Interview with Bekuh Boom

Hello! It is Adam. Welcome back to bringing it backwards. A podcast where both legendary and rising artists tell their own personal stories of how they achieve stardom. On this episode, we had a chance to hang out with Becca boom, over zoom video, Becca boom was born and raised in orange county. And she talked about how she got into music. Moved around quite a bit in orange county, spent a good chunk of her life in Temecula, which is just north of San Diego. So we talk a bit about that. And now in Menee, which I know quite a bit about. So we, we chatted, chatted up her, her hometown. She started singing at a very early age. She was always, the kid that wanted to sing in front of the class would take the mic during karaoke and never put it down. 3 (1m 47s): She started writing songs at a very early age as well. She ended up getting a meeting with BMI at like 15 years old, based off some of her YouTube videos. She signed her first deal at 16 and since has written number one songs for a ton of artists. She's worked with JLo, Madison beer, R Kelly, black pinks, a bunch of K-pop bands had a number one in Australia, and she tells us all about her songwriting and her artist project. She just released a brand new song under Becca boom. It's called anime eyes. You can watch our interview with Becca on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at bringing it backwards. 3 (2m 27s): It'd be awesome if you subscribe to our channel like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at bringing back pod. And if you're listening to this on Spotify, apple music, Google podcasts, it would be awesome if you follow us there as well, and hook us up with a five star review, 4 (2m 46s): We'd appreciate your support. If you follow and subscribe to our podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts, 3 (2m 52s): We're bringing it backwards with Becca. Boom. Well, hello, Becca. Thank you so much again for doing this. I appreciate it. 5 (2m 59s): Thank you. I'm so excited. 3 (3m 1s): Awesome. Awesome. I'm Adam. And this is about you and your journey in music and all about the new song. I think it came out today, right? 5 (3m 9s): It did. Yeah. It came out at midnight, so, yeah. 3 (3m 13s): Awesome. I love it. I had a chance to hear if a few days ago. Oh, nice. Yeah. Yeah. It's a, it's an awesome song. Cause I'd love to talk to you about that as well. 5 (3m 21s): Thank you so much. 3 (3m 22s): Awesome. Well, we always start off where you're born and raised. Where were you born and raised? 5 (3m 27s): So I was born and raised in orange county. 3 (3m 31s): Oh, okay. Yeah. Southern California then. 5 (3m 33s): Yeah. 3 (3m 33s): Okay, cool. Yeah. 5 (3m 35s): I just, my whole life, I've just gone more and more south and as much as I work in LA, I've never lived in LA. 3 (3m 43s): Really? How south are you now? Are you in San Diego? 5 (3m 46s): I'm like right in between San Diego and LA. And so I'm kind of like, so I'm in a place near somewhere called Temecula. 3 (3m 54s): Oh, I know I'm from San Diego, so I know exactly where you're talking about. So are you Temecula? 5 (4m 1s): I'm like right next to it. It's in this place called miney. 3 (4m 4s): Oh yes. I know miney. 5 (4m 5s): Yeah. I have like new and up and coming, but I was fortunate enough to buy a house out here, like a year and a half ago. So at the time it was like you, oh yeah, the biggest, best houses for, I mean, I've probably the cheapest in California. So 3 (4m 22s): I know, I remember when that was booming. Actually my, my wife used to work. It was a handful of years ago. She used to work for the community college there. Okay. In EE it was like by a taco shop and like, I can't remember, but yeah, it's 5 (4m 36s): The ENT. Is that one? 3 (4m 38s): Yes. Yes. That's it. So she used to work for them like this is years ago. That's I know, I know men feed quite well. And that's also how you can get to like the 10 to get out to Palm Springs and, and all that. 5 (4m 50s): Right. It's like one of those places it's like, it's close, but at the same time, far from everything, there's like an hour from orange county. It's like an hour and a half from LA it's an hour to San Diego. Probably an hour to Palm spring. So yeah. 3 (5m 2s): Yeah. You're kind of central east there for sure. Yeah. Were you, so you, were you born there or? No. You said orange county. 5 (5m 9s): Orange county? Yeah. 3 (5m 10s): Okay. Where did you grow up then? What part of orange county? 5 (5m 14s): I lived in this place called Rancho Santa margarita. 3 (5m 16s): Okay. I know that place as well. 5 (5m 18s): Yeah. Those are kind of like my first memories. I'm sure I lived in other areas, but I really like have memories starting to remember my life in Rancho Santa, so. 3 (5m 30s): Okay. And then did you go to, when did you move to EE? Is that recent? Cause you said you bought a house there. 5 (5m 36s): Yeah. So I recently moved to Menee, but I did live in Temecula for years. Oh, okay. That was probably when I was 10 ish, 10 11. Yeah. And then it was, and then I lived in Corona for a little bit before that. So it was just like gradually 3 (5m 54s): I even bouncing around. Yeah. Even bouncing around Southern California there for a bit. Sounds like, yeah. Awesome. 5 (5m 59s): It's funny. Cuz I've never even been to Northern California either like living in Cali my whole life. Really? So yeah. So like I only know SoCal life. 3 (6m 8s): That's interesting. I lived in the, the bay area or in San Francisco for a handful of years as well, and then came back down to San Diego, but now I moved to Tennessee. So I live in Nashville now. 5 (6m 18s): Oh. I was just there. I oh really? I shot the video for my song in Nashville. 3 (6m 23s): Did you 5 (6m 24s): Really? I did. Yeah. 3 (6m 25s): Awesome. Do you come out here quite often? 5 (6m 28s): So, you know, it's something new that started. So for years I really wanted to write a country song and you know, my career has just taken a very interesting turn of events. You know, obviously, always the goal was for me to be an artist and I kind of got pulled in all these different directions from people around me and from saying, you'd get money and you'd get this. And you know, if you do that, then you'll just become an artist because you have the money for it. And it's, you know, it's much more complicated than everybody made it sound. But I was 16, 17, 18 around all these adults, you know? So, you know, one of my first cuts was R Kelly. You know, I came in like the rap girl trap girl, whatever. 