U.K. pop queen Baby Queen enlisted Sydney’s rising pop star MAY-A for her new track ‘American Dream’ and the hot single premiered as Zane Lowe’s World First on his Apple Music 1 show.
Hailed by BBC Radio 1 as a Future Artist in March, 2021 is set to be Baby Queen’s breakout year. ‘American Dream’ is one of the songs from her upcoming mixtape, titled The Yearbook, comes out in September.
The star – otherwise known as Bella Latham – revealed that her new single was inspired by the falsity of the ‘American Dream’. “This song compares a childlike infatuation with the idea of the American dream, which in hindsight is a bit of a fallacy, but there were people that did get to experience it and reach the prosperity they’d heard about,” she said.
“I’m really into manifestation – not in a spiritual way, just in a very practical sense. I think if you put all your energy into something by talking about it all the time or thinking about it, the course of your life will naturally bend towards that thing. This song is me manifesting my dream to be with a certain person. It’s essentially a song about a childlike crush you are cheeky enough to plan out inside your own head.”
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MAY-A also shared their excitement about collaborating with Baby Queen: “This song is super fun to be a part of. Bella and I were talking online for a bit about music. I was a big fan of her song ‘Want Me’, so I feel really psyched that she wanted to bring me on to this track. It’s a fun one to sing!”
To celebrate the release of ‘American Dream’, we got Baby Queen and MAY-A to interview each other, discussing their life, music, and everything else in-between.
The Yearbook arrives on September 3rd and can be pre-ordered here.
MAY-A: When I come to the UK, where is the first place you’re going to take me?
Baby Queen: TO THE PUB. Any pub. They’re all the same!
MAY-A: Do you think you learned anything about yourself after writing “these drugs”? (F*cking banger btw- I relate)
Baby Queen: I think sometimes you don’t know exactly how you feel or how your feelings fit together until you start writing about them. I definitely learnt more about how deeply my actions had been affecting my mental health! I was like “oh this is why I’m depressed.”
MAY-A What are some things that have changed about you since your first release and what has stayed the same?
Baby Queen: I’ve definitely become more confident and self assured and i’m a lot more stressed out, but I’m still sad and perpetually unfulfilled lol
MAY-A: When was the last flight you took and where did you go?
Baby Queen: I flew from back to London from South Africa about 2 years ago haha!
MAY-A: What’s your biggest weakness in your opinion?
Baby Queen: Insecurity and self-criticism
Baby Queen: What city are you most excited to visit and possibly play a show in when we’re FINALLY allowed to tour again?
MAY-A: Honestly, I’m excited to play shows in the U.K., I can’t even imagine playing shows outside of Australia. A festival anywhere would be fucking awesome.
Baby Queen: Who are the artists you listened to growing up that shaped the way you write music now?
MAY-A: Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse, and Adele definitely heavily influenced the way that I look at the music I write.
Baby Queen: I’ve been listening to ‘Swing Of Things’ non-stop, and it’s a song i can really relate to. Did you find the process of writing and releasing this song to be cathartic? Did it help you move forward in any way?
MAY-A: I’d be completely lying if I said it helped me break the cycle of going back to that person, but it definitely helped me in realising that it was a problem. It still helps me when I sing it now, usually, I move on from those emotions once a song is out but I still feel very connected.
Baby Queen: What is the best thing about Australia? And also what is the worst thing? I’ve never been before and need a heads up before I visit next year!
MAY-A: The weather in Sydney is epic. It’s pretty much always sunny, even when it’s cold. Most of the people are pretty chill and are happy to have a laugh with a stranger. The worst thing is that it’s so far away from everything else that you pretty much feel like you can’t leave- and if you do, you probably won’t be back for a long time.
Baby Queen: You get to go on a date with anybody in the whole world. Who are you choosing?
MAY-A: Willow Smith. She is ridiculous.
