Singer and actor Jehnny Beth, formerly of Savages, shares the songs that have shaped her life, from a childhood jazz favourite to tracks she can no longer bear to hear.
Beth’s first musical love was Chet Baker’s My Funny Valentine, introduced by her piano teacher. She recalls, “Even though I had a really soft, small voice, I’d give it my best shot.”
She knows every lyric to David Bowie’s Dollar Days after performing it at the British Library for the 10th anniversary of his final album, Blackstar. For parties, she recommends Contortion by Sextile, calling them “one of the best punk electronic bands out there right now.”
Fontaines DC’s A Hero’s Death is now too emotional for Beth; she played it to her father while he was in a coma. She also admits to secretly liking Kanye West’s Black Skinhead but can no longer publicly condone it due to his political views.
The song that changed her life is Le Tigre’s Deceptacon, which she discovered at a friend’s house. “I had never heard something so angry and feminine,” she says. Her new album You Heartbreaker, You is out now, and she tours the UK from 17 March.