5 (7m 9s): Then I got a super pop song with Jessica mal boy and Australia. I worked with Lucas. Graham did ultra pop records in Denmark. You know what I mean? So I have all these things and it was like every stage in my career, it's like, oh, well you do that. So you can't write this type of song and you can do that. So you can't write that type of song. And you know what I mean? You just get typecast so quickly. So now I have kind of unintentionally become the Kpop girl. Right, right. It's great. I, you know, 3 (7m 36s): Yeah. I wanna talk to you about that cause that's such a cool venture. 5 (7m 40s): Yeah. I mean, it's been a big blessing, you know, but at the same time it comes with, well, you know, now I can only write for K-pop artists 3 (7m 48s): Right now. You're the, K-pop you exactly 5 (7m 50s): Song right. That's thing. Right. So I went to multiple people saying, Hey, I really wanna write a country song. And for a certain part of my life, you know, my, I grew up listening to Shania Twain and Garth Brooks and all these people. And I'm just one of those people that like, can do and love lots of different type of music, you know? So I brought it to people and they're like, well, I don't think that's going to fit for you. I don't think that's gonna work. So actually that this last year has just been like a really eye opening for me about a lot of things. And so I was like, you know what, I'm gonna go to Nashville. I'm just gonna pay for my flight. I'm gonna pay for my ticket and I'm gonna hit up people. 5 (8m 31s): I know that have been and just see if they know anyone that will let me work with them. You know? And so I did my first trip out there earlier this year and I got to work with Samsung's and Sean Small, who did Liz's juice. And I got like, just really dope, amazing people. And I, I only, I ended up only doing one country song, but I think it's so beautiful. And the people that I did play it for that are country country are like this, this is like, this isn't even country pop. This is like country country. That's cool. Like melodies. So yeah, I'm super excited. I hope that that's eventually something that happens, you know, along my career. But yeah. It's well, 3 (9m 9s): What's interesting about Nashville is it's not all country. I mean, I moved here thinking that I'm not a big fan. I it's terrible to say, but I'm not a huge fan of, I mean, I don't really of country music. I didn't move here being like, I love country music. I can't wait to get to Nashville. Yeah. It's like I moved here and there's every genre of music you could possibly think of. And people that have wrote the biggest pop songs to the biggest, you know, that live here in this town. It's crazy. 5 (9m 33s): Yeah. It's true. It's actually like, I went there and I was so ready for, I was like telling everybody, cuz I'd never been. And as you know, I've gone to Japan and Korea and all these places, I really haven't traveled in America. So I was like, when I get there, I'm like, I bet that when there's not even like sliding doors, it's like saloon doors. 3 (9m 55s): You're like a good guy. 5 (9m 58s): Cowboy's 3 (9m 58s): Gonna be standing 5 (9m 59s): Outside the airport. Like this time I big enough for the right. Like I was gonna have to do a standoff to get shoot off standoff, to get into the city. Like 3 (10m 9s): Some wagon will pick you up 5 (10m 11s): And then nobody had an accent and I was so mad. I'm like, everybody sounds normal like from, from Cali or, 3 (10m 18s): Well, there are people. Well, I, I will say though, there's a huge population of California people here that have recently moved. Right. Which is very interesting. 5 (10m 27s): I mean, I was considering it as well, but who knows where that'll go, but yeah. I mean, you know, I wanted a little bit of twang, you know, 3 (10m 34s): You wanted some, a 5 (10m 36s): Couple y'all, you know, like I just wanted some, Hey little light, you know, like, like a little, just some authentic nasty, you know, but I didn't really get it. So, and then I went back a second time. Didn't really get it the second time either. So I'm like, okay, maybe I have to go to chat Chattanooga or like maybe 3 (10m 54s): Just venture little south out. Yeah. Were you actually in Nashville? I live south down in the suburb. So you you'll get quite a few y'alls down here, 0 (11m 3s): Planning on traveling this summer, make saving at the pump part of your plans with two times the fuel points from Harris Teeter, it's easy. Download your EIC coupon. And for every dollar you spend with your V card, you'll get two fuel points. That's up to $1 per gallon on quality fuel at participating BP and Harris Teeter fuel centers. 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When you place an order by September 23rd, visit blue apron.com/unique 2022. 5 (13m 2s): Okay. 3 (13m 3s): And some farms it's. Yeah, it's quite nice. 5 (13m 5s): I mean, for the most part, people were really nice there. So, you know 3 (13m 8s): Yeah. It's I, I thought the same thing though. I'm like, this is gonna be a country town. No, all genres and you know, big pop stars live here and everything else, but okay. Well, and now I'm curious to go back quite a bit here. Okay. Moved around. Yes. Were you from a musical household at all? 5 (13m 27s): Not really. Well. Okay. So I had brothers, I had brother into sisters that would, that could sing and apparent. I think my dad used to play the drums, but I don't have the closest family, but at one point in time, everyone was around and this is when I was like, I'm gonna be a superstar. Right. And my whole family, when I would go to St karaoke, they'd be like back up, please let somebody else sing. Like, nobody thought that I was good. Nobody really believed in it. You know, actually my grandma would leave the room when I would sing because I wasn't singing gospel music. 5 (14m 11s): So I had, 3 (14m 13s): That must have been pretty heartbreaking. Like was that traumatic? I would ouch. 5 (14m 18s): It was, you know, but it, you know, I had this beautiful thing when I was younger that I'm trying to get back to. And I wish I was like that now, but I have this beautiful naivety about me when I was young. And so when someone didn't like, what I did, I would just be like, let me replay that. Cuz I don't think you were listening. You know what I mean? Like I 3 (14m 38s): Don't think you heard me hang on. Exactly. 