Nashville based, multi-genre artist, BAYBE has been making some noise in the scene. BAYBE dabbles in pop, rap, and metal merging them into her original sound. Hot off the release of her EP, God’s Favorite, she has been keeping busy. BareBones Ent got the chance to sit down with BAYBE and talk about all things God’s Favorite, making music, and reacting to comments. Let’s see what all she had to say when she chatted with us.
BBE: What do you feel it is about your music that makes it special for listeners?
BAYBE: I’d like to think I break the mold of what a lot of modern rock/hip-hop falls into. I personally love when I find an artist that goes against the grain and does something sonically or lyrically that I wasn’t expecting. That’s when I’m the most inspired and excited about music.
BBE: If you could only play one song for someone to hook them and introduce them to your music would it be “My Name Is BAYBE”, or what would you pick and why?
BAYBE: Hmm I think that might have been my answer a year ago, but now I have music released that I feel fits my vision much more, like “Don’t HMU” or “Stray Dog”. So probably one of those. Or maybe “Yes Please!” so they can figure out right away if they’ll be offended by my music…
BBE: I really love your voice and how you structure your songs. Has this style always come natural to you or has this been developing over time?
BAYBE: Thank you! I don’t think too much about the arrangement of songs, I think that part comes fairly naturally. I’ve grown up listening and studying artists who are incredible songwriters and figuring out what I love about each song, so I suppose that’s just been ingrained by now. One of my favorite bands of all time is Relient K, which tends to be a surprise to most people, but Matt Thiessen’s (the singer) writing arrangements and melodies have definitely helped shape me as a songwriter.
BBE: What is a common misconception that you hear a lot from people that haven’t really listened to your music yet?
BAYBE: I think the only place I have seen anything like this is maybe Tiktok, with hate comments assuming my music is just that- “Tiktok music”. I never answer these, but I suppose my response would be that I have been writing and recording music since I was 17 (9 years) so Tiktok is such a new and silly thing to me. I would be making music like this whether Tiktok existed or not.
BBE: You have been releasing some absolute bangers off your upcoming debut EP, God’s Favorite. How long have you been working on this EP?
BAYBE: I think the first song I wrote for this EP was “Yes Please!”, which was back in early 2021. There was definitely a big gap between that and “Dinner For One” which was written a year ago, but I like to sit on songs for a bit and make sure I feel like I can stand behind them for longer than a few months. I am constantly finding new genres to explore in sessions and leaving old ones behind, so I’m very aware of coming off as inconsistent or thoughtless. These five songs have been in the vault for a while and have always felt authentic to me when I listened back, so I felt it was the right time to package them together and release them.
BBE: What has the process been like for you?
BAYBE: My writing process is very organic, I only really work with three producers in town because I feel I get my strongest songs when I work with them (and they’re amazing people). We never have set intentions when sitting down to write, we just basically hang out for six hours and I leave with a song I’m insanely excited about every time. I don’t know how some artists do like 6 sessions a week and constantly travel to LA and back, I could never. I just write songs I’m excited about with the people I love working with, and take it from there.
BBE: Were there any songs while you were creating the EP that you were worried or curious what the response would be like for?
BAYBE: I’m never worried about the response to a song, but I’m definitely always curious. The type of music consumers who are on Tiktok are very fascinating. I don’t feel like I have a strong handle on what their reactions will be at any given moment, but it is definitely always entertaining. I just posted my first Tiktok for the song “Yes Please!” and there are some very interesting and profound religious discussions going on in the comments. To me, that is the coolest thing ever.
BBE: On a song like “Father, Son, Holy Ghost”, there is some backlash from the religious. How do you react or respond when you see comments praying for you or quoting bible verses?
BAYBE: Without going into too much detail on my views on religion, my overarching approach to it is humor. So when I see these comments they make me giggle, and I don’t interact with them. I never mean to be overly offensive, but those people are not who my music is for. The fact that they feel compelled to immediately try and “save” me, proves a lot of the points I sing about.
BBE: Before we touch on your upcoming release show and close up the interview. I have to talk about “Dinner For One”. Absolutely love the song and the video is so great. Already an early favorite of ours for music video of the year. How was it filming that music video?
BAYBE: Thank you so much! I’m really proud of that video. I spent months planning and creating the shot list for it, since I had such a strong vision (and I’m a control freak). My friend Dustin played the pig-man in the video, he was such a good sport. I’m a huge horror movie fan, so I wanted the video to feel like a short horror film, and I feel like we accomplished that.
BBE: How has the response been to the song and video?
BAYBE: It’s been overall very positive. I think immediate reactions online were shocked at my Dahmer reference and general lyrical content, but the people who actually listen to my music and invested into my artistry more have loved the song and video. They’re who it’s for, anyway.
BBE: On May 3rd, you played your EP release show in Nashville. Is there something special you planned to bring to the crowd for this show?
BAYBE: Being that this EP is my first, I still only have a handful of songs released now. I have a lot still stowed away, so I’m excited to tease these unreleased tracks at the show, as well as the EP songs. I’ll also be incorporating a mixed setlist, where I play the first half alone, and the second half with a band, so I’m very excited about that.
BBE: What will it mean to you to finally have God’s Favorite, out in the world?
BAYBE: This EP is very special to me, as it’s the first cohesive body of work I’ve put out. I’ve been writing and releasing music under various projects for a while, but this is the very first time I have felt like the songs are a true representation of my vision and what kind of music I love to make.
BBE: Aside from the release show, how are you planning to celebrate the release?
BAYBE: Honestly I want to do a whole lot of nothing. Over the course of the singles being released, I moved to a new place in Nashville, and had a lot of other changes happen in my life so I’m excited to take a breather. I might go on a little road trip or something.
BBE: Are you planning more tour/show dates?
BAYBE: Yes…
BBE: What is the best way for fans to interact with you and keep up with announcements?
BAYBE: I’d say Instagram and Tiktok are the two best ways.
BBE: Anything else you would like to add?
BAYBE: Just that I appreciate anyone who listens to my music more than they know. Thank you!
