This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally from March 5. Pre-order a copy of the magazine here.
I can hear Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, known to the world as beabadoobee, before I can see her. We’re meeting outside the Cat & Mutton pub, on Broadway Market in Hackney, for an afternoon stroll and tea. The sky is light grey, with the sun breaking through the clouds. It’s a welcome change from the dark, rainy skies of the last few days. Bea is laughing with her publicist as they reminisce about taking shots in Eastern Europe; they were in Lithuania last week filming the music video for her new single, “All I Did Was Dream of You”. The 25-year-old, sporting a white puffer and a brown beanie that covers her black-and-blonde mullet, brings out a spliff as she leads me around London Fields. She loves this park, she explains while smoking. She loves London. She loves her cats, Kimchi and Miso, and this other cat she found being chased by a fox the other day, now christened Moo. She loves her boyfriend and collaborator Jake Erland, her friends and family. “I’m loving life right now,” she says.
This wasn’t always the case for Bea, especially not when she began releasing music in 2017. Her first single, “Coffee”, got her signed to Dirty Hit Records and grabbed the attention of depressed and anxious teenagers everywhere (myself included) as she sang, “I promise that one day I’ll feel fine / And I promise that one day I’ll feel all right.” At 18, I would cry while listening to these lyrics, with the firm, melodramatic belief that I would not be able to keep the promises she sang so softly about. “I thought I was born sad,” she tells me as we wait for our drinks to arrive at Market Cafe. “I went to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and they were like, ‘You did so many drugs, you’re just permanently sad.’” She can laugh now, but at the time, she thought she had “fucked” herself up, that she was always going to be a sad person. “Not true,” she says with a grin. “Not true.”
Now the Filipina-British artist is a Brit Award nominee with three albums (Fake It Flowers, Beatopia and This Is How Tomorrow Moves) and six EPs under her belt. She has been the supporting act for some of the biggest artists on the planet, including Clairo, the 1975, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, and after a year without releasing any music, she’s dying to come back. Will we receive something more upbeat this time? “The next album is still pretty sad,” Bea laughs. “But it’s about accepting the sad times and understanding that you have to feel every single fucking feeling. Happiness, sadness, anger – all of it.”
My introduction to your music was through the Patched Up EP, from 2018. Your song “Eighteen” touched me because I was 18 when it came out, and I had all the anxieties you were singing about. I even wrote a personal essay inspired by the song about turning 19, and how scared I was that my teenage years were almost over. When you think back to 18-year-old Bea and all her anxieties and fears, how do you feel about how far you’ve come?
beabadoobee: OMG. You have to send me your essay. My dad was a nurse at the time when that EP came out, and one of his patients was a recovering drug addict. He told him that Patched Up helped him [while in recovery], and I was like, ‘Wow, this EP is really depressing.’ [laughs]
You’ve helped people in tough times!
beabadoobee: To answer your question, when I was on social media loads, I would be subconsciously influenced by the things I was consuming. But since getting off the internet I’ve been super creative; I have dedicated my life to music and friends, and that’s the only thing I have to go off now. Patched Up is one of the [records] that will always have a special place in my heart; I’m always gonna listen back to it and be like, ‘Oh, it’s interesting that I did that there.’ I want to keep those little things that remind me of who I am.
Thinking about what I was writing then [compared] to how I feel now is crazy, because sometimes I feel the exact same way. Like, I feel really confident today, but there are moments when I can listen to a song that I wrote ages ago and be like ‘OMG, I haven’t fucking changed, bitch! I still feel the same.’ [laughs] But what’s the point in living life if you’re not figuring shit out all the time? That’s just how you learn. Growing up is just something you do until you die, and I kind of love that.
Do you still feel anxiety about getting older and being an adult?
beabadoobee: Naturally, yes – everyone does. But I’ve found peace in the fact that it’s inevitable. I think those feelings are necessary. With my last record [This Is How Tomorrow Moves], it was all about the fact that I’m an adult now, and I’ve got everything figured out, but of course I haven’t. I’m fucking up loads and I think you’ve got to fuck up loads. You’ve got to embrace those fuck-ups, those moments when you fail and get confused, because it’s the only way you will get to where you’re at now.
A lot of my excitement about getting older is that I can’t wait to have a baby. I love taking care of my cats [Kimchi and Miso]. They have changed my life, and I’ve realised that I really love caring for things. I can’t wait to have a little baby version of me to take care of and I think that’s what I’m looking forward to about being an adult.
Do you feel like you have to censor or worry about what you say in public a lot now?
beabadoobee: I used to not care at all. When I was super online I would wake up and post an IG story like, ‘Haha, just sharted.’ [laughs] I said the most insane things, and I still see my old posts on Pinterest, ’cause it’s the only social media I use. With how times are changing and the way the internet has evolved, everyone will find an issue with absolutely everything. But what I appreciate about making music, or any art for that matter, is that you can say whatever the hell you want. I’ve realised I can get angry in my art and not feel worried about what people will think, because they are going to interpret it in so many different ways.
“You’ve got to embrace those fuck-ups, those moments when you fail and get confused, because it’s the only way you will get to where you’re at now”
You mentioned in an interview recently that your go-to TV show to watch on repeat is Sex and the City. Which character do you most identify with?
beabadoobee: I’ve always thought I was a Carrie, but I’ve not watched it in ages. I tried watching And Just Like That… but I haven’t really delved into it properly. Me and my boyfriend have an addiction to watching shitty British crime shows [like Line Of Duty].
Back to SATC, though… I honestly see myself in every single woman now. In Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha… actually, maybe I’m not as free-spirited as Samantha. I wish I had her confidence. She was, like, 40 when that show began. If I look like that when I’m 40, I’ll be a hoe too!
I read in a few interviews from last year that you started taking ballet lessons because you felt your body breaking down. Do you still attend classes?
beabadoobee: Nope. That’s over! [laughs] I started ballet to feel healthier and, in a weird way, it was just making me more insecure. Now, I’ve got a Peloton…
Shout out to Mr Big, who died on a Peloton.
beabadoobee: OMG yeah, he had a heart attack on his Peloton! [laughs] That’s fucking crazy, going from SATC to my Peloton.
Everything is connected to SATC, in a way.
beabadoobee: [laughs] No, literally. But yeah, using my Peloton, feeling independent and doing it at my own pace feels good. I like not having someone telling me to wear a certain thing or look a certain way or focus on a certain part of my body. That was my issue. When I was seriously training or doing ballet, I was hyper-focused on things I’d never noticed about my body before. I’ve had body issues my entire life, and recently I’ve been way chiller about it because I don’t do things that make me aware of my body in that way. I don’t want to be so aware of my body; I just use it to walk, bro. I just need to take care of it.
You had a busy 2025. Coachella, Bonnaroo, BST Hyde Park. I saw you at BST Hyde Park last year with Amber Mark, Clairo and Sabrina Carpenter. How does it feel to make music alongside this new generation of women artists?
beabadoobee: BST Hyde Park was sooo much fun. I loved it. Claire [Clairo] and I watched Sabrina together, I love her so much. I feel like I’m in safe hands being surrounded by all these women. It’s also nice to know that the biggest artists right now are women! It makes me really happy that people are seeing how talented Sabrina is; she has been doing this for ages. And Chappell Roan. It’s just so satisfying to see and they’re all really lovely as well. It makes me way more comfortable in places where I would normally feel uncomfortable.
Do any of your works speak to each other?
beabadoobee:Yes! I had this really sweet interaction with Sabrina the first time I met her. I remember being like, ‘I love your song ‘emails i can’t send’, which is one of my favourite songs she’s written. The meaning behind the song is exactly the same thing I went through in my childhood, and I’d written a song about it called ‘Ripples’. What was funny was that, when I told her I loved the song and related to it, she told me she loved ‘Ripples’. It was a crazy moment. This is why I love making music, because the idea of someone listening to something I’ve written and being like, ‘Wait, I’ve gone through the exact same thing’ makes me feel way less alone.
