. JACK ANTONOFF, BLEACHERS
E. Incredible. One of the most talented girls I know. She did all the strings on Beatopia in a single take. An ethereal being.
6. JACK STEADMAN, BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB
F. I'm so grateful to be touring with her, and the fact she's got this all-woman line-up is incredible. I really do think she's doing something good.
7. JACOB BUGDEN
G. I love him; he's amazing. Another talented musician and one of the best producers around, in my opinion. I can't wait to tour with them.
8. MATTY HEALY
H. One of the kindest, most genuine people I've ever met. One of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard in my life as well. I tried getting him to sing on every song because I love his voice so much.
9. PINKPANTHERESS
I. My best friend, a big brother and the only person who has keys to my house.
For everyone's dignity, we've not printed who Bea said was "hot as fuck", but the thank you section of the 'Fake It Flowers' vinyl will give that away. Happy hunting.
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