Beabadoobee, formerly known as Bea Kristi, was born in the Philippines and raised in London in the early 2000s. As a teen she was the only Philipino student at the all-girl Catholic school she attended, causing bullying and discrimination, leading to her depression. She used the music, art, and movies around her to influence her personal music style to cope with her hardships. Bea had a solid music background, starting with years of violin lessons and teaching herself guitar. She recorded her first song in 2017 in a friend’s bedroom. While the song was initially intended for close friends and family, the song was listened to by thousands. She was signed by London’s Dirty Hit label in 2018 allowing her to release EPs and grow her stage presence. She added a bassist, drummer, and guitar to emphasize a loaded, more grunge sound. Her success continued through 2020 when she toured with The 1975, “Coffee” hit the top five in several countries, and debuted her album “Fake It Flowers.” In July 2022, Bea released her second album, “Beatopia.” The album consists of 14 tracks with styles from grunge to psychedelic pop, narrating the emotions she experienced while in a breakup.
Bea began her tour of Beatopia in late October in Washington, D.C. On Halloween night she performed at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia. To the delight of a packed crowd of young people, Lowertown opened the show with excitement and fiery energy at 8:15. The band is based in Atlanta, making this a special show for both Lowertown and Beadbadoobee. Bea and her members Eliana Sewell, Louis Semlekan-Faith, and Jacob Budgen took the stage at 9 pm. Due to the holiday of Halloween, the performers have dressed the part. Bea wore a short white dress and a veil, Eliana and Jacob with face paint, and other blood-covered characters to fit the celebration of Halloween that night. Beabadoobee performed her viral hit, “Coffee,” and ended the night with “Cologne.” The crowd was drawn in by Bea’s sweet, but powerful nature and her enchanting way of performing.
While they knew each beat to all of her songs, the pit has just filled enough fans that you could comfortably dance with your friends. I was pleased to hear her play two of my favorites, “Perfect Pair” and “Ripple.” I was surprised to hear the multitude of styles Bea performed, which inspired me to listen to her more often. Overall, her performance in Atlanta was such a special experience. Perhaps artists do this often during tours, but Bea shouted out Atlanta by mentioning how Atlanta’s crowd has the best people and how much she loves performing here.
