Why The World Needs More Betty Who

It was just a typical Wednesday and I was sitting in my Medieval Women’s Literature class distracted by another list on Buzzfeed. This time though, it was “25 Pop Records That Made Everyone’s Life Better in 2013.” I happened to stumble upon 22-year-old Australian singer Betty Who on this list, and decided to give her a listen. The main words that described her first EP, “The Movement,” was very 80s and fun. The highlight track for me was “Somebody Loves You,” which I later found out was her single off the EP. It was then that I made the decision that she was an artist to look out for. I followed her on all social media outlets possible. Over the course of the next few months I saw that some of my favorite artists were tweeting about Betty and her music. She seemed to be a really genuine person, which to me seems so rare in music these days. Her tweets sound like an actual person behind them as opposed to the generic “MY EP IS $4.99 ON ITUNES” advertisements (she also tweets in all caps from time to time and I appreciate that).

Last month during SXSW, Andy Cohen of Watch What Happens Live had Betty Who on his show each night as his house band. Watching her light up with such elegant energy while looking like she was having an absolute blast was so awesome. Her attire consists of a varsity jacket with a simple matching crop top and skirt, and white Converses, which works because she dances all around the stage having the time of her life. When she was the house band for Watch What Happens Live, she was performing her first single “Somebody Loves You” and Shaq got up to dance with her which is pretty cool if you ask me. Her second EP, entitled “Slow Dancing,” was released on Tuesday and it didn’t disappoint. Her first single, “Heartbreak Dream” reminded me of exactly why I had all of the faith in the world in this chick. Every single time it comes on my iPod I am instantly put in a good mood. It’s very clear on this album that she found a unique way to combine upbeat tracking with meaningful words.

In an interview with Last.fm, she talks about her music, focusing on the 80s vibe that she unintentionally created. She emphasizes on the “joy and happiness” that she relates to with 80s pop music. She moves on to talk about the video for “Somebody Loves You” and how they avoided the appearance of a man in the video because that was “too easy,” and instead she made it a video that was directed more about the girls involved and emphasizing how amazing they were without a guy showing up at the party. This interview really locked in my opinion on her, as if it wasn’t confirmed before. She seems like such a breath of fresh air to the music scene, and I hope that her genuine positivity can be a sensation. Sure, we have fun, dance-worthy music on the radio these days, but the women that are the queens of pop at the current moment seem to have the knowledge of how successful they are. They use that to be role models and inspirations. While I agree that they are brilliant women, I truly think that Betty Who could be a very strong, confident, positive, and much needed influence in the music scene.

Photo Credit: Betty Who