5 (14m 40s): Yeah. Like I was like, I'm the, I'm the greatest, you know, like you don't know what you're talking about. Like I was that type of like almost delusional type of self confidence and just, it was just, I loved it so much that I didn't really care. But of course when you're older, you get like these flashbacks and you're like, oh damn, like you can comprehend more, you know, and you know, life more and you've been through things and yeah. I mean, it was definitely tough. I mean, even in school I would ask my teachers at the end of class, can I sing for the class after? And some of them would let me, wow. And then I, and then I would like in school I would always be humming, you know? And the kids would be like, Becca, shut up. We get it. You sing, you know what I mean? It was like, but I, I actually went to a school with Tori Kelly and I, I went to, 3 (15m 24s): Oh, you did? Okay. I was gonna say she grew up out there. 5 (15m 27s): Yeah. So I met her before she blew up, but she was doing YouTube, you know? 3 (15m 31s): Oh yeah. She became big on, I've interviewed her before. She's got a cool story as well. Yeah. She got big off YouTube and just YouTube collaborations. 5 (15m 39s): Right. Yeah. And you know, it was just like the way she was treated, growing up compared to how I was treated, being a singer. It's like to Kelly sings all the national anthems and this and this and that. And then it's like, oh really? Yeah. When I tried to do it or you know, if like I've done it a couple times, but like, it was never like the people around the school would be like, oh my God, Troy Kelly, you know? And she's great. You know, so I'm not hating her at all, but like right there was never that it was always like, well we know you, like we get it. You know what I mean? It wasn't. So I always felt like it was the underdog and like, and my whole life story is just kind of feeling like an underdog. And, and, but I lowkey love it because people see me and they don't expect what I can do or what I sound like or whatever, and expect me to go do these things. 5 (16m 23s): And then I do 'em and it's the best. And I love it. 3 (16m 28s): Like being this person, that's always singing. When did you start writing songs? Cuz that's what kind of really started your career, right? Was songwriting. Yeah. 5 (16m 36s): So basically they went hand in hand. So, you know, I always sang and then when I was 10, my parents divorced and I wrote my first song ever called I'm stronger about the situation and it kind of became where any and everything I went through. Like if I liked a boy, if I went through something at school, you know, I would write a song about it. And I went and I showed my mom one day and I was like, Hey, do you wanna hear the song that I wrote? And I sang it for her, but at the time I had no backing tracks. So I would just hear melodies in my mind and write full songs and remember all the melodies. Oh 3 (17m 10s): Wow. And just sing it acapella to your mom. Exactly. Yeah. It was just 5 (17m 15s): So my mom is like, so where'd you get this melody from? And I'm like, I heard it in my head and she goes, you heard it in your head. And I'm like, yeah. She goes, no, but like, is it like a Britney spear song? Or like, and I'm like, no. And so I feel like it was around this time, my mom started taking me more seriously. And so I would just like fill notebooks and I'm doing all this because I thought that Destiny's child was out here writing bootys right. Like I had no idea, like probably until I was like 15, 16 when I really got in the industry and was going to publishers and whatever. I remember, I took this meeting at BMI with this guy named Malik levy and I sang all my songs, acapella, I didn't have anything recorded, so I just played. 5 (18m 2s): But, but I did have tracks at this time. So I played the tracks and I sang live and he goes, who's writing these songs with you. And I go, no one. And he goes, no, I know. But like who? And I'm like nobody. And he's like, you're writing all of these songs at 16. And I'm like, well, somewhere when I was 15 and, and he's like, holy crap. And so his next meeting was James font. Laroy who, you know, I'm young. I don't know anything, but he has gone on to become just like a huge writer. Did a bunch, a bunch of Justin Timberlake at that time, he was most known for no air for Jordan Sparks and Chris brown. Yeah. So he comes in and I do the same thing for him that I just did from lake and James starts laughing and he goes, you're an artist in case you didn't know. 5 (18m 50s): And I go, no, I know, you know, and 3 (18m 54s): You go, yeah, you don't gotta tell me twice. 5 (18m 56s): Right. But then, you know, so, but at this time, so that's still, the intention is still the intention. And I'm writing all my songs because I'm thinking every artist is writing their songs. So it wasn't until I was like 16 that I even knew that there was this whole undercover songwriting world, which is kind of ironic because music was my life, you know, but I just didn't even, I didn't know it existed. And so, like I said, I kind of, it was kind of like the people around me were like, well, if you write a number one song, you can go and be an artist cuz you'll can, you can fund yourself. And if you do that and you do that. And you know, I had a single mom, we shared a car, I lived in Temecula. I would have to drive, you know, gas. Wasn't what it is now. 5 (19m 36s): But it was a time where gas was really high again, you know, and I'm driving an expedition every single day, you know? And my mom is like trying to find the money for the gas, for me to go and do all these things and live my dreams, you know? And so I got, when I turned 18, I, I started working with this lawyer named Daniel Stewart who just messaged me like days after I got rid of the management I had for from 16 to 18. And he goes, what's your situation? 