Baby Queen is a 24-year-old alternative-pop singer from Durban, South Africa. She has never checked her daily horoscope. But, she is a big fan of Taylor Swift. And, she admits to having not one but two Taylor Swift fan pages. Through her music, she uses “anti-pop” to tell her experience with mental health issues like depression to connect with listeners.
Baby Queen’s Beginning
The anti-pop pioneer went to to London in 2016 with only 40 demo CDs. With Wonderland Magazine, Baby Queen said she was using
her real name, Arabella Latham, at the time and “had a little picture of me in the front”. However, she found that she couldn’t send labels “unsolicited material,” which shocked the singer. She developed tracks on her own, independently. Then, after years, she signed to Polydor– in the middle of the pandemic
“Medicine” EP by Baby Queen
In this 2020 release, Baby Queen talks of mental health. It is vulnerable, but the lyrics are direct. The artist grew up with many health issues, like depression and eating disorders. Her ability to produce music reflecting those struggles while still making sparkly-pop tracks is a feat. In “Internet Religion,” the harsh guitars and drums take you on a journey to how she measures and recreates herself on social media. Although the sound isn’t radio-friendly, it is enjoyable and details how glorifying virtual existence can ultimately harm you. On the title track, she talks about her antidepressants and how they make her feel better. The production is either sparse or full-on “Medicine,” but it’s purposeful to depict her times of feeling ok and feeling nothing.
“The Yearbook” EP by Baby Queen
Her latest mixtape was released in late 2021. The themes of “The Yearbook” aren’t much different from her last record: she still talks about mental health and social media problems but in more depth. Her sound as an “anti-pop” artist leans towards the trendy 80s-pop on “Raw Thoughts”, a standout for Baby Queen. Most noticeably, her lyricism improves and contributes to her ability to produce a variety of different yet cohesive tracks. In the same interview with Wonderland Magazine, she says, “I find the lyric writing process really quite difficult. The more music I’ve released, the more difficult the music writing process has become because I feel as if I’ve set a standard for the lyric, and everyone expects that standard of lyric”.
What do you think of our Featured Artist Friday, Baby Queen? Let us know in the comments!
