Years after starting on TikTok, showing off her voice in every tube station in London, Beth Brandy has kicked off the first few months of her music career with singles “Irresponsible” and “Magic”, with more to come in the near future.
We chatted with Beth Brandy this week and learned more about her rise to online fame, her transition into music, and the people and communities that have helped her along the way.
1. Were you expecting your original video to blow up as much as it did? (Cover of Ariana Grande’s Bang-Bang) How did it feel to see that reaction from people? Was that a big turning point in the music side of things?
I took so much inspiration from Ariana’s range and her ability to hit high notes. I wanted to test my boundaries and share my abilities with my friends and followers… and it blew up without intention. I achieved 12M views altogether!
I was in shock, felt huge excitement, and was in awe because of the lovely comments I was getting from people across the world. I gained 80k followers overnight and I received nothing but positivity. People wanted to see what other notes I could hit by other artists such as Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera, so they wanted more from me.
Gaining such success overnight was such a pivotal point because it opened the idea of being able to actually turn singing into a career.
2. How long have you been singing, and what inspires you when you make music?
I have been singing since I was 17. I taught myself how to sing by going out to a barn we had in the garden and singing huge songs like ‘I have nothing’ by Whitney, and ‘Emotions’ by Mariah, over and over again. At first, I sounded awful trying to hit the high notes but after a while, I started to hit them easily. If I hear music that makes me feel good, either with an infectious beat or empowering lyrics, it inspires me to make my own.
3. What were the musicians you listened to growing up? How did/do those musicians and their music inspire you today?
I grew up listening to 80s funk just as the BeeGees and Michael Jackson. So, I have always loved 80s funk music, but I didn’t think anyone was interested in hearing it until Silk Sonic took a modern take on 80s music and won Grammys for it.
Since I absolutely love funk music, I saw it as a perfect time to be able to make music that was as if pop star Ariana Grande hopped on an 80s pop song. I want to make people love pop-funk again.
4. What is your ‘sound’? How did you find it / Are you still in the process of finding it?
I love singing and covering soul and R&B music, however, that’s not necessarily the music I want to make. I worked with Grammy-nominated Sam Hook on my EP, and he really helped me make what I wanted my sound to come to life.
I wanted my music to sound like “Ariana hopped on a Silk Sonic beat” and that’s exactly the type of music we made. I feel like there are a lot of artists making sad pop songs or storylines about a breakup or a diss track. I wanted my sound to be funky and pop and for the topics of my songs to be fun and about not taking life too seriously.
My song Double Standards (the lead single on my EP ) is a fun and light-hearted take on someone in a relationship acknowledging the fact that they can sometimes think they’re always right and can be bossy and headstrong. Although, If I were to make music with a storyline on more of a tough or sensitive topic, I make sure to flip it on its head to be resilient about it.
5. What have been some of the difficulties of trying to break into music? Has your experience working as an influencer helped at all?
There are so many independent artists nowadays that the tough truth is TikTok is getting oversaturated. As a result, people are getting decision fatigue.
From what I’ve noticed, the new ‘independent artist music’ is starting to bore people nowadays. You need to stand out and be something new and fresh, especially on TikTok. It’s hard to make money as an independent artist on TikTok as they don’t get pushed a lot. TikTok’s priorities aren’t new music, so for new artists, the odds are against us.
I want to grow a relationship with people who enjoy music, develop my relationships with existing fans, and build connections with new ones. Releasing more music and getting on a stage for people who want to hear my songs live is absolutely key for me.
6. What are some artists or producers that you think you’d want to work with in the future? What about other genres that you’d want to explore more?
ANDERSON.PAAK! I’m obsessed with Anderson Paak and the way he can make any genre funky. Calvin Harris & Pharrell Williams too.
7. What’s something that you wish someone had told you before you started? (Whether before starting music or before starting your online presence on TikTok and Instagram)
If you have an inkling to do something or post, don’t wait and do it later that day; trust and go for it there and then; never let anything get to your head and get lazy, no matter how successful you are at that moment in time.
8. How has your identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community helped shape your identity (if at all) and how has it influenced your journey to where you are today?
The LGBTQ+ community is such a safe space that it wasn’t difficult or too hard to be accepted for who I am publicly. Career-wise, I have found the LBGTQ+ community to have gone out of their way to be incredibly supportive in my career to date. I sing a lot in a gay club in Soho, London and the reception, support, and encouragement I receive from the gay crowd is overwhelming. I definitely feel very proud of being part of this community.
9. What advice would you give someone who wants to break into the music industry?
Do not take social media for granted. It’s very easy to be frustrated about social media as an artist and feel against it, however, they don’t see that it’s such a blessing.
It’s a way to promote yourself for free, it takes out the middle man of labels and you can reach millions of people and create so many opportunities just from anywhere in the world. Coming from an artist who doesn’t have millions of followers yet and sympathizes with wanting to throw the towel in at times, you have to keep finding ways to create the best content you can to get as far as you can.
10. With another EP on the way in Spring 2024, what should we expect? (Something personal? Something unique?)
‘Double Standards’ is the name of the lead single and 6-track EP which will be released on the 5th of April. The single ‘Double Standards’ is written in such a jokey nature… in the pre-hook I say; “you should love whatever I like, you know when I’m wrong, I’m still right” I’m making it aware how difficult I am. But in the hook, I follow it up with “Don’t you feel so lucky that you get to love me”? showing I’m taking the mick out of how almost unlucky he is that he gets to love me, essentially mocking myself.
‘Irresponsible’ is my most recently released single and my most mysterious, almost sexiest song on the EP. It’s about temptation. ‘Irresponsible’ is about being unable to stop yourself from doing something you know you shouldn’t do. The whole mood of the song highlights the excitement and temptation of something or someone that makes you irresponsible. I also have a few ballads on the EP where I write about the positives and the vulnerability of love.
Thanks so much to Beth Brandy it’s a pleasure, and it’s certainly not always that you’re voice is heard by over 12 million people, before you start making music. Be sure to check out Beth Brandy on Spotify and keep a lookout for her upcoming EP, ‘Double Standards’ coming out in April!!!
