Beabadoobee talks about new album and tour before Vancouver concert

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Beabadoobee dropped her fourth album, Pylon, on Sept. 18 on the U.K. indie label Dirty Hit.

It became the singer’s second record to enter both the U.K. and Australian charts in the No. 1 spot. All four of her albums have hit the top 10 in both those markets.

Riding a wave created by a trio of singles rolled out starting last June, the album also hit the top 10 in the U.S. Billboard Albums list. With three BRIT-award nominations, the Filipino/English singer is clearly on a roll.

Songs such as Switchblade, Estranged, Sun Has Set and the new Write Me a Letter make it clear that the volume got turned up on Pylon. Her much-viewed Lollapalooza show this year showcases an artist comfortably couched in an alt-rock vibe that would have sounded right at home on the stage at the first edition of the long-lived annual event.

Taking a break from putting finishing touches on Pylon-adjacent new material, Beabadoobee admits that she made an album at age 25 that she would have wanted to hear at age 19.

“I kind of went back to my roots on this one, but that was always there as my first record Fake It Flowers had really heavy in moments and was ’90s inspired,” said Beabadoobee. “It was only fair to dedicate an entire album to it, as in a way, I was going back to what 19-year-old Bea loved. I’m doing another version of it where it’s even more of my influences from emo bands that I love.”

Initially a bedroom pop stylist, she developed into a fully formed band act with the release of 2020’s full-length debut Fake It Flowers.

By that time, fans were well-aware of her high-energy live performances with appearances at major festivals across Europe and North America. She was a well-established act before supporting spots on both Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour gave her far greater global exposure.

Today, her streaming numbers are more than 10 billion.

Not bad for the artist born Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus in Ilolio City in the western Visayas region of the Philippines, and proof that being prolific has its benefits. While only actively recording since 2018, she has nine releases and tunes from all of them have become in-demand fan favourite requests in concert.

Putting together the set list for The Powerlines Tour she brings to Rogers Arena on Oct. 28 proved one of the hardest things about preparing for the dates. It’s why the show is running nearly two hours long.

“OMG, yes! It was almost impossible putting the set list together,” she said. “I have a new album of songs I love and want to play, so it was difficult. But I think I struck the perfect balance for a show, LOL.”

Along with evolving the sound and the show came putting together a backing band that could cover all the bases. Her rhythm section of drummer Luca Caruso and bassist Eliana Sewell are joined by guitarist Jason Vance Harris. Previous guitarist Jacob Bugden, who had been a key player, stepped back from the group to pursue production work.

Having two guitarists in the mix means Beabadoobee is freed up from instrumental duties to assume a classic front role in performance.

“My band is evolving, and I’ve had a new player added in the mix,” she said. “Sam Everett, who I love, is the newest and fifth member. It also means I can run around more.”

Another figure in her music videos that won’t be making the tour is the mysterious goat that appears frequently in the popular clip for the single Beaches. Long a source of speculation as to its deeper meaning in the music, the singer set the record straight about the camera-hogging ungulate.

“Oh, the goat!,” she laughed. “That represents producer Rick Rubin. He was there for the recording of the album This Is How Tomorrow Moves and then in spirit in the video. But as a goat.”

It’s a new positioning for the multiplatinum producer behind artists as wide-ranging as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and AC/DC, as well as The Chicks and The Strokes. But Rubin’s resume has always reflected a wide-ranging taste. With eight Grammy Awards, he can certainly lay claim to GOAT status in music.

In fact, one of Rubin’s earliest successes was Licensed To Ill by the Beastie Boys. And, in a case of six degrees of separation, the group’s later, self-produced material is Beabadoobee’s preferred pick to perform if she ever finds herself in a karaoke bar.

“Sabotage by Beastie Boys would be my jam,” she said.

Tickets from $57.40 to Beabadoobee’s The Powerlines Tour are on sale at Ticketmaster.ca.