Unplugged Lounge Conversations with Beverly Hell

If you’ve ever been caught between loving someone and wanting to walk away, Beverly Hell’s latest single ‘Drug Opera’ will hit close to home. Taken from her upcoming EP Alice In Underland, the track moves from tender longing to full-blown emotional chaos, mirroring the highs and lows of modern relationships. It’s bold, unpredictable, and deeply personal, much like Hell herself. We sat down with her to unpack the meaning behind the song, the creative process, and why fantasy in love can be the most addictive drug of all.

Continue reading to learn more about Beverly Hell. . .

Thanks for chatting with us at Sonic Sisters Magazine! Can you share a bit about how your journey into music began?

Thanks for chatting with me! My journey into music probably started when I was 0, going to my dad's rehearsals in a baby basket. He was a keyboard player and a synthesist with Korg, so I grew up around both the tech and the etiquette of music, which is actually a huge deal because I think a lot of younger artists forget that it is a business and you really can't afford to be that stereotypical flighty artist personality if you want to make anything happen. In my family it was pretty much non-negotiable that I learn to play an instrument as soon as I could speak, which also shaped me a lot as an artist.

Who have been some of the most significant influences on your musical style?

Easiest question ever. James Blake, FKA Twigs, Frank Ocean, Radiohead, Grimes, but also emo pop artists like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco. I think you can hear the electronic, R&B, and emo influence in most of what I do. And my dad. He's an incredible pianist and raised me on jazz, funk, blues. I can never thank him enough for it.

And which female musicians or women in the music industry have inspired your journey?

Twigs, 100%. I remember talking myself into actually putting out self-produced music with my own vocals by reminding myself that her production is also unconventional, and she's got this unique ethereal voice without having to have a massive powerhouse vocal, and it sounds amazing. Amy Winehouse, too, even though she is more of a powerhouse vocalist, has this lower and throatier timbre to her voice that is similar to mine. And it's fire! People love these things about them, so why wouldn't they appreciate them in someone else?

How do your personal experiences shape your songwriting, and what do you hope listeners take away from those connections?

Everything I write is a mashup of my own experiences and works of fiction or prose that I love. I hope listeners are both able to feel seen in their messiest and most gruesome emotional experiences, and that they can also really immerse themselves in another world through my music regardless of what's going on in real life.

Congratulations on your brand-new single 'Drug Opera' - what inspired this particular song?

Realizing that the way I felt about someone both before and after they broke my heart was pretty uncool of me. It's easy to enshrine someone when you're in love with them, or to make them a villain if they hurt you, but neither of those perspectives really give them the grace of being an actual human being with flaws and complexities. You're essentially just high on your own fantasy, and when the bubble pops you go through withdrawals. Blind love is a drug.

What song (not your own) has had the biggest influence on you and why?

I Never Learnt To Share by James Blake. It does that 2-part thing that I love, but I had never heard any piece of music create so much emotion and such a journey with only one lyric. Melody, harmony and production can do so much and that song really shaped my priorities when it comes to songwriting.

Is there a song in your catalog that holds a special personal meaning for you? We'd love to hear the story or inspiration behind it.

My second release, Persephone, walked so Drug Opera could run. It's another 2-part song and one of my earliest pieces of writing, which I think you can tell when you compare it to my other releases. I made the original demo on my phone in the car while I was driving from LA to the Bay Area. I'd just pull off the road each time I got an idea. This was back in 2020, but I was so proud of the version of me that made it (and used it to alchemize some seriously dark emotions) that I put it out 5 years later anyway.

What are some of the aspirations you have for your music moving forward?

I really want to create immersive experiences for people, and not just through sound and performance, though that's definitely a big part of it. I hope to integrate my music with experiential stuff like installation and visual art, and host events where people feel and experience something they're not used to. I'm writing music but I'm also building a world and I want to do that justice. Everything is so digital now, I think people want something they can interact with in physical space.

What advice would you give to emerging female artists who are just starting out in the music world?

Do the thing you want to do even if you don't feel ready, but commit to the bit. Come as prepared as possible, be respectful and make sure you are an absolute pleasure to work with. As you learn to take your art seriously, other people do too. You don't have to be perfect, but you have to do the best you can and learn to value every lesson as you keep going. And do keep going. Growth is a way bigger achievement than perfection.

Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

If you like Drug Opera, keep an eye out for the video on March 27! And if you like that too, stick around for the whole rollout for my debut EP Alice In Underland. I love Drug Opera but I have even better songs in store.