BEABADOOBEE, IN HER OWN WORDS

What’s your absolute favorite moment on This Is How Tomorrow Moves and why?

My absolute favorite moment on This Is How Tomorrow Moves is on “Beaches.” I didn’t have this song going into the recording sessions; it was written at the very end of the album. The lyric “Don’t wait for the tide just to dip both your feet in” really means everything to me. It’s about jumping right into a situation and not waiting for it to come to you but going towards it. Another proud moment is on “Take a Bite”; we spent the first full week of the recording session playing that over and over, getting the groove right, then adding the piano stamps throughout. Hearing that song from where the demo started just makes me super-proud. It was the sound in my head I was really going for across this new album.

What surprised or most delighted you about the fan reaction?

The most delightful thing from fan reactions is hearing how well the songs are being received at the live shows on tour—everyone knowing the words and singing along. Me being able to play “Take a Bite” and everyone singing the verses with me, even with that more fast-rap-style delivery. Everyone shouting along with me makes me so happy. I’m grateful everyone’s growing with me sonically as I change up styles and sonic choices. It’s important to do that as an artist and to keep refreshing and experimenting.

Fill in the blank: __________ is a cross between __________ and __________ .

“Take a Bite” is a mix of Elliott Smith, Incubus, my Gemini energy and Fiona Apple.

What did you learn about yourself when making the album?

I learned a lot in the process of making This Is How Tomorrow Moves. I learned I can make a record in America; it’s my first one compared to all my other recordings in London. I learned a lot of understanding and confidence in my writing through my deep conversations with Rick Rubin, which I’m forever grateful for. I feel like I gained an understanding on how this record is written in more of a reflection of me growing up and accepting myself for things and not putting any blame on others… Also, I learned that I love Malibu!

Give a shout-out to the unsung hero in the making of the project and explain why.

I shout out Nick Cave for blessing the album on day one of the recording sessions. No one knew he was there, and he just walked into the studio and spoke to us right before we were about to press “record” for the first time. That got us all going on a cool start. Rick told us to simplify everything and start every song with just acoustic guitars only, just the bones of the songwriting before building on any production, which I loved. Also, the biggest shout-out goes to Zephyr, who’s our engineer Jason Lader’s dog. Zephyr would be ready to play in the mornings on the Shangri La [studio] grounds and then calm down at night and sit right in the recording booth area with us. I’m sure he’s on the record in the background somewhere!