Betty Who Returns with Two Anthemic New Singles

Betty Who, an Australian-born, American-based pop singer-songwriter and performer known for her anthemic hits like “Somebody Loves You” and “I Love You Always Forever,” recently made her Broadway debut as Persephone in Hadestown. She also took time out to host Amazon’s dating reality show The One That Got Away.

An LGBTQ+ advocate and Out100 honoree, Betty Who recently turned her attention back to music with two anthemic new singles “Run!” and “Sweat.”

In this interview from New York where she was “running around to see what this great city has to offer,” she speaks via Zoom about her inspirational career.

You started out playing cello. What made you want to pick up that particular instrument?

The school that I went to when I was in kindergarten prioritized musicianship and the science behind early development and learning an instrument. We could pick cello or violin. All the girls picked violin. I picked cello, and the other two girls who picked cello were my best friends. It came to me in a way that I don’t entirely recall. I stuck with it a lot longer than the other girls. In seventh grade, they allow you to quit and everybody did. But I loved music and was so lit up by music. Even as a kid, classical was a bit stuffy. But I love it now. I am so grateful that that was my foundation. I love classical music, and it is part of my soul.

What was it like to move from Sydney to Michigan?

I did it at the right time. I was 16. It was still exciting and not too scary. I am always impressed by the amount of bravery my young self had. I am now much more cautious, for better or worse. I was a little bit afraid because I was throwing myself into this new world. But it was easier to do that then it would be now.

What was your reaction when “Somebody Loves You,” your first single, became a hit?

In your career, there are these moments when the stars align. You hope that everything you will do will be like that. I got a taste of it early in my career and then the stars seemed to stop aligning. I think that’s how it works. I wanted to be a pop star and have people know my music and come to my shows. It just happened. There was a ton of effort. Then, it’s just about work and dedication. Some of my biggest opportunities were when I was 20 years old, and I was the least professional I could be at that stage in my life. It was so exciting. I did feel really grateful. There was a part of me, that was “heck yeah” and then the other shoe drops, and I have learned a lot since then.

You signed to a major label shortly afterward. What was that transition like?

There was a part of me that didn’t know anything, so everything was exciting. Having these conversations with labels and having dinners and meetings with the presidents were opportunities when I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know what I was doing enough for there to be a huge transition. I remember the first day and the week I met with every department. They walked me through the building, and there are so many people who work in these buildings. I got back to my apartment, which was a one bedroom converted. I was in the living room with one of my best friends from college. We were sitting in my bedroom, and I remember going, I have this sneaking suspicion that I will spend the rest of my life doing things I never thought I would be doing, so I can spend 10 percent of my time doing what I want. They were asking me about what to wear on stage. I said, “I don’t know. Aren’t you supposed to tell me?” Now, I have to handle wardrobe. There are 45 positions I could hire out, but I am not in the position to do that. It’s a scrappy DIY team that I have. I learned a lot about those things thinking I could sing and write because that’s my job, but it’s only about 20 percent of what I do.

Were you in New York then?

I was. It was so romantic and exciting. When I come back to the city, I know it’s harder to survive here now. I spent six months here last year. It’s a lot. It’s so full-on, but I loved it when I was young and signing a record deal.

What was it like to act on Broadway as Persephone in Hadestown?

It was so crazy. Speaking of childhood dreams coming true, that was another stars aligning moment. I haven’t had a moment like that since. People spend every day going to auditions. That’s not my world. As much as I thought it would be so fun to be on Broadway, I never expected it to happen. To get that call, I was jumping up and down for the first time in a long time. It was good for morale. I think it’s so important to take yourself out of your comfort zone and try something that makes you vulnerable. It makes you feel so alive. I know that everything can go wrong. Walking into Broadway rehearsals, I knew it was different and hard and scary. I felt proud for putting my whole back into it. I really did that. I did love every second of it. I was lucky to be in the show that I was in. It’s an excellent show. I’m not sure if I could have done a different show. It’s written by a singer-songwriter, so I felt comfortable singing the songs. I have now met some of my best friends. Being in that building gave me some of the people. Solea Pfeiffer, who played Eurydice, became a friend. I feel like I have known her from kindergarten.

What is it like to return to music? Do you think of it in those terms?

It’s only natural to spend a decade doing something and then try to figure out who you are without that thing. I don’t think it was as self-aware at the time. I just knew I needed to re-evaluate and re-explore and have some new experiences that could open me up again. Now, I definitely feel like I’m returning to music and falling back in love with it. It’s something I started doing when I didn’t know how to do it. I’ve been fumbling around in the dark trying to figure out my process and my approach to it. I’ve taken a bit of a step back, and I got to do a Broadway show and hosted a teen show, and I had these amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Now, I can take everything I learned doing these other things and come back and stare at the blank slate and go, “Cool. Who do I want to be now? How do I want to make music and what is it for?” Music can be very self-serving. That’s how it felt when I was younger. It was about me and what I wanted. I wanted to be on stage, and I wanted people to clap for me. Now, I feel so much less connected to those ideas. So now, what is it for if it’s not just about me and my ego? How do I approach it if it’s about community and providing a space for people to feel joy and let loose and dance and be inspired? My favorite artists are the ones that make me feel those things, and I’m trying to figure out how I can step into that world.  

Talk about “Run!” It seems to speak to our times.

That was definitely a thought I had. As I was collecting songs, I realized I love making music that makes me feel like I can see a movie in my mind. With this song, I can see Tom Cruise running. That was inspired by what is going on in the world. There is a lot of stuff that makes us go, “I need to get out of here. I want out.” That’s a shared collective experience right now. I also just knew I needed to start. Being out of it for a while, I knew I needed to start somewhere. The first single of every project is the scariest one. It’s setting the tone. It feels like this first big swing. You have to do the first thing. It was scary, and then it was out, and I thought, “It’s not that serious. I’m just trying to have fun.”

And what about “Sweat.” It’s very funky.

It’s me just having fun and being silly and not thinking so hard. I wrote it about I night I went out with my friends to a big gay dance party before Pride season. I thought, “Great. It feels right to put out this song at this moment in time.”  

You are an inspiration during these dark and difficult times. Talk about what it’s like to be an LGBTQ+ advocate at this moment in time in the U.S.

I think it is important to find spaces with chosen family especially when [negativity] is so much louder. I remember being in Florida playing a show in Orlando on the day when same-sex marriage was legalized. I remember being in my hotel room and watching CNN, and I thought there was nowhere to go but up. I thought we were on the path to progression and moving forward, and it felt so right. I thought that America had done something great. It is so crazy to now realize how silly that thought was in retrospect. The pendulum almost has to swing back the other way to the point that we collectively go, “This is not who we want to be.” In these moments when it is loud and you see so much legislation against gay and trans people, it’s important to create spaces where we can feel joy and safety and love for one another. In my tour, I take a moment, and I share stories from people in the crowd who have overcome things that are hard and sad. I get everybody clapping for each other. If you feel less-than in the outside world, in this room, you get to be whoever you want to be, and we love it for you. That’s what I’m trying to do now when those spaces are fewer and farther in between.

Photo Credit: Zak Cassar