It’s all change for Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus. The bright-haired bedroom pop act first emerged in 2017 on Youtube, but Beabadoobee’s third long-player, ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’, may be aptly titled.
Featuring the singles ‘Take A Bite’ and ‘Coming Home, the Philippines-born singer has swapped her home set-up for Rick Rubin’s infamous Shangri-La studio in Malibu to create a wide-ranging album far-removed from those initial lo-fi recordings.
“It was like a therapy session, it was really wholesome,” Bea recalls of her initial meeting with the legendary producer. “I played him some new songs, we just really connected.” Shortly afterwards, Rubin got in touch to say he wanted to do her third album.
“I was terrified of not being in my comfort zone,” she says, “but there was something important about jumping in… not knowing what is going to happen, but just trusting your gut.”
Understandable, as it has been a fast rise from her time as a DIY solo act. Highly anticipated 2020 debut album ‘Fake It Flowers’ received widespread critical acclaim and debuted in the UK Top 10, while 2022 follow-up ‘Beatopia’s Top 5 success was accompanied by sold out tours across the globe.
For ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’ she brought along her close friend, long-term collaborator and bandmate Jacob Bugden to work alongside her as co-producer on the album, as he did with ‘Beatopia’.
The new album also includes ‘Ever Seen’, written on the road during her time on tour in the US with Taylor Swift and originally intended to be a pure country song before developing, adding zig-zagging strings and pummeling percussion. For Bea, she says, this captures the feelings of going to Glastonbury – the elation, the thudding of drums drifting over the wind, the endless chaotic possibilities.
“I think I’m more aware of my actions in these songs,” she adds. “In my previous records, I would consistently sing about my reaction towards other people’s doings, like a blame game. But in this record, it’s an acceptance that there’s an inevitability of my fault in there too. Whether it’s childhood trauma or relationship issues, it takes two to tango in everything.”
So, Bea is comfortable taking the reins of this next stage of her life: “I love this album,” she says simply. “I feel like it’s helped me so much more than anything else has in navigating this new era, this new understanding of where I’m at. I guess it’s about becoming a woman.”
‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’ out now. This article originally appeared in the Lancashire Post.