Be Steadwell

Last updated
Be Steadwell
Be Steadwell 20161214-0183 (cropped).jpg
Background information
Origin Washington D.C., U.S.
Genres
Years active2010-present
Website www.besteadwell.com

Be Steadwell (sometimes stylized as be steadwell) is a singer-songwriter and filmmaker from Washington, D.C. She is best known for producing a genre of music she calls "queer pop".

Contents

Steadwell produced the film Vow of Silence (2014), which received Best Experimental Short at the Black Star Film Festival.

She released the EP Succulent in April 2020.

Early life and education

Be Steadwell was born and raised in Washington, D.C. [1] She is the youngest of four children. [1]

Steadwell attended The Field School. [1] She began singing at age 14 when she joined the jazz band. [2]

She received her BA from Oberlin College and a MFA in film from Howard University. [3]

Career

Music

Steadwell released weekly music videos on YouTube while at Howard. [4] She released her first album, Queer Pop Mixtape in 2013, for which she gained wider prominence. [5]

Steadwell sang at the 2017 Women's March on the National Mall behind Maxwell and Janelle Monáe in Toshi Reagon's Big Lovely Band. [6]

Steadwell released an album called Queer Love Songs in June 2018. She described the album as “a collection of love songs I’ve written in the past ten years from my perspective as a super queer black woman who loves love.” [7]

In April 2020 she released the EP Succulent. Steadwell stated that the album focuses on her enjoyment of sex. [8] The sound was described as R&B, hip-hop, pop, and electronica. [8]

Other work

She produced the 2014 film, Vow of Silence, during her MFA program. It received the Howard University Paul Robeson Award (2015), Best Experimental Short at The Black Star Film Festival (2015), Audience Choice Award at the QWOCMAP Film Festival (2015), and was featured at the NYC Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

In 2016 she was selected to be a Strathmore Artist in Residence and the DC Commission on the Arts awarded Be an artist fellowship.

In 2018, she released a musical titled A Letter to My Ex which tackled themes of love, loss, and intimacy.

Artistry

Musical style

Steadwell self-produces her music, which is known for its lyrics and LGBTQIA+ content. She makes music that she refers to as "queer pop", and has stated the importance of that specificity. [3]

AfterEllen described her sound as "multi-layered but lofi" [7] Her songs also frequently have political themes. [7] She wrote a song called "Gay Sex" in response to the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally. [7]

Stage

Steadwell uses loop pedals to layer vocals and beatboxing live onstage, and sometimes plays guitar. [3]

Music videos

Steadwell releases music videos on YouTube under the moniker "B Steady." [9] The channel had around 15,000 subscribers as of October, 2018.

Personal life

Steadwell identifies as queer. [3]

Discography

Albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adina Howard</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1973)

Adina Marie Howard is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame during the mid-1990s with her debut album, Do You Wanna Ride? and her debut single, "Freak like Me". Some of her other minor hits include "What's Love Got to Do with It?", "(Freak) And U Know It", "Nasty Grind", "Freaks" and "T-Shirt & Panties".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Peters</span> American musician

Vanessa Peters is an American singer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachael Cantu</span> American singer-songwriter

Rachael Cantu is an American singer-songwriter. She was born and grew up in Orange County, California. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uh Huh Her (band)</span> American pop/rock band

Uh Huh Her is an American indie/rock/electropop band that was formed in January 2007. The band's name came from an album by artist PJ Harvey, titled Uh Huh Her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivek Shraya</span> Musical artist

Vivek Shraya is a Canadian musician, writer, and visual artist. She currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, where she is an assistant professor in the creative writing program at the University of Calgary. As a trans femme of colour, Shraya often incorporates her identity in her music, writing, visual art, theatrical work, and films. She is a seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, and considered a Great Canadian Filmmaker of the Future by CBC Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ShyBoy</span> American singer-songwriter

ShyBoy is an American vocalist, songwriter, music producer, and DJ. He is the music composer for the Emmy-nominated documentary series Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (Shudder/AMC) from executive producer Bryan Fuller. ShyBoy was named Best Solo Artist in the 10th Annual LA Weekly Best of L.A. Readers' Choice Awards and has performed throughout North America and in Europe, sharing the stage with artists such as Flo Rida, Meiko, and Amanda Palmer. ShyBoy's music has been featured in RuPaul's Drag Race, Dynasty, America's Next Top Model, the Capcom video game Devil May Cry 4, and the trailer for the 2018 film Halloween. An array of writers and artists have collaborated with ShyBoy, including: Emmy Award-winning performer RuPaul; hip-hop artist SlimKid3 ; Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman; Saturn Award-winning writer Bryan Fuller; DJ and record producer Darude; and Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning songwriter Allee Willis. ShyBoy and gold-selling record producer Mark Nubar co-founded the band Hypnogaja and L.A.-based indie label The Spaceman Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cimorelli</span> American a cappella singing group

