A journey that began with a defiant nine-year-old in the car and has blossomed into a quest for pop stardom, BEA AND HER BUSINESS means… y’know… it’s in the name. Read and listen with our latest Hype playlist cover feature.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
There’s no business like show business, but for Bea Wheeler – aka Bea and her Business – it’s a world she’s determined to navigate on her terms. Her chosen moniker reflects not just a catchy name but a hands-on approach.
Exhibit A of her ability to navigate the maze of music industry politics: At the time of talking, she’s in Paris for the second night of a headline European tour. Things are going well, she says, apart from her choice of baked goods. “So far, since being here, I’ve eaten what I thought was a very tasty baguette, but my fans have told me otherwise,” she reveals. “They say I need to go and get one from a traditional Parisian bakery! Rule 101 – never eat a standard baguette in Paris.”
We’ll keep a list.
Bea’s journey into music started in a somewhat comical sibling rivalry, as she sought to outshine her older sisters in singing the hits they loved during car rides. This playful competitiveness sparked her interest in music and set her on a path to prove herself. “It all started when I was about nine years old, purely because I was determined to be better than my older sisters at singing,” Bea recalls. “They’d always know all the words to all the really cool songs in the car, and I never did. They were also both really good at singing, and I was terrible. So it became my mission to sing a) louder than them in the car and b) better than them.”
Her determination was not just a passing childhood phase; it propelled her towards a career in music. “I think I was definitely suffering from youngest child syndrome – unbearably competitive and always fighting for my voice to be heard,” she reflects, showing gratitude towards her sisters for unwittingly steering her towards her passion. “In my 9-year-old state, I proceeded to tell them that I was going to be a pop star whether they liked it or not, so I didn’t really have much choice other than to follow through!”
The evolution of Bea’s songwriting mirrors her personal and artistic growth. From early attempts that included a humorous yet premature eulogy for her still-living dog, her craft has matured significantly. “The song that forever haunts me at every mealtime,” Bea notes. “My family never fail to humble me and my songwriting efforts after they bring up this one song I wrote at about 9 or 10 years old about my dog dying! Bearing in mind that my dog is still alive… “
“I’d like to hope that my current material has improved a little bit,” she continues. “At least I’m not writing about dying dogs anymore!”
This sense of humour and relatability has helped propel Bea to her current success. Her rise to fame was significantly boosted by her savvy use of social media, particularly during the global lockdowns. With no initial plan but a clear vision for her music, she ventured into the digital space, where she quickly learned the ropes and began attracting attention. “I definitely didn’t have a plan!” she admits. “I knew that I had to do something if I seriously wanted to be an artist. I guess I was lucky that I could consistently film content at home due to lockdown. It was terrifying, though, putting yourself out there for people to potentially destroy you in the comments and let me tell you, they do not hold back!”
“It was all such a whirlwind at the time; I remember when my videos started to do a little better, people in the industry were reaching out, and I was going into all these big meetings alone as I didn’t have management at the time,” she describes. This period was a crash course in industry dynamics but also a validation of her dreams since childhood. “The whole thing was crazy, but I learnt a hell of a lot from it which I’m grateful for. It was all a big shock, but at the same time, 9-year-old me had wanted that all her life, so I think an element of me was like, ‘Hell yeah, it’s go-time, baby!’.
“I told them that I was going to be a pop star whether they liked it or not”
Bea and her Business
“I’ve now spent four years building up my platforms, so everything’s felt very gradual since then,” she continues. “Sometimes I really have to pinch myself and go, ‘This is kind of insane!’ I think I particularly get that feeling when I see people singing my songs back to me – the most special feeling in the world!”
Her online presence also led to surprising admirers, including one guitar-slinging Canadian legend. “I’ve heard Bryan Adams is a fan, which is a big one for me as a dream of mine is to sing ‘Heaven’ with Bryan on some big stage one day – aiming high, haha!”
The thrill of live performance is another aspect that has exceeded Bea’s expectations, notably her debut in front of 70,000 festival-goers in Oslo. “It’s definitely living up to the hype,” she states. The energy of live shows and the creative process in the studio remain her favourite aspects of being a musician. “It’s my favourite thing to do just being in the studio, so I guess every studio day feels like a bit of a highlight,” she admits.
Like so many, Bea’s music is rooted in the every day – stuff that’s happened to her, stories rooted in the here and now. But that doesn’t mean she can’t supercharge the with a bit of fantasy and drama, too. “I love to blow things out of proportion,” she admits. “With all the upbeat songs I have written and released, they’re just slightly silly and very sarcastic! To be honest, a song like ‘Wow’ is very much rooted in my real-life experience – me really fancying this boy – but I don’t think the fancy was reciprocated; he dumped me after three days… but I got the song, nonetheless.”
When it comes to writing, Bea certainly doesn’t lack ideas. “I write hundreds and hundreds of conceptual ideas in my notes,” she reveals, “almost like these poems. I have to process a concept before it’s written into a song and flesh it out before I put melody to it.” She’ll then take twenty or so of them into a session, read them out, and see what sticks. “I start riffing melodies off the words,” she explains, “and eventually, after a lot of back and forth, it will materialise into a song.”
“I love to blow things out of proportion – who doesn’t, I guess?”
Bea and her Business
Her latest track, ‘Good Things’, reflects Bea’s frustrations with clichés about love and waiting, infused with her characteristic humour and candidness. “‘Good Things’ was written after I had been single for 19 and a half years,” she explains. “Nothing wrong with that, but I did use it as an opportunity to write a song. All my family kept saying, ‘Good things come to those who wait’, and my response to that was, ‘Well, actually, I’ve been waiting for 19 and a half years, and therefore, I do not believe in that theory’.
“I think it’s all about longing for someone to actually see the relationship for the long term as opposed to a quick fling,” she continues. “I spent a lot of time kissing frogs and it was seriously getting on my nerves!”
The track is a part of her upcoming EP, which delves into the emotional rollercoaster of growing up – a theme many of her listeners can surely relate to. “I turned 20 this year,” she says, “and it was the first time I was like, ‘Oh god – what the hell am I doing? I need to get my shit together.’ I was looking at baby photos that had been posted on my Facebook timeline, and I just remember crying for no particular reason. I think that’s when the whole growing-up thing really got to me. So yeah, if anyone is feeling that way too, I think and hope that you’ll enjoy this project.”
The life of an up-and-coming musician isn’t without its challenges, and Bea is candid about the pressures and the continuous need to prove oneself in the industry. Despite the highs, the difficulty of disconnecting and being present with loved ones remains a struggle. “It can often feel quite overwhelming and tiring,” she explains, “but that’s also the great thing about music. It’s constant, non-stop, and definitely keeps you busy! But the one downside is that it’s hard to switch off and be present, so when I do have the chance to hang with my friends and family, it is probably very annoying for them – my mind is always all over the place.”
Yet, her ultimate goal remains clear and simple: “My biggest dream would be to be playing stadiums filled with people who have connected to my music in various different ways. I just wanna make people feel things,” she says.
Bea’s story is a testament to the power of youthful determination, the democratising force of social media, and the universal language of music. It’s a journey that began with a defiant nine-year-old and has blossomed into a captivating artist commanding the stage. Every note she sings, every lyric she writes, is a step closer to that dream of massive stadium pop. Bea’s business is thriving, and with her infectious energy and relatable music, she’s aiming to conquer the world, one song (and hopefully, a decent Parisian baguette) at a time. â–
Bea and her Business’ new track ‘Good Things’ is out now. Follow Dork’s Hype Spotify playlist here.
