The next Billie Eilish? Filipino-British artist Beabadoobee’s debut album Fake it Flowers is a 90s alternative rock throwback for Instagram’s Gen Z world
Wearing Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth and Pixies influences on her Fender guitar strap, 20-year-old singer-songwriter Bea Kristi found YouTube fame with her viral debut single, Coffee, while her TikTok collaboration with Powfu clocked 10 billion views
You may not have heard much about Bea Kristi, but that’s definitely going to change.
Ready to learn more? Here are five things to know about this up and coming star.
One summer, there was not one day when I was sober and I was so young: 15 or 16
She’s grabbed billions of social media views
Long before she started generating headlines in traditional music magazines and newspapers, Beabadoobee was making waves on social media. To her internet fans, she’s already an established act. Her first song, Coffee, was noticed by popular music-sharing YouTube channel 1-800-Love-U, which helped push it to the masses. Now the track has over 50 million plays on Spotify. Even greater exposure came when Canadian rapper Powfu sampled the song’s hook for his own tune, Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head), which has racked up 10 billion views on TikTok.
She was kicked out of school
Kristi’s music is confessional and she has never shied away from being honest about issues and problems in her life. She’s equally honest when discussing those issues with reporters, even admitting to being expelled from her school in London. In a recent interview with The Guardian, she said: “There’s a lot of things that happen in all-girls schools … One summer, there was not one day when I was sober and I was so young: 15 or 16. It was crazy, we just egged each other on.”
She’s a 90s kid – but born in the year 2000
One of the most distinguishing features of Beabadoobee’s music is the heavy influence of alternate and indie rock bands from the 90s. Recent album reviews and interviews see bands like Pavement, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth and Pixies all referenced. Kristi may not have been alive to hear those bands in their prime, but her mother played that sort of music when she was growing up. Although the popularity of guitar bands may have faded in recent years, it’s a sound that Beabadoobee has embraced and made her own.
She loves her guitar
If it was wasn’t obvious from the above, Beabadoobee loves her guitars. She got her first second-hand at 17 in what has turned out to be a transformational moment. For her debut album, she got to use a Fender Jazzmaster belonging to Jamie Oborne, the boss of her record label, Dirty Hit, which features on every song on the album. And she’s said the idea of smashing guitars like Kurt Cobain or an old fashioned punk appals her.