Cimorelli is an American singing group from El Dorado Hills, California consisting of five sisters: Christina, Katherine, Lisa, Amy, and Lauren. They first gained popularity on YouTube singing cover music and were subsequently signed to Universal Music's Island Records and Republic Records labels in 2009. Their oldest brother, Mike Jr., was a member of the group from 2007 to 2008, while their youngest sister Dani was a member from 2010 to 2020. The group's sound is mainly family-friendly pop music with tight harmonies and occasional band instruments. Their lyrics are centered on the themes of self-worth, friendship, love, heartbreak, and their Christian faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charli XCX</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1992)

Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. In 2010, she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Chamuel</span> American singer, songwriter and music producer

Michelle Jacqueline Chamuel is an American music producer, songwriter and vocalist. She has released several works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. Her works span various styles including pop, electronic, acoustic and ambient. Influenced by Imogen Heap and Max Martin, she is also known by her producer moniker The Reverb Junkie. Her recent works include music production for the film Glitter & Doom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Who</span> Australian-American musician (born 1991)

Jessica Anne Newham, known by her stage name Betty Who, is an Australian-American musician, singer and songwriter. After independently releasing her debut single, "Somebody Loves You" (2012), and her debut extended play, The Movement (2013), she signed with RCA Records and later released her debut studio album, Take Me When You Go (2014). Her second studio album, The Valley (2017), saw the commercial success of her cover of "I Love You Always Forever", which peaked inside the top ten in Australia and reached the top of the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelela</span> American singer (born 1983)

Kelela Mizanekristos born June 6, 1983) is an American singer. She made her debut in the music industry with the release of her 2013 mixtape Cut 4 Me. In 2015, she released Hallucinogen, an EP which deals with the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order. Her debut studio album, Take Me Apart, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim. After a nearly 5 year long hiatus, Kelela released her second album, Raven, in February of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ari Lennox</span> American R&B singer (born 1991)

Courtney Shanade Salter, known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American R&B singer from Washington, D.C. She is the first female artist to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She began gaining recognition after the release of her first EP Pho (2016) on the label. That same year, she made an uncredited guest appearance on J. Cole's song "Change". Lennox's debut studio album Shea Butter Baby followed in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alma (Finnish singer)</span> Finnish singer-songwriter (born 1996)

Alma-Sofia Miettinen, known professionally as Alma, is a Finnish singer and songwriter. Beginning her career in 2013, she placed fifth in the seventh season of the Finnish version of Idol. Her breakthrough came in 2015 when she was featured on the single "Muuta ku mä" by Sini Sabotage, and was subsequently signed to Universal Music Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph (singer)</span> Musical artist

Raffaela Weyman, known professionally as Ralph, is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zolita</span> American singer

Zoë Montana Hoetzel, known professionally as Zolita, is an American singer-songwriter. In 2015, she gained recognition when the music video for her song, "Explosion" became a viral video. Following its success, she released the music videos for the singles "Holy" (2016) and "Fight Like a Girl" (2017) directed by herself. She has released three extended plays: Immaculate Conception (2015), Sappho (2018), and Falling Out / Falling In (2023) as well as one studio album: Evil Angel (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slayyyter</span> American pop singer (born 1996)

Catherine Grace Garner, known professionally as Slayyyter, is an American singer and songwriter from Kirkwood, Missouri, currently based in Los Angeles. She started her career independently through SoundCloud. Her single "Mine" reached number 38 on the iTunes pop chart. The song was included on her self-titled debut mixtape which was released in 2019. Her debut studio album, Troubled Paradise, was released in June 2021 under Fader. Her second album, Starfucker, was released on September 22, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fletcher (singer)</span> American pop singer (born 1994)

Cari Elise Fletcher, known mononymously by her last name, is an American pop singer. Her breakthrough single "Undrunk" was released in January 2019 and became her first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number one on Spotify's Viral Chart in the United States. "Undrunk" was released on her second extended play You Ruined New York City for Me, and according to Mediabase, the song was the fastest-rising song at pop radio for a new artist since 2014.

Brenda Wireko Mensah, known professionally as Bree Runway, is an English singer, songwriter and rapper of Ghanaian descent. She signed to EMI Records (former) in 2018 and subsequently released her first commercial EP Be Runway (2019), followed by her debut mixtape, 2000and4Eva (2020), which spawned the single "ATM" featuring Missy Elliott. Runway won the award for Best New International Act at the 2021 BET Awards, and was nominated for the 2022 Brit Award for Rising Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Fares</span> Musical artist

Laura Fares, known as LAU or Lau Fares is an Argentine singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer from Argentina, and currently based in Barcelona (Spain), after 21 years in the United Kingdom. She is also the founder of Aztec Records with Ariel Amejeiras.

Tiffany Majette, known professionally as Orion Sun, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Philadelphia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Be Steadwell: 'Music Is The Spark Of Any Resistance'". OutSmart Magazine. 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  2. ↑ Voorhees, Kristen; Magazine, Tagg (2017-04-28). "Musiq Scene: Be Steadwell". