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Artist Spotlight
Bee Blackwell

Bee Blackwell blends the raw emotional pull of 90s alternative rock with her own diaristic songwriting – a delicate tension between softness and strength, clarity and chaos. Drawing from the spirit of 90s women-fronted alt-rock, she channels her personal experience into songs that feel intimate yet also anthemic. With a new band behind her, a self-produced EP on the way and a SXSW debut under her belt, Bee steps into her next chapter.

Pop on her latest single LALALA and read on as we discuss creative growth, breakups and pomegranates.

You’re a solo artist but now play with a full band. Can you introduce who’s in the band currently, and talk a little about how playing with a band feels compared with playing solo?

For sure! I’m actually transitioning into a new live band so this is a cool opportunity to introduce them. Right now, we have Grace Bertman on drums, Maria Romero on bass, Ben Mulick on lead guitar, and I’m getting off of guitar so we have Nana Serrano on rhythm guitar. I feel like having a band behind me really brings the pressure off of me and lets me feel the energy of the music more.

Your music is deeply rooted in '90s alternative rock, drawing inspiration from bands like Lush, Hole, and Liz Phair. What is it about that era that resonates with you, and how do you infuse those influences into your own sound?


I think that the 90s were the first era for me where you can really see women-fronted bands / women-fronted rock music at the forefront and that kind of really resonated with me, like “hey, I can do this too”. I infuse these influences in pretty much every aspect of my music, like I’m always going on deep dives to really get an authentic sound and really pay homage to that era.

You started by posting emo and grunge covers on TikTok in 2023, which garnered significant attention. How did this platform influence your transition into creating original music?

TikTok was really influential in letting me know that I did have an audience out there, ‘cause a lot of times with posting on the Internet, it feels like you’re posting out into the void, but I’ve been really lucky with having people who care and are excited for whatever I have next – whether it be cover content or original music.

Your 2023 single "Haunting" has been described as a poignant exploration of forgiveness and self-discovery. Can you share the story behind this track and what it means to you personally?

“Haunting” is about my relationship with personal trauma, and as you said, forgiveness. I have a really bad habit of holding grudges so I thought a song would be a good way to move through that bad habit.

Your music often delves into themes of coming-of-age and personal growth. How do your personal experiences shape your songwriting, and what message do you hope listeners take away?

I have a hard time writing stuff that isn’t a personal experience of mine (something that I definitely want to expand upon later on) so those personal experiences permeate through all of my music. I see this project as a diary. The main message that I hope listeners takeaway is that it’s okay to be vulnerable and that being honest with yourself is a good step in connecting with yourself in general and being the most authentic version you can be.


Balancing vulnerability and strength is a hallmark of your music. How do you navigate sharing personal stories while maintaining artistic boundaries?

I like to cover everything in prose, haha. I also try to keep myself as composed as possible on social media, like yeah, you can know this story about me from what I’ve shared, but ultimately, I want to have some control over the narrative, so that story might be all that you get from me for a while. 


As someone who started with covers and moved into original compositions, what advice would you give to emerging artists looking to find their unique voice?

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. There’s always gonna be someone out there for you.

You self-produced your new EP Nine Lives, which was recorded at Sonic Ranch. Can you share any memorable moments or challenges from the recording sessions of your new EP? Why did you opt to self-produce the EP?

Sonic Ranch in of itself is just a magical place. There’s no signal and you’re out in the middle of nowhere, so essentially you’re forced to be with the music. I think a really formative memory from there was taking a walk out in the pecan orchard that’s out on the property while we were waiting on some stuff to be put into place in the mix, and we found a pomegranate tree and just ate the fruit straight off the tree. Some real “one with nature” stuff right there.

I opted to self-produce this EP because I honestly wanted to see the limits of what I could do. This EP is honestly one big experiment for me.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for your music career, and are there any collaborations or projects you're particularly excited about?

I would love to play some festival stages within this upcoming year! Besides the EP, I am doing a tour around Texas the last week of June that I’m really excited for. 



We’ve provided you with a pair of Denon PerL Pro earbuds to try. Can you let us know what the first song you listened to was? Did you find that the personalized sound profile of the earbuds changed how you heard this?

The first song I listened to was “Flea” by St. Vincent. I feel like the mix was way more to my liking with the personalized sound profile, and I could hear more of the nuances of the song.


You can find Bee Blackwell on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

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