16 to 18. Unfortunately my management couldn't really get any deals from me. And the one that they did get was just really bad and I didn't sign it. 5 (20m 16s): So 3 (20m 16s): Dan, well, real quick, I don't know if you mind backing up for just a quick second. I'm curious to know, how did you get this initial meeting at BMI when you were, what you said 15 years old, 16 years old. I 5 (20m 27s): 16. Yeah. 3 (20m 28s): How did you, how did that happen? Did somebody hear your song or 5 (20m 32s): So I had a, okay. So I had management, this guy named Alan Rich managed me and he wrote run to you for Whitney Houston from the bodyguard, so, oh, wow. Yeah. So he was like a big songwriter kind of, you know, more. 3 (20m 47s): And how do you meet him? Sorry. I wanted really 5 (20m 50s): Get down. You're fine. So for a very short amount of time, I was doing YouTube videos and I was remixing like hard on the paint by waa Flaco, but I do all new lyric and I would sing over it. And then I did okay. A pretty girl swag and that got like 20,000 views in like a day or two. And then it was just like, and then I was like building a presence on Twitter and this and this and that. Got it. My mom, my mom's stepsister, I guess, used to be an a R. And she happened to reach out to my mom and I was what's going on? How have you guys been? Right. And so my mom sends one of my YouTube videos and she goes, do you mind if I send this to some people? I really think Becca has something special. So she, one of the people she said rich, wow. 5 (21m 33s): He rent out a rehearsal space for me and I perform live for him again, acapella. And he's like, you know, would you let me manage you? So basically that's how that happened. Okay. Okay. Cool. Like a lot of things from 16 to 18 started happening. And then after, you know, our relationship didn't work out a couple days later, this guy, Daniel Stewart hits me up and goes, Hey, what's your situation? And I'm like crazy. You would ask I'm totally alone. And he goes, Hey, well, would you wanna come to my office? So I go meet him. It's a Friday. I play in my new songs, tell him what I wanna do. And he goes, you know, I get it. 5 (22m 13s): I see the vision. I think you're super special. If you let me, I'll, I'll start working for you on Monday. So after two years of getting really nothing, three months of working with this lawyer, I got four publishing deal offers. And so I, and that was with no cuts. I had no cuts at the time. It was, was just based off of, you know, your 3 (22m 32s): Song or potential, 5 (22m 34s): You know? So I decided to go with Warner chapel and then which 3 (22m 38s): Is here in Nashville. Right. 5 (22m 40s): Well, so that they, so it was in LA. They have one in LA as well. Okay. So they have all these different bases. There's in New York, there's Nashville, there's LA got it. So I signed to the LA one and then that is kind of what got me into the writing thing. But when I signed, I said, I told the girl, look, I'm an artist, but I need money. That is why I'm doing this. So when I try to go do my artist thing, don't be upset. You know? And she's like, of course, that's totally, I get it. And of course that's not how it went. You know, there, there was an issue, you know, because that's the hard thing. Once you become a songwriter and that becomes your main bread and butter, and that becomes how everybody knows your name. 5 (23m 23s): It is very difficult to get people to believe in you or, you know, see you as something else because songwriting is the quickest way to a check for most people. You know what I mean? So when you wanna be an artist, even though you've always been an artist, you've still been doing it the whole time, you know, it's just been waiting for opportunities. And I almost had a deal at one time, all these things that have happened, you know, but it's really hard to like, get that get out from under the shadow of songwriting and like step into the light, you know, 3 (23m 57s): If somebody were to wanna just, you know, do songwriting, is that something like, if you, you sign a deal with Warner chapel, obviously they put you in rooms now with songwriters, right? Like, okay, we're gonna, is that kind of what happens? Or they just go right. Go home and write songs. And then we'll see if we can pitch those to people. Or is it a little bit of both 5 (25m 46s): I mean, it depends one, you can have someone that really believes in you, you know, and then there's a, there's the possibility that your a R leaves or gets fired, right? So now you have no, 3 (25m 56s): You got, so you have your own, you have an a R at the publishing company that is, you know, as well, several from if you're an artist, like if you're assigned to a late, if you're assigned to a label, if you're assigned to Atlantic or whatever, and you have an a R that picked you, oh, found you. Okay. Discover you signed to the same thing is it goes for songwriters. Sorry. I'm just ignorant to it. I was just curious. This is fascinating. 5 (26m 19s): Yeah. So when you signed to a publisher, they're a different they're ARS as well. Okay. 3 (26m 22s): Gotcha. 5 (26m 22s): They they're supposed to, you know, try to facilitate things, help you get 3 (26m 29s): You in rooms, right. With other people that are writing songs to help you, what boost, like it puts you in a room with somebody that's writing a song, maybe the pitch for this artist. Right. 5 (26m 38s): Got it. But you know, that is a very, that's, that's a long game. That's a, you know, 3 (26m 44s): Okay. So that's way down the line. 5 (26m 46s): Well, no, no. It's like, it'll happen. It happens when you sign. Right. But a lot of these things it's like, if you don't have a relationship with an artist and you don't have a direct end from knowing somebody, it is very hard that a random session of a song, it, no matter how great it is, it is very hard to get that song place. I mean, I've written thousands of songs, you know what I mean? Some, some of my favorite songs I've ever written never come out, never came out. You know what I mean? So it has to be the right timing, the right situation, the right artist. 3 (27m 18s): Gotcha. 5 (27m 19s): And yeah, and then again, like I said, you know, there are some ans that are amazing at their job and they're very passionate, but then there's other ones that it's like pulling teeth to try to get a meeting, to try to get those sessions, you know? 3 (27m 34s): And, and meanwhile, are you, are you getting, are you getting paid like a salary or are you just like sitting around hoping that you could get waiting on the sidelines? Like, all right. Am I gonna get in and get a chance here? Or how does this work? 5 (27m 46s): I mean, that's the other thing that it just, you know, there's this perception from the outside in, right. Oh, you write songs, you did this, you're rich. You're a millionaire. 