Time and time again, Filipino fans have shown their overwhelming support for the British electronic music duo HONNE whenever they come here for a concert or a festival. Along the way, we’ve come to appreciate the young lady supporting Andy and James as their backing vocal and the featuring artist on crowd favorites ‘Location Unknown’ and ‘Crying Over You’. And after making her solo debut with the beautiful ‘I’ll Be There’ in 2020, BEKA has proven that she is a singer and artist in her own right – something that the Monster was able to witness first-hand as she performed her original songs on the Philippine stage for the first time.
We chatted with the Nottingham-based singer when she visited the station before her opening act at HONNE’s Araneta Coliseum concert last May 10, and she shared how working with her besties has been a dream, and how they played a role in her finally taking the spotlight by herself.
“We went to university together, I thought they were hilarious and I love them… And I think because they make such a gorgeous working environment, like being with friends, it makes it easier. So for a few years, just getting to do that with them, was, you know, the dream! Just traveling the world with your besties,” BEKA shared.
“I think them sitting me down and sort of saying ‘Why don’t you do this yourself?’ made me have to confront the reason, which was probably just thinking that the way I’d really wanna do music and what I love about music is how powerful it is. It can change culture, it’s very healing, it’s like a medicine. And that felt just too high of a thing to shoot for, but then knowing that I would be able to do it in that safe space with them is what kind of allowed me to break that pattern of thinking… [But] once I gave myself permission to admit what it was I really wanted, then [I] let [myself] go wild!”
And wild she went, indeed! BEKA has sung about a variety of different topics, but what makes it special (aside from her gorgeous vocals and unique tone) is her way with words. She has a way of making each song so relatable even if it’s about a personal experience – ‘I’ll Be There’ is dedicated to her husband who was going through a rough patch; ‘Don’t Call Me A Friend’ champions love against all odds the way her grandparents did in the face of racial discrimination; her sweet love story with her husband is told in ‘More Than Friends’; ‘You Got’ is inspired by Kamala Harris’ history-making appointment as Vice President. Such specific stories, but she has us all singing and dancing along with her all the time!
You can watch our full interview with BEKA here.