Betty who gay
It’s natural for our creative sensibilities to shift as we get older. We get wiser, secure more experience and even more perspective. Over time, while we continue to love the harmony we consumed in the past, it’s expected that our boundaries expand and our tastes switch and broaden.
But what about from the artist’s viewpoint? For Betty Who, who has consistently delivered bops over the last 10 years, a ask has been front of mind recently: “Oh fuck, what do I scribble about?”
“Sometimes I’ll be on stage and put on an outfit and assess , ‘Did I just come out here and sing some songs I made up so you guys can clap for me?’ I don’t think that ‘I need you to clap for me’ is my reason,” admits Betty, 33. “Now I am looking at my approach to my projects and my approach to making music as, ‘What do I want to say?’ but also, ‘What do other people need to hear?’”
One thing that is clear on this journey of artistic self-reflection, though, is Betty Who’s adore for the pop genre.
“There’s something about pop. I’m a pop girl stan. I grew up watching Brit
Betty hoopla: an interview with Betty Who
By Gregg Shapiro
Betty Who’s gay fans care for her and she loves them right back. With a voice as large as Australia (that’s where she was born Jessica Anne Newham), Betty Who is someone who knows the value of an anthem. After all, she packed both her 2014 debut Take Me When You Go and 2017 follow-up The Valley with memorable ones. One such tune, “Somebody Loves You”, figured prominently into a viral YouTube video, featuring a dancing flash mob, in which a homosexual man proposed to his boyfriend in a Home Depot in Utah. Recognizable for including LGBTQ Pride festivals as part of her multi-city concert tours, you can be sure she’ll be singing “Somebody Loves You”, as good as her other hits, wherever she’s performing. I had the pleasure of speaking with Betty Who about her music and much more.
Gregg Shapiro: What is the genesis of the identify Betty Who?
Betty Who: It actually came from a anthem I wrote forever ago. I had named the anthem “Betty Who” because it sort of just felt right. Then a year or so later when I was deciding on a stage name, that name popped support up and I tried not to overthink it! If it feels wonderful, just go with it.
Dynamic pop-duo VINCINT and Betty Who have just dropped what might be the song of the summer! Just in time for Pride Month, these two queer pop icons possess come together to build “Love Me Tonight,” and it’s streaming now!
The two long time friends are both GLAAD Media Award nominated artists who have dedicated much of their career to bringing authentic LGBTQ representation to the table by creature out and proud. And this new song is just that!
“I simply wanted to write something obscenely gay and pure, for PRIDE month,” said VINCINT. “I was listening to all the club queens with Nico Pop and Tyler (producers and co-writers) in our session and knew that it had to be the most joyous sound, nothing dense and dark, just a summer love song… who’s better at joyous pop than my sister Betty Who?!”
“Vincint and I met when we were 18 years old – we were living on the same floor of the 270 dorm at Berklee College of Music,” joint Betty. “I heard V wailing a Beyoncé tune in the hallway in my first few weeks of school and instantly knew we were meant to be friends for life. After spending hours upon hours of our early adulthood together t
Betty Who has been a Celebration festival staple for years, but only recently did the Sydney-born pop performer (real name Jessica Anne Newham) more boldly lean into her queer identity. As a longtime lesbian fan, I was obviously thrilled about this courageous embrace of self. But even before I knew she was part of the Diverse community, I was drawn to Betty Who’s music. For me, it began when I discovered her song “Wanna Be.”
The ballad tells the story of the unique brand of heartache that comes from unrequited love, and it is set to a soft-pop track that builds just enough tension in the first 90 seconds to release spectacularly in the chorus. All that combined with the lyrics, “I know she's sweet, but she isn't me. Where she lies in your eyes, that's where I wanna be,” stole my gay heart when the tune came out in 2017.
That year, I was still in the process of coming out to my family and personally connecting the dots on why all those “close friendships” I had with girls over the years were the products of strong crushes (yikes). When I inform her this in our interview ahead of her March 18 show at St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, somewhat e