If there is one thing for sure, it’s that we’re all about supporting new upcoming homegrown talent, and one that needs to be on your radar is 21-year-old BEA. Debuting earlier this month with her smooth-sailing single “Blue Escape”, the London-hailed singer draws us into her cinematic world, using compelling heartfelt lyricism and crooning vocals. Riding the layered R&B production, the singer fuses elements of soul with contemporary pop to create a hybrid mix that instantly takes you into a sweet ecstasy.

“‘Blue Escape’ was written the same day that me and Dominick Goldsmith met,” the singer revealed when speaking on the single. “Harry, a mutual friend of ours introduced me and Dom and then we organised a meeting and ended up writing it that day. So, the creative process to the track felt quite instinctual, writing with Dom felt very natural from the get go and I hope this song shows that. Our creative process differs from track to track, some days we will be on a roll and write 3 songs in a day, on the flip side other songs have taken months to record and get right!”

Balancing her time at Goldsmiths University with music, the singer has been spending this past year honing in on her musical ability in East Sussex, composing an array of beautiful tracks in her neighbour’s barn. Ready to release an EP in the coming months and venture on the stage, we caught up with the rising star talking all things music and self-discovery.

Check out the interview below now…

Hey Bea, how has this past year been for you? Has it affected you creatively?
This year has been a beautiful mess of ups and downs for me. Being inside has pushed us all to really reflect on ourselves and what we want to do! I think the past year definitely affected me creatively, it gave me the chance to just sit at my piano and explore new ways of writing because we all had what seemed like endless time to do what we wanted. I think writing came as a release for me, sitting at my piano and spilling all that I was thinking about was definitely my favourite time of the day.

How did you first get into music, what sparked the interest?
My parents introduced me to soul, jazz and blues from a very young age. I have quite a clear memory of my dad showing me a youtube video of Otis Redding performing “Try A Little Tenderness” live. I couldn’t believe the passion he put into the performance, this sparked my obsession with soul artists and I would sit on youtube for hours watching these old gigs in awe. Me and my family would also go to festivals every year and this was a huge inspiration, seeing artists like Stevie Wonder and Amy Winehouse perform was massively influential at such a young age.

You’re currently a second-year politics student, how is it juggling music and your studies?
It can be tough when I have lots of deadlines and all I want to do is sing or write but uni sometimes helps me lyrically. The topics and readings can be really inspiring so I’m thankful to have both!

You grew up in north-west London, do you think your area impacted your sound?
I think the area I lived in definitely played a part in inspiring my writing. I was very lucky to have amazing music teachers at my local school and so whether I was at school or back home I was surrounded by great music and incredible musicians.

And you’ve just dropped your debut single “Blue Escape”, talk us through your creative process creating the single!
“Blue Escape” was written the same day that me and Dominick Goldsmith met, Harry, a mutual friend of ours introduced me and Dom and then we organised a meeting and ended up writing it that day. So, the creative process to the track felt quite instinctual, writing with Dom felt very natural from the get-go and I hope this song shows that. Our creative process differs from track to track, some days we will be on a roll and write 3 songs in a day, on the flip side other songs have taken months to record and get right!

It’s inspired by self-discovery and freedom, why did you decide to focus on these topics?
This track stemmed from our urge to be free because we were living through a time where that wasn’t allowed. I think self-discovery was massive around this time because we all had so much time to work through whatever problems we had. For the video, I really wanted to portray this feeling of coming out of a tough place and finding your freedom, which for me was an open green space.

What is it like debuting during such a strange time?
It is still so exciting! I am so happy to finally have something out in the world and can’t wait for everyone to hear the rest of the E.P. because we are very proud of it!

Who inspires you?
I am inspired by an endless list of artists but my main inspirations over the years have to be Al Green, Gil Scott-Heron, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, James Blake, Alice Coltrane, Donny Hathaway, Dizzy Gillespie, Kate Tempest, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Björk, Marvin Gaye and so on. These are the artists I grew up listening to.

Who is one person you’d love to work with?
If I had to choose, Björk. I would love an insight into her creative process.

What’s next for you? What are you most excited for?
I will be releasing 4 more tracks in the coming months as part of my E.P. and then will be working on the next music to come after that. I can’t wait for everyone to hear the rest of this project because we are so proud of the songs. I am also very excited to play live when things are a little more normal. We have an exciting live show on the way!