3 (27m 56s): Oh yeah. I was on the radio for 17 years when people thought that I'm like, oh, only if you knew. Yeah. Only if you, 5 (28m 2s): Yeah. I mean, basically when you sign, you get in advance, but in my, 3 (28m 7s): Okay. 5 (28m 8s): I had no cuts, so my advance, 3 (28m 12s): So they're not, they're just, yeah. Or they're just like, we're gonna give you an opportunity here. 5 (28m 17s): Right. So, I mean, yeah. I mean, I know I 3 (28m 19s): That's your advance. I know 5 (28m 20s): People, I know people that sign deals for a Rolex. Like they, for a watch, like no money, like they just got a watch and then they, it was like the worst terms deal ever. Like some people have signed crazy deals. Right. My deal was not a good deal. Okay. It was at the end of the MDRC era, which is basically, it's, it's all about physical sales, which, you know, is nonexistent. Yeah, 3 (28m 46s): Exactly. 5 (28m 47s): Going back with like people being in records 3 (28m 49s): And it's more of yeah. For vinyl or limited stuff. Right. Limited pressings autograph stuff. 5 (28m 56s): It's still not significant enough to, to try to keep the same method that was used when everything only came out on CD and take. Right. You know what I mean? So basically I had an eight song MDRC deal, which meant that I had to write 16 songs at 50% and they had to be on an album singles didn't count and only stuff in America counted nothing international counted. So for years, the only credit I had was a 16 point something percent from the R Kelly song and all my black pink stuff didn't count. 3 (29m 31s): Really? 5 (29m 32s): Yes. So I was stuck in that deal for a long time. And I'm very grateful that I got my deal reworked a couple years ago. So that is not my 3 (29m 41s): Scenario. 5 (29m 41s): And 3 (29m 42s): Wow. That's interesting how they knock it down to countries and, and, and all of that too. Yeah. Wow. Okay. 5 (29m 49s): Yeah. So, you know, you, you have to be very careful and I'm, you know, I don't know, I'm one of those people, I'm just very real and honest. And I, maybe, I shouldn't say some stuff, I don't know. I don't think I'm doing anything wrong, but you know, there's like this there's this whole thing, you know, there's a industry thing, you know what I mean? Right. And, and there's so like, I was a young girl at 18. That was like, even if I never got paid, as long as I could sing to the world, you know what I mean? Right. You, but it's crazy how many writers and artists are in like it's. So the industry is oversaturated at this point, you know what I mean? There's so many people in it. So for the next young girl or guy like me, you know, like I would wanna kind of put them on game because now that I'm older, I look back like, weren't you supposed to have my back? 5 (30m 36s): Why did I sign this? Why did I do that? Why did this person tell me to do this? You know, I think it's very important that, you know, sometimes you look at a situation and you think, oh, this is my only chance. This is the deal. I only have this one deal. Right. This is the thing that's gonna, you know, change my life. 3 (30m 53s): And, you know, and I'm sure they kind of make you feel that way too. Like, you know, oh, we, at least from my experience in, you know, in radio and everything, they would, they would present you this trash deal. Right. And sell it to you as if we're giving you this great opportunity. Right. And there's a million other people that would take this, so you better take it or you're name it basically. Right? 5 (31m 14s): Yeah. And sometimes, you know, you feel that and you feel this pressure and at the moment you might be like, strap for cash. Right. Like, I was, I need money. I need a way to provide this, this and that. I need a car, whatever, you know, but sometimes if you just hold out a little bit longer, as difficult as it is for you, you know, there'll be something even better waiting. And then you got yourself wrapped up in the situation. Like I have been in my deal for 10 years, this November. Wow. So, you know, basically from 20 to, I'll be 30 in, in two years, but 3 (31m 52s): Oh, OK. I'm not even tell you that whole time, 5 (31m 56s): But yeah. So like, it's just crazy, cuz I feel like once I turned 22 I'm I've never not been 22. Like it's just weird. Like when people ask me my age, I'm like I'm too. But yeah. So, you know, basically like 10 years of my, like a huge portion of my life's been at the same publisher, you know? So I find my deal finally ends next year. So I'm excited to see what new opportunities there are. But yeah. I mean, it's been, it's been a wild ride. 3 (32m 29s): Sure. Well, okay. So now you, you, you send this deal, you eventually get this R R Kelly cut. And did that come from, tell me, I guess a little bit about that. Cuz that must have started the ball rolling. Right? Cause once you get that, then maybe it opens up doors or you get other opportunities from that. Like, or was there something that happened prior to that? Or am I totally off, I guess you tell me no. 5 (32m 51s): I mean it depends. Yeah. So, okay. I got this R Kelly cut. I had a session with this guy that knew R Kelly and we did this song and I came up with this idea like about Oreos. And I dunno if you've heard the song, but 3 (33m 8s): I have, I know. 5 (33m 9s): Yeah. So I came up I'm like, what if you said, would this be crazy to say, what if we did like an OIO right. And then the song happened, whatever it got played for R Kelly, he really liked it. He wrote a third verse song came out voila. I thought, oh shit, I'm about to be in every single room. Right, right, 3 (33m 25s): Right. 5 (33m 25s): It's not how it goes. Like it's just not how it is. Like you can have one of the biggest songs and you can still get sessions, but it just, you know, honestly, every time I've had a song come out, I'm like, this is a song it's changed everything. And every time I'm like waiting by the phone is not ringing. You know what I mean? 3 (33m 45s): Like 5 (33m 45s): What's going on. It's just, it's just a very cutthroat industry and you gotta, you have to really have momentum like song after song and this and this and that. And like making all this, making people like always being in people's face and at the forefront of their mind, you know? So that happened that got a number one in Australia with Jessica ma boy. And I'm like, oh snap. I never even been to Australia. That's impressive as shit. Right. Right. 3 (34m 10s): Totally. Like I've never been there, got a number one record there. Right. You know, no big deal. And 5 (34m 15s): The girl working with me at the time at my publisher was like, well, I mean, it's not a number one in America, so cares, you know, hell like, 3 (34m 26s): Oh, you're like, do you know how many big bands have came out of Australia? 