Talented young singer-songwriter, actress and Welsh speaker Lily Beau is certainly one to watch in years to come. She speaks with Luke Owain Boult about her inspirations, the Welsh language and ambitions for the future.
A passionate performer, a skilled pianist and dedicated singer-songwriter, Lily Beau started young like the best of them. Having already wowed critics and crowds alike at the Pride Cymru Youth Conference and Iris Prize Festival, Lily has recently taken up residence at East London Arts and Music and is starting to make waves outside of Cardiff.
“I started when I was 12, I saw a video of someone on YouTube singing a Beyonce and Lady Gaga song and I got quite jealous and thought, ‘do you know what? I could do much better’,” laughs Lily. “I just completely fell in love with it. I had a tiny Yamaha keyboard and I just sat in my room and wrote songs for hours on end. I completely fell in love with it and I haven’t stopped since. I love Beyonce. I love her performances. I just think she gives 110% every time, and it’s a show; I like the idea of giving an audience a show. Performance wise I’m inspired by Tina Turner and Beyonce. Vocally, I just adore Melody Gardot. I just think she’s got an incredible, raspy vocal style and I love it.”
Lily Beau’s voice lends itself naturally to many genres, and sounds just as remarkable in jazz as it does in a fiery piano ballad. She is abundantly aware of this and is eager to show the world just what she can do: “At the moment I love jazz and British Pop, and I’d like to mix those. I love country and dance music and just like to try different things. The dream would be to take my music worldwide, but for now I’d just like to keep on writing music and I hope I can do for the rest of my life. I also love acting, and although I’ve acted in Welsh language programmes before, I haven’t actually got anything planned at the moment. I’m concentrating on music.”
Many bilingual artists have different approaches to art and music depending on the language they are writing in, which Lily sees in her own music. Although Lily recently moved to London, she is still keen to keep her Welsh roots alive: “I think it’s important to release songs in Welsh as well, and because I’m in London, I still want to embrace my Welsh heritage. I think Welsh language music is extremely underrated and we need people to come forward to inspire more young people to write in Welsh. I think it’s been seen as unfashionable before and it really isn’t. When I write in Welsh the subjects don’t change, but they’re a bit more, not political, but passionate. It’s just a different way of expressing myself.”
Eager to make a name for herself and Welsh music in London, Lily is remarkably passionate and determined. Aged 16 and still in school, Lily talks about how she copes with the pressure of performing: “I don’t get nervous until afterwards and people say that makes no sense. Once I finish something that I’m hyped up for, I’ll get off the stage and think ‘wow, I just did that’. It’s really bizarre but I get nervous afterwards, not before.”
For Lily, life’s focus is simple: music. “I just want to make music,” she says. “I know it’s cliché but I just want to make music, and I think the more I can do the better. I want to be able to write it and then take it to the studio to record… but there’s something about performing, I can’t explain it. It’s just where I feel most comfortable, where I can express myself.”
Lily Beau, Upcoming Wales dates not yet released, Info: www.lilybeau.co