A lot has changed since Beatrice Kristi Laus, AKA beabadoobee, dropped her sophomore album, Beatopia, in 2022. Sure, there were the opening slots on Taylor Swift’s sold-out Eras tour, and the near-ubiquity of ‘The Perfect Pair’, the record’s breakout, bossa nova-tinged single that has since racked up almost 300 million streams on Spotify. But it’s a recent wellness awakening that has perhaps been the most life-altering development for the 24-year-old Filipino-born, London-based musician, whose soft, sweet vocals and sincere songwriting possess an earworm quality that feels both refreshingly novel and part of a familiar canon of nostalgic 90s dream pop.
“I’ve been doing this entire tour ‘California sober’,” she reveals ahead of a show in Denver, Colorado, towards the end of a US run promoting This Is How Tomorrow Moves – her third studio album, which debuted at No 1 on the UK’s official album chart in August. “It’s the first time I’ve ever done this. I usually get super, super messed up on the road,” reveals Laus, who co-produced the record with music mystic, Rick Rubin. “But drinking and doing drugs were bad for my voice and it was just not putting me in a good mood. Now, I just get stoned all the time, and it’s been pretty good.”
It’s all part of growing up, admits Laus – a theme she explores on This Is How Tomorrow Moves, by venturing into folk-pop territory without abandoning the whispery love songs that made her a star on YouTube when she started releasing videos at just 17. Here, the bona fide cat person (Laus recently started an apparel brand named for her two cats, Kimchi and Miso) shares how she has evolved her routine to better nourish her mind, body and soul, so she’s thriving, not just surviving, on stage and off.
Best part about being on tour?
Being able to perform, and meeting everyone who appreciates the music so I can see them and say hello and just… I don’t know, performing is really fun. It’s fun discovering new places as well. I just went to a cat café in Philadelphia that was really nice.
Worst part about being on tour?
I get ill quite a lot, and I miss my cats. I love London, so touring makes me miss home a lot. I used to go on tour for two months straight, but I kind of put my foot down this past year to only tour for three weeks at a time. Now, I’m only away for three weeks maximum.
How do you physically prepare for a show?
I have ginger shots and I train. I feel like training has been really helping me be in tune with my body and listen to it. I do cardio, and sometimes I do weights and stuff, but I don’t really like the weights. I don't want to bulk up. That’s not the vibe. I just want to be able to breathe, despite smoking a tonne! And then, just before I go on stage, I have this special drink called Nin Jiom. It’s like Throat Coat. Everybody thinks it’s gross, but I think it’s pretty tasty. I drink two cups before I go on stage, do vocal warm-ups for 15 minutes, and I play guitar for a little bit. If you had asked me these questions two years ago, it’d be like, “I do a shot of vodka, smoke five cigarettes,” and who knows what else.
Best beauty hack while you’re on the road?
I get my eyelashes done every two-and-a-half weeks. It’s changed my life on tour because you wake up and you’re like, ready for the day. I just look awake. It depends on where I am and when I need to get them filled, but I use specific lengths and curls so I can go wherever and just tell the lash tech, ‘This is what I do in London,’ and they do it. I also have this thing that’s so mumsy – my mum got it for me, so it’s literally giving mum. It’s just one big roll-out thing that you hang around the shower curtain and it has everything in it. So, if you’re in the venue and you take a shower, you don’t have to carry all this shit and loads of little carry-on things. It’s so good.
Drop the skincare routine.
I use Skin Food from Weleda for cleanser and Environ Skin EssentiA products. Then, if I have spots, I leave Starface stickers on throughout the day until I play the show. I actually met this makeup artist in New York who just made me some skincare that suited my skin, and I’ve been rationing that because it’s really been helping me, and there’s not much left. I have a makeup artist in London, Elaine [Lynskey], but I do my own makeup on tour. Elaine told me to always use my fingers every time I apply my makeup, and she gave me this little thing of Drunk Elephant Rosi Drops that I put on my cheeks before any other makeup. I don’t really wear foundation or concealer – it’s all on my cheeks – but I put it underneath my Chanel cream bronzer and some Glossier Futuredew, which is amazing. It makes you look like you’re constantly sweating! I don’t know why, but I love that shit so much. I love my skin being shiny, but I like my lips being matte, so I keep this little Kiko Milano powdered lipstick in shade 15 in my pocket if I’m wearing jeans, so I can reapply. It’s this really nice coral-y red that’s basically the same colour as my lips. They’ve stopped making it, actually, which is really depressing. So I bought seven! Then sometimes I put mascara on my brows before going on stage, just to keep them in place.
How do you mentally prepare for a show?
I don’t meditate but I do get massages every day. We find someone different in every city. I get really bad shoulder and neck pain from playing guitar and singing every night. So that’s been helping a lot. I feel very relaxed in the massage room and I can finally just… not think. I literally just don’t think at all. It’s the only place where I’m not thinking about all the lyrics I have to remember, what I’m going to do the next day, or what I’m going to have for dinner. (I think about what I’m going to have for dinner all the time.) When I’m in the massage room, I'm just not thinking about anything. And I guess, essentially, that’s kind of like meditation.
What is the one non-negotiable thing on your rider?
I always have seaweed. I have packets of seaweed, and I always have a boiled egg in the morning. I love boiled eggs.
Favourite place to play?
London. Because all my mates are in London, and my family’s there and stuff.
What does ‘wellness’ mean to you?
I think wellness is being happy with your mind, body and spirit. Not just physical wellness. It’s an overall thing that you need to keep up. That’s what I think. I write a lot. I write in my journal all the time. It helps me organise my thoughts. It’s the only thing that helps me understand my feelings – that, and songwriting. Every time I’m at a hotel, I have a guitar, and I write music. That’s my hobby, which is weird because my hobby is my job, but then it is still my hobby. So, when I’m chilling in the hotel room, I’m constantly writing or working on music, and that’s really good for my brain. I was doing therapy for ages, but I stopped because I didn’t feel like I needed it any more. Now, music is like therapy to me.
How do you wind down post-show?
I always have a hot shower in the evening, and I wash my body, wash my hair, and then right at the end, I turn it to freezing cold. It’s really good for your immune system and makes my hair so shiny. I used to finish the tequila with my band, go out and get fucked up. But now it’s just like, alright, chill with the band, talk about the show, take a shower, smoke a spliff, have some really nice conversations, maybe have a little snack, smoke another spliff, and then go to bed. It’s all very boring stuff. But yeah, I feel like I’ve definitely grown up.