5 (34m 30s): Right. No, I know. And then, and then, you know, it was like that for K-pop at first as well, because I was there way before it was popular. And I knew of a group called 21 and that's why I really wanted to write for them. And I, I got out there and I was, and I started getting all these number ones in Korea and nobody cared either. Mm well that's Korea. It's not, it's like, what's the market. What's the number of the market in the world. You know, it was just like everything drifted off, nobody cared, you know, it's 3 (34m 58s): Like similar to like if you made it big in a certain market here in the states, like, oh cool. Like you sold out this town of 50 type type deal. Okay. I got 5 (35m 7s): You. Right. It was like one of those cuz you know, there's like ranked markets in Japan. Yeah. Yeah. Like I think is one of the top markets in the world as well for music. So it was just kind of like, you know, nobody cared again. And then during my time there, I met these trainees who there were seven of them and I got asked, Hey, can you give them some of your songs to sing? And can you like maybe go and vocal produce them for that song that you wrote and can you do this, this and that? Whatever. Well, those girls went from seven to four and then they went to being called black pink. So 3 (35m 42s): That's crazy. 5 (35m 43s): You know, it was like I've, you know, been around for a while. And because of all my work, before that, I happened to get brought into the thing that nobody knew what it was gonna be. It was just these young girls that were, you know, we'd go and we'd watch them perform in the downstairs dance area and then, you know, give critiques and you know, whatever. And, and it just, I mean, it just blew out bigger than anybody would've ever known. So it's like, I just feel like a lot of things that have happened in my life were kind of by accident or just like, there was no thought of, oh, this is gonna, you know, like, 3 (36m 21s): Right. This is the moment that it's gonna kind of change. Yeah. With that though. You, I mean you obviously, or maybe you do, do you speak Korean? Like they translate all the songs then, 5 (36m 31s): So yeah. So I don't really speak Korean that much. I can understand a little bit after living there for a while and I had a Korean tutor, but it's very hard for me to rearrange the sentence structure. So like, I can say certain phrases, but like, I can't really put a sentence together, but, but yeah. So most of the time, all the songs I've written in English, like they start in English, like even from the other person I work with that speaks in like it's fluent in Korean. He even writes all the songs in English before putting them in Korean. 3 (37m 2s): Okay. Yeah. Cause if you watch the videos, like if you watch a video from, from black pink, when they're singing, they translates it on the screen. Like they'll give you the, the, you know, English lyrics. 5 (37m 13s): Well, 3 (37m 14s): That's all I was curious to see if that was kind of like, if you wrote 'em out and you're like, okay, this is how the songs go. This is the melody, blah, blah, blah. And then somebody can translate this, I guess. 5 (37m 25s): Well, there's some things that in English just don't translate well to Korean got so something, the song is written a certain way in English. It'll be all new concept in lyric in Korean. So if I, you know, like the past couple songs, like money, that was mostly that wasn't all English that I wrote originally. And then, and then like LA Lisa that came out. So that has some Korean in it, but it was all, you know, concepts get tweaked a little, you know, certain words in English stay Right? Like whistle. Like when I watch whistle, they, they that's the, the hook is she sings it in English or they sing it in English, but then it, you know, obviously doesn't stay that way. 5 (38m 7s): Yeah. Harris Teeter (38m 9s): Planning on traveling this summer, make saving at the pump part of your plans with two times the fuel points from Harris Teeter, it's easy. Download your EIC coupon. And for every dollar you spend with your V card, you'll get two fuel points. That's up to $1 per gallon on quality fuel at participating BP and Harris Teeter fuel centers. Download your EIC coupon today and save money at the pump all summer long with EIC and Harris Teeter fuel points. 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Now, no purchase necessary void prohibited by lock 18 plus terms and conditions applies, see website for the jails. The voice of the preceding commission was not the actual voice of the winner. 5 (39m 39s): Yeah. It just kind of, it just depends on the moment, but yeah. Like, because if you, if you're seeing some of the translations of some of the songs, that's not what the English was. It's it's just because Korean there's certain phrases in Korean that it looks, it translates weird in English when you're reading it. You're like, oh, that's kind of a random sentence, but it makes sense in Korean. So yeah, it's kind of, it could be difficult to make everything like also, because we have so much slang in America that to translate that into Korean can also like, there's no word for it, you know? 3 (40m 14s): Right, right, right. So, well you write for both, you still write songs for people as well as doing your artist project, right? Yeah. 5 (40m 22s): Yeah. 3 (40m 23s): Okay. Cause I did see that you wrote a song for that marry me film. And you wrote it with, with Jenna Andrews. 5 (40m 30s): Yes. Yes. 3 (40m 31s): Yeah. She's cool. I've had a chance to, to chat with her before as well. Yeah. And she's in that K-pop world too with BTS, 5 (40m 38s): Right? Yeah. 3 (40m 39s): Okay. And like, so when does your, obviously you always wanted to be an artist. So when does that actually get to happen for you? Where you get to release a song that is yours, you get to come out as Becca. Boom. And you're like, okay, here's my, my artist project. Here's my song. That's not something that you are gonna take and try to pitch or right. 