You know what’s easier than following around your fave up-and-coming indie-stroke-pop stars, day in, day out, to see what they’re up to? Asking them. Here’s what Baby Queen‘s day looks like.
8.30AM
(Okay, so disclaimer… I’m describing a day when I’m not on an early shoot because I don’t think anybody wants to know what kind of person I am at 5 in the morning.)
This is my least favourite part of the day… sigh. Every morning as soon as I wake up, I do this thing called Morning Pages which is a practice I read about in a book called The Artist’s Way. It’s essentially a written stream of consciousness. You write three pages of whatever comes into your mind, and nobody ever sees it but you. It really helps me to find clarity and focus my mind on things that matter before I look at my telephone.
9:00AM
Smoke a cigarette (gross). I do a boxing class every day. I feel like such a twat now that I’ve written it down, but there you go. Exercise is not cool. It’s actually quite lame and embarrassing, but I hate being depressed and my brain needs all the extra serotonin it can get. I usually have a cold shower afterwards because I like to make myself miserable, and then get on the phone with one of my managers and talk about god knows what for fifteen minutes. I love them – they’re my best friends!
10:00AM
I actually have promised myself I’ll use the train more often, BUT I usually travel around in Ubers. This is really weird, but if I’m travelling to East London from West London, I have to sit on the right side of the car, so I can look at the Thames the whole time. London is the best place in the world. I love it as much as I did when I first arrived 5 years ago. The Drive TM is actually a very important part of my day. It’s the only time I’m alone and the only time I really get to listen to music properly. I go through all my suggested new release playlists daily because I hate missing things.
11:00AM
I’ll arrive wherever I’m supposed to be that day. Recently I’ve been doing a lot of shoots which are always dotted around London, an hour’s drive from home, but I’m back in the studio recording the first album for the next few weeks, which is a dream come true. My studio is the safest place in the world, and my producer is like a big brother to me. Those days are always so wonderful and magical; I don’t even notice the time passing. Wherever I am, I usually get a chai latte with oat milk delivered. It’s my really awful bad habit, and If I told you I was working on it, I’d be lying!
11:30AM
The day happens! If I’m not in the studio, it’s always a lot; it’s always a blur. I’m really loud and obnoxious on set, and I like to make people laugh, so it can be exhausting to be alive sometimes! I used to write music all through the night, but now, even if I’m spending the whole day writing lyrics by myself, I’m really big on working hours because I think it’s important to be able to turn off. A lot can be done in a day… I don’t believe in writer’s block – I think it’s an excuse (sorry, guys)! Writing lyrics is the hardest of all my jobs. I’m such a perfectionist with my words; it’s physically painful.
6:00PM
Around this time, I usually have a few meetings or interviews. The six o’clock window, LOL. It’s usually just talking to radio or people at my label, which suits me perfectly because I really, really, really like to talk.
7:00PM
Me and my cousin Ben (who plays bass in my band) put on this playlist we’ve made called “undeniable bangers” and we play video games and watch YouTube videos called “try not to laugh” or “X Factor auditions gone horribly wrong.” I’m serious. This actually happens every evening, even if I come home at midnight. Sometimes we watch a film, much to the chagrin of my crippling ADHD, but recently we’ve been into watching really good street musicians performing. I like being at home, but I’m getting coerced out of the house more and more frequently these days now that things have opened up slightly.
1:00AM
I try to fall asleep, but this is when my brain wakes up. My greatest ideas come to me after midnight – it’s a curse, I swear! I journal every night. I write down everything I feel and everything I want to achieve the following day. I often read or write poetry before bed too. I’m actually writing a book about sadness at the moment and reading a really good Kae Tempest one.
3:00AM
Goodnight!
Taken from the August 2021 edition of Dork, out now. Baby Queen’s EP ‘The Yearbook’ is out 3rd September.
