Backstage with Beeson
Fresh off the release of her sophomore EP "Ritual", the 23-year old Arizona native gives an inside look into what’s next before her first Manhattan headline show.
By: Spencyr Aronson
February 24th, 2024
Sounds by Spencyr: Hey Jane [Beeson]! Thanks for sitting down with me today. Since releasing your sophomore EP Ritual, you’ve been on a seven-show headline tour across the US. Then, later this Spring, you’ll be joining Sarah and the Sundays for a set of shows. What are you most looking forward to about that opportunity?
Beeson: I’m really excited! I really like doing both [being an opener and a headliner] honestly. Headlining is much more stressful, but it’s also really, really rewarding because I get to meet my own fans all the time. I also love opening because I get to meet new people. I get really creative on tour since I tend to get bored with my same short little set, so I like changing it up throughout. But this is only my second tour ever; I opened for Dogpark last fall. So I like both, but I'm also totally self managed right now. That has allowed me to exercise a lot of different muscles on this run, which has again been stressful, but good for me.
Who are your favorite smaller artists at the moment you’d love for readers to discover?
B: Oh my gosh. Kaytlin Numbers! She's based in Utah, and she's one of my favorite songwriters. She's a really good friend of mine, but she's also just so talented. My friend Mer Marcum too. She's so cool, and she's here in New York. Sack Lunch, obviously (the band opened for her directly following this interview). I think they’re perfect for fans of Bleachers.
Great picks. You’ve mentioned in the past that if you were suddenly cursed and had to stop songwriting, you’d get into painting. That answer got me thinking: if you had to paint anything to go along with the Ritual EP, what would it be?
B: Oh, my gosh, I love that. I would love to make a creepy self portrait, like an oil painting. Really weird, like an impressionist.
To go with the dark blue on the cover?
B: Exactly. And I’d just have it be weird. I'm not good at painting, don't get it twisted. *Laughs*.
Let’s switch gears a bit. I myself have had a lot of troubles with body image and disordered eating in the past. I know you've talked about those same issues serving as part of the backstory for your song “Gap Teeth”. This week is actually National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, so I was wondering if you have any advice for readers who may be struggling?
B: Totally. I think that's something I still struggle with, for sure. It's rough, and it really comes and goes in waves, like everything else. I think the thing that's helped me the most is talking about it with my friends, and seeing that so many different bodied people don't like their bodies. The common denominator is we're all taught to hate our bodies, right? So I think making music about that is really interesting too, because I feel like it's one of these things where if you know, you know.
Absolutely. I resonated with the lyrics as soon as I listened for the first time.
B: Yeah, exactly. If you haven’t struggled with these things before, you're going to think it's a song just about being thirteen. It’s such a gift to be able to make music; I think it's cool I have a song I wrote when I was struggling so badly. Now I can sing it and know I don't have an eating disorder. Really, it does get better when you're open and actually work to change it. I do know that [recovery] is not always guaranteed.
Props to you for talking about such a tough topic so openly!
B: Thank you!
Have you continued writing songs since your sophomore EP Ritual came out last December and since you've been on tour?
B: Yes, I have been writing a little bit, even though I am a one woman show over here. There's actually going to be a Ritual Deluxe! Ambitiously, I want to put out in a few weeks, but since I am self managed, I have to balance a lot at once. Definitely in the next month or so though.
That’s so exciting!
B: Yeah, it's going to include some awesome remixes and a new song. I'm really excited about that. But I've also been working towards another project; it's kind of just taking shape in the back of my mind. I have voice memos I'm working through.
Recently I’ve started to hash through everything I've written the past few years; it’s nice to see what I have and finish some really cool songs. I haven't been in the studio for a while, but I've also challenged myself to try and self-produce most of my next project. So I’m really excited for that.
Do you have any other goals for the rest of 2025?
B: I really want to push the music further and further forward instead of getting swallowed in the release and promotion. I definitely feel like nowadays, artists are getting pressured and pulled in a lot of different directions. But honestly, I just want to become a better musician! I want to get better at guitar; I want to be a way better singer. I'm doing music because I like making music. So I want to lean more into that. That's the plan, but we'll see how it goes!
It's nice to hear you're just focusing on making music you feel genuinely excited about.
B: I’m trying, but it's so hard. Especially when you're indie and you're small; it can be discouraging.
Totally. Well, how do you feel your writing and overall process has changed from your first EP Last Shot to Ritual, if at all?
B: With Ritual, I cared way less in general about the commercial aspects of my music. I’ve gotten older and wiser. I wrote “I Haven’t Seen You Since the Summer” to be a pop song. I had a vision for it which I definitely executed, so I’m still proud of myself.
With this EP, I honestly wanted to write cool songs that I think are weird, which was a little brave of me to do when it's like, literally my second EP ever and I’m 23.
You're being authentic to yourself.
B: Trying to, but yeah! I also experimented a lot more lyrically with this EP, and production wise. I definitely pushed my comfort zones with almost all the songs. I worked with new producers too.
Who are your biggest musical influences, and why?
B: Caroline Polachek and maybe Arlo Parks; I love her work lyrically.
Do you have a favorite lyric off the EP?
B: I love the pre-chorus of my song “Pulpit”: “I'm not a vessel / Not your hands or your body / So sentimental, so haunting”.
It's a reference to Mormon doctrine that says you’re a vessel of Christ, and you're Christ's hand but you're in your body. Christ owns your ass, basically. Anyway, I just said what I meant, and I'm so happy I did. I just love saying it, it's fun because it's so niche.
One more question. I know you decided post-grad to pursue your dream of being an artist full-time and move to LA. Any advice for those who are about to undergo a similar transition in their early 20’s?
B: Oh my God, I want advice! That's a good question. I still struggle a lot with comparing. I will say the best thing that I did for myself was getting out of Utah, where I was going to school, and moving to LA.
I just started putting one foot in front of the other, because I've learned that the more relationships you have, the more experiences you have. Especially with music specifically. So say yes to everything all the time, even if you don't really want to do it. Obviously act with tact and use your intuition. I mean, just in the past year and a half since I've been out of school I’ve played a bunch of shows and I've made so many new relationships with people in the industry. I’ve learned who I want to write with from just doing it. So I guess my advice would be to just literally try anything. Getting older has been such a gift too. I love being 23 and not 22!