Beabadoobee

Biography

Beabadoobee is Beatrice “Bea” Kristi Laus, a singer and songwriter from Iloilo City, Philippines.

Beatrice has been performing under the name Beabadoobee since she was 17 years old, releasing alternative pop and singer-songwriter tracks with introspective lyrics and a quirky, endearing sound. She scored a massive viral hit with “Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head),” a collaboration with rapper Powfu that blew up on TikTok in 2020.

She takes inspiration from artists like Veruca Salt, Smashing Pumpkins, and many more.

instruments played

Guitar

Vocals

Also Known As

Bea, Beabadoobee

Genres

Indie rock
space rock
alternative rock
indie pop
lo-fi music
folk-pop
bedroom pop

Labels

Dirty Hit

Occupations

Singer-songwriter

Origin

London, England

Website

beabadoobee.co.uk

Years Active

2017 - present

Wiki Link

Beatrice's Early Life

Born in Iloilo City, Philippines, on June 3, 2000, Bea Kristi Laus is currently 21 years old. Her family relocated to West London, where her Filipino parents raised her on a steady diet of Pinoy, or Filipino traditional, music. Growing up in London, Beatrice was a fan of 2000s indie rock mainstays like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Florist, and Kimya Dawson. She also got into the sounds of 90s bands like Sonic Youth and Pavement, citing Pavement lead singer Stephen Malkmus as one of her biggest influences and basing the track "I Wanna Be Stephen Malkmus" on her love for the singer. One of Bea’s first inspirations to make her own music came from Kimya Dawson’s soundtrack for the 2007 film Juno. The score for that quirky film features minimal instrumentation, with most of the original songs consisting of just Dawson’s voice and a guitar or ukulele. Beatrice sought to emulate this sound with her early recordings.

Releasing Her First Songs

Bea's first instrument was the violin, which she played for several years before switching to guitar at 17. After using YouTube tutorials to teach herself guitar, she uploaded her debut original song, "Coffee," to YouTube (written originally for her boyfriend), as well as a cover of the Karen O track "The Moon Song." The virality of "Coffee" got Bea signed to Dirty Hit Records, the home of The 1975, No Rome, The Japanese House, Pale Waves, and others. As a result, Bea was featured on NME’s list of essential new artists for 2019, along with other young rising stars like Billie Eilish. Through Dirty Hit, Beabadoobee released four EPs before dropping a full-length studio album. The first three were Lice, Patched Up, and Loveworm, which came out throughout 2018 and 2019.

Making It Big

After signing on with Dirty Hit, Beabadoobee opened up for American singer Clairo in September of 2019. A month after going on tour, her Space Cadet EP was released, which features the singles "She Plays Bass” and "I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus." In November of that year, she released a special edition of “She Plays Bass” on Spotify that was recorded in Abbey Road. The EP earned rave reviews, and Beabadoobee ended up on the cover of NME shortly after its release. The EP’s release coincided with Bea’s first Brit Award nomination – she received a nod for the Rising Star Award in 2020. After the Brit Awards, Bea received the Radar Award at the 2020 NME Awards, where she also performed. Afterwards, she and fellow Dirty Hit band The 1975 went on tour together in the UK, with Beabadoobee as the supporting act. The tour was meant to extend into North America, but the later show dates were postponed due to COVID-19.

Fake It Flowers

Bea's next release was her debut full-length album, Fake It Flowers. The record features the singles "Care," "Sorry," “Worth It," "How Was Your Day?" and "Together," and it earned critical acclaim and several Platinum certifications. Fake It Flowers was ranked as one of the best albums of 2020 by several outlets, including Consequence of Sound, PopMatters, Rolling Stone, Under the Radar, and Uproxx. The album drew comparisons to 90s era grunge legends like Pixies, Pavement, and The Cranberries, as well as to the reflective songwriting of Elliott Smith.

A Viral Collaboration

Released on February 8, 2020, via Columbia Records, “Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)” is a remix track by Powfu and Beabadoobee on Poems of the Past that blew up online. The song, co-written by Powfu, Beatrice, and Oscar Lang, was produced by Otterpop and has been described as lo-fi hip-hop and emo rap blended with Beabadoobee’s intimate singer-songwriter sound. After gaining traction on TikTok, the song earned billions of plays on the platform throughout 2020, and it later earned several awards. The accolades received by “Death Bed” include the SOCAN Award for Viral Song and the BMI Pop Award for Most Performed Song of the Year. The track also went on to be certified Triple-Platinum in the United States, along with Platinum in the UK and several other countries.

What’s Next for Beabadoobee?

Bea’s artistic prowess has earned her praise from the likes of Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Jaden Smith, and many more. She’s well on her way to becoming one of the most prominent young artists in the world, and she’s continued putting out hits throughout this year. Beabadoobee’s most recent release is the EP Our Extended Play, released on June 23, 2021, via Dirty Hit. The EP features the singles “Last Day on Earth,” co-written by Matty Healy and George Daniel, and “Cologne,” which became a charting song in the UK.