Beabadoobee, the west London singer-songwriter, has revealed that she and her fans would all be friends in another life, as she prepares to headline The O2 Arena for the first time.
Beatrice Laus, 26, is promoting her fourth album, Pylon, which is out now. The record follows her UK No. 1 LP, This is How Tomorrow Moves, and comes after she supported Taylor Swift on 12 dates of the Eras Tour in 2023.
From homebody to arena headliner
Laus describes her ideal day in London as waking up, smoking a spliff, cuddling her cats, watching Scrubs, going for a walk by the canal, eating at a market, meeting friends at the pub, and staying up till 5am. But on a Tuesday morning in September, she was instead signing pre-orders of Pylon, her signature reduced to "basically a scribble" due to the volume.
Her debut album, Fake it Flowers, came out in 2020, and her collaboration with Powfu, Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head), has amassed two billion Spotify streams. In November, she will play four arena shows in the UK, culminating at The O2 in London.
Staying grounded amid fame
Laus says being herself has kept her grounded but has also made things difficult, including maintaining healthy relationships while touring. She admits she struggles with watching how the industry changes people she once loved, and notes that she hasn't changed at all.
Reflecting on her career, she says she doesn't know if she's dealing with it well, calling it an extraordinary and confusing experience, especially for someone who made music because she was depressed and bored. She attended Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding earlier this year, saying she's grateful to bring her boyfriend to such events.
Writing through the chaos
Pylon is named after telephone power lines seen on long drives between tour shows, reminding her of connections home. To combat disorientation, Laus tried bringing friends, her boyfriend, and getting sober, but says none of those things really worked. Writing the album, she says she was closest to who she was at 19, unapologetically herself and angry, singing about not knowing what she's doing.
The album features collaborations with Hayley Williams, Brendan Yates, Chino Moreno, Evan Stephens Hall, and Matty Healy and George Daniel of The 1975. Laus says even if the record had nothing on it, getting in sessions with those people would be enough to feel great for the rest of her life.
Navigating the industry
On the duet Nothing to Prove with Williams, they deliver a kiss-off anthem inspired by conversations about being a woman in the industry and not being taken seriously. Laus says she still finds herself dismissed in rooms full of men, but feels hope from initiatives like Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields festival.
She says writing Pylon was the most offline she's ever been, which helped her avoid doom-scrolling and getting lost in the comments section. She notes that being vulnerable means you never know how intense the aftermath will be, but she doesn't think about her audience when writing.
Connecting with fans and the future
Laus played a one-off show for Spotify's Hometown series in west London and participated in a songwriting workshop at youth project The Avenues. She has no plans to move to America, saying she's not tempted. She loves London, where she went to school, got kicked out of one, and has had many experiences.
Looking ahead, she envisions herself as "a mum with an electric guitar" in a decade, and says she loves every version of herself who was messed up, appreciating the madness that got her to this point.
When she plays The O2 this autumn, she'll redo the experience of supporting The 1975 there at 19, when she had a panic attack. She says she's ready to own the moment, not as a perfect pop product but as someone relatable and human, grateful to make music and take the opportunity by the neck.