You just shot your new music video in Lithuania. How was it and what can you tell us about your new music?
beabadoobee: I recently watched Bugonia by Yorgos Lanthimos – my boyfriend and I are fucking obsessed with Yorgos – and that last scene inspired the video… I made ‘All I Did Was Dream of You’ with María Zardoya from The Marías. She couldn’t be in the video, but she sang beautifully on the song and was really encouraging.
I made [the video] with my boyfriend and one of his good friends, Lucas, who is from Lithuania. It was −17C there – I could have died! I was singing on this frozen lake; it was fucking crazy but it looks so beautiful. It’s a nice bridge to the next thing I want to release.
I literally can’t wait to release something, honestly – I’m fucking dying. Since stepping back from everything, living in real life and seeing friends, I look at my music with way more integrity. Like, if I don’t think a song is perfect, I’m not going to put it out. And I know the discourse: what if a song you don’t like is someone’s favourite, but it needs to matter to me. I need to stop caring about what other people think. I’ve spent my whole life doing that.
Finally, some quickfire questions. What books are you reading at the moment?
beabadoobee: I was reading Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black by Cookie Mueller. Cookie was the OG art hoe. She found herself in the most crazy situations – there’s a bit in the book where she stumbles into a Charles Manson van… I also like books about cats, music books and photobooks.
“I’ve had body issues my entire life, and recently I’ve been way chiller about it... I don’t want to be so aware of my body; I just use it to walk, bro. I just need to take care of it”
Which living person do you most admire?
beabadoobee: My mum and my friends. I have the most solid friendship group of girls I’ve known since I was 11. I wouldn’t have started making music or playing the guitar without them; I wouldn’t be cool without them!
Which living person do you most despise?
beabadoobee: There are so many people I could say! [laughs] If I told you everybody I despised, I would get cancelled. But I don’t hold grudges. Like, I can’t believe someone I trusted fucked me over and made me cry, but I’m a very loyal person and when I have love for someone it will always exist, however much they’ve hurt me.
Are you a forgive-and-forget type of person, then?
beabadoobee: Back in the day, I was definitely out for revenge. I was on my Blair Waldorf shit. Nowadays, I don’t have the time. I low-key wish I did. I forgive, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
When do you find yourself lying the most?
beabadoobee: When I was younger, I used to lie about being OK a lot. But not so much now. Also, honestly, it’s fun to lie sometimes. I once lied to my Uber driver that I was in a Nine Inch Nails cover band, ’cause why not?
What’s your advice for mending a broken heart?
beabadoobee: Alcohol! [laughs] No – don’t listen to sad songs. People say you should so you can get it all out, but I disagree. When I was going through my first heartbreak, which was intense, I only listened to happy music and I had the best time.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
beabadoobee: Epic.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
beabadoobee: For ages, I was always terrified of being alone, of being away from someone and missing them. It was a massive problem for me on tour. My greatest achievement is realising all of that is necessary. I am grateful I have someone to miss. I feel the most stable I’ve been right now, and all the things that I’ve had to do this year have led me to this point. I don’t feel the need for validation from social media or from other people; I’m completely and passionately focused on my art. I know that things can change and I might feel different tomorrow, but it’s the fact that I can right now accept that I feel OK. I’ve never had that acceptance before.
Beabadoobee wears Dior Beauty
All clothes worn throughout Dior S/S26, jewellery worn throughout beabadoobee’s own
Make-up Ana Takahashi at Art Partner using Dior Beauty, hair Emilie Bromley using Oribe, nails Ella Vivii at The Only Agency, photographic assistants Ariel Mihaly, Valdrin Rexhepi, styling assistant Jessie Silver, make-up assistant Chloe Palmer, hair assistant Rosie Jones, production Chiara Lafour and Izzy Davis at Lafour, production assistants Olivia Fernanda, Leon Byrne-Adim, post-production IMAGINE