5 (41m 1s): I mean, there's definitely moments of intention where I'm like, I go in knowing like I'm not gonna give this song. I don't care who it is. Like this song is for me. And, but I think again with me, you know, some people say it's impossible to be a writer and artist at the same time, but I disagree because I feel like with someone like me, like writing comes very, very easily to me. And I have so many ways of saying things and so many styles that it's like, I don't think there will ever be a time where every single song I write could just go to me. You know what I mean? Like I feel like there, I have so much stuff that can go to other people, but then there's the Becca bloom as an artist. It's like, I know exactly what I wanna say. This is me. 5 (41m 42s): This is who my target audience. And, you know, I have a message that has relayed to these songs. And I'm kind of at the point now where I took the backseat for so long kind of, not even knowing I was in the backseat, it was like waiting for certain promises. And then those promises never came for me, but like everyone else kind of took off. And I, you know, all these other things I was doing, it worked out for everyone else, but you know, my artist got like pushed back. And so I'm at the point now where I'm independent. Like I'm not signed as an artist. And I want to just take my artist's career on my own hands, you know, and do what I wanna do when I wanna do it. 5 (42m 27s): I'm not gonna sit here and wait for you to offer me, you know, this, this and that. And then I'm just waiting for months and it doesn't happen. You know? Like I'm just not gonna live that life anymore. As an artist, you have this idea of, oh, if I could come out in the most grand way and I have this and I have this huge budget for that, I mean, that's any artist's dream, you know, but it kind of, it'll just stay a dream if you sit there for years waiting for it to happen, you know? And like I have a daughter, I have a four year old and 3 (42m 57s): Oh, congratulations. Thank you. I have a six year old and a 14 year old. Oh 5 (43m 3s): Yeah. Best of both worlds. 3 (43m 4s): Yeah. Oh yeah. 5 (43m 7s): But yeah, I, so, you know, for me as a mom to, especially to a little girl, you know, it's like, I look at her and I'm like, oh, you can have the world, you can have this, you can have that. You know? And I kind of felt that dying in me a little bit after like for myself, because I I've gone through so much, I've been in the industry for so long and it kind of feels, you feel like, oh, maybe it's not for me. And maybe it won't, you know, this and that, but then I'm, I had this like kind of like spark come into my life this year where I was like, what a hypocrite I am knowing that I'm gonna grow up. My daughter's gonna grow up with me telling her, you can do anything. You can be anything. You can have anything you want. 5 (43m 47s): You can have any, any dream that you dream, you can go make happen. And then one day she's gonna ask me about me and I'm gonna say, well, I wanna do this, this and that. But instead I got shoved in the back room and I wrote songs for everyone else. And then I had you. And then I just gave up on everything. You know, it's like Makes no sense. And it's like, you know, as, as women that become mothers, right? It's like, once you become a mother, there is this, there's all these unrealistic expectations put on you. And it's like, you are a mom. You don't even have a name anymore. You know? And as, yes, I'm a mother. I love that. I love my daughter. She's the greatest, but I'm a woman. And at one point, you know, even to this day, my mom thought about me, what I think about my daughter. 5 (44m 31s): And I'm just as entitled to go and pursue my dreams as I look at my daughter and think you can have anything, you know, like, why don't I feel that for me anymore? So it's been this whole thing for me where, you know, you, that's the other thing about the music industry and just life in general, you people think that when they see you a certain way and see these accomplishments that your life is. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. This, this money cash, blah, blah. Right, right. It's I can't even tell you. I mean, probably in the thousands, how many times? Oh, one day you'll be a hit songwriter, but yeah. Your songs are not hits. Oh that no next time. 5 (45m 13s): I don't think, I don't think you should be a artist. Oh, you wanna rap? You should just be a singer. Oh, I don't like you singing. You should just be a rapper. You know, like any, I mean, for most of my life from, you know, 16 till now, it's everyone has an opinion. Any, everyone wants to tell you why you can't do something while you're not good enough. They wanna tell you no. And you know, so it's, I think it's impossible for that to have zero effect on you over time. It all like creeps up and, you know, and you kind of get to that point where I don't know, maybe it's maybe are they right? You know? And, and it's, that's what I was saying earlier that girl that I was when I started of like, are you crazy? Did you guys listen? You know what I mean? 5 (45m 52s): Like I'm, I'm in my moment of getting back to her and I love what I do. I love my music. Like, I'm my biggest fan. My daughter sings my songs too, you know? 3 (46m 3s): Yeah. Yeah. 5 (46m 4s): And I want what I'm being for myself. I wanna empower other people that listen to my music to feel like that. Like, I want them to have that three minutes and 30 seconds in the car on the way to a job that they hate about to have a shitty day. I want them to have that three minutes and 30 seconds of feeling like they are the baddest motherfucker on the planet. Like, you know, joy, bliss, whatever, whatever emotion is being expressed. I want them to feel that wholeheartedly for that three minutes and 30 seconds. I know that that was their safe space. And that was their like, moment to feel bigger than anything, you know? I 3 (46m 41s): Love that. 5 (46m 42s): So yeah. 3 (46m 43s): With, well, you didn't was the last song prior to anime eyes, the song designer love. Was that the one? Yeah. So you had a couple years in between putting a song at it, you know, under your name. Okay. Yeah. Was it just because you were doing other yeah. Other projects or other, you were just writing with other people or like what made you decide I'm gonna, this is my song again, here's anime eyes. I love this song. I'm putting it out. 5 (47m 8s): Well, it was kind of, you know, it was like pandemic era. Sure. And I, I just kind of like, I, when designer love was coming out, I was like getting out of this negative place that I had been in and then pandemic happened. And then I kind of sunk back into that. And so I just had a lot of, like, I was, was just struggling a lot mentally and emotionally. And I just like, just didn't feel good about myself and was in that, that darker mode of like, well, maybe it's not this, maybe it's not that, you know, and, and you know, it's hard when you put out a song and you, you know, you want every song to be that song that pops off, you know, and sometimes it doesn't happen and then that can weigh on you as well. 5 (47m 51s): You know? So it was just kind of my moment to like, it was kind of like my little pity party moment. I mean, I was still working, I was doing other stuff, you know, and then also just enjoying my daughter and being home and enjoying my house. And, you know, I just got really sunken into like, like I'm like half introvert, half extrovert. Right. So like, I really went full introvert and, and yeah. So it was, it was more that it was more a personal thing. It wasn't necessarily like, I didn't think any song would be good for me. I did work on songs for myself during that time, but yeah, I'm at a, like I said, I'm at a place now where I'm like, you know, I actually sat on this idea for anime eyes. 5 (48m 34s): I had this idea for the song for like a year and I just never felt like the producers I was with like one, like they might gimme hard time and not let me have to track, you know, or like charging something crazy. Or, you know, maybe it's just like, I don't want to start this idea. And then cuz once you get too many cooks in the kitchen, it's very hard to like everybody wants something, you know? Right. So I brought it to my friend cook classics who was amazing and it just like felt right. And so that was finally anime AI's moment to shine. So it's a little bit of that. It's about strategy, you know, personal, all that type of stuff. 3 (49m 12s): Yeah. Yeah. Cook classics has done a bunch of bigger records. 5 (49m 15s): Yeah. He's amazing. 3 (49m 17s): So, yeah. So was that something you just kind of knew that that's who you wanted to go with or it just kind of happened organically like that. 5 (49m 24s): So, I mean, he's kind of the one person over the pandemic that like we would zoom frequently. We would do songs. Oh cool. You know, and I really, really value him. I think he's just the best and it just kind of, yeah, it just made sense. And he's always been fully supportive of me in all endeavors with my artist stuff as well. So yeah. It was just kind of like, Hey, I have this idea. What do you think about it? Would you be willing? You know? And, and yeah, it just kind of happened naturally and organically. And then at the end it was, you know, me being my perfectionist self of like, can you fix this? Can you take that out that, you know? So I probably joke him crazy at the end, but he's the best. 5 (50m 4s): Yeah. 3 (50m 5s): Well it's a great song. Are you, do you have other obviously you're probably always writing, but is it going to be like, do you have a body of work you wanna release as an artist or just more singles? 5 (50m 19s): So I'm probably gonna do two more singles throughout this year. And then beginning of next year, I wanna put out either a EP or like a mini album type of thing, but yeah, I already have about five songs lined up. 3 (50m 32s): Oh, exciting. 5 (50m 32s): Yeah. And then you know, like seeing if I can squeeze anything new in there and exciting that might beat out one of the other ones, but definitely that is the goal to release a whole thing. I I've done the singles thing, you know, but I feel very, very confident and strongly about the songs I'm putting out this year. Like, I love anime, I so much, I feel like it's a huge representation of who I am as an artist. And I think it's a little more, I have like these two sides to me, you know, and one is less confident and it's like my normal regular self. Right. And then I go on Becca boom mode. And like the regular me is like, really like, nah, right. 5 (51m 13s): Like just like weird and goofy and always making jokes and this and this and that. And Becca boom is more like fierce, you know, confident, like give fuck, you know, type of vibe. And I feel like, you know, all my friends know me as my goofy, weird self. Like they get to see both. And so I feel like anime eyes is kind of like, I still got to be strong, confident, and fierce in this, but it's kind of like, you know, I'm kind of like an anime nerd and I like watch anime all the time. And I have like, I have like pin boards of anime and I have like all this anime merch and gear, whatever, you know? And so it's a little bit more of like who I actually am, you know, and with, with the blend of it. 5 (51m 53s): So, and then my next song that I'm gonna be putting out is like a more sexy vibe. And I feel like, yeah, I don't know. I just feel like these, these next couple songs just have feel like they have a certain magic in them that, you know, I love my other songs I put out, but I just feel like these ones really, you know, they got that extra something. So 3 (52m 16s): Very cool. Very cool. Well, again, I love what, you're what you're doing. I love the song that you just put out in my eyes and I can't wait to hear this, this next one when it, when it finally comes out and I appreciate your time today, this has been so much fun Beck. I thank you so much. 5 (52m 29s): Thank you so much. 3 (52m 30s): I have one more question for you before I let you go. Do you have any advice for aspiring artists? 5 (52m 38s): Oh, okay. My advice would be really, if you really, really believe in something, an idea, you know, a song don't just give up because somebody says no, there is gonna be so many people that wanna be able to say, oh, I told her, you know why she did that? You know why he did that? I told them to do that. I told them that a lot of people give opinions or advice because they just wanna be a part of something, you know? So don't go and change everything about yourself or when you really believe in something you're saying or doing, just because you're getting that pushback from people. 5 (53m 26s): Some of the biggest artists of all time were dropped from labels. Multiple times told no, you know, said nobody would believe in them. Nobody would get it. And you know, we look at Katie Perry, lady Gaga, M prince, you know what I mean? Like it's just some of the biggest artists ever. They just stuck by what they believed and was stayed true to themselves. And I think in this industry where everybody wants to do this, and you gotta do that. If you wanna be successful, you gotta do this. Like to be able to stay true to yourself. I think people believe that and they recognize when it's real and it's authentic. And it's honest, you know? So that would be my biggest advice in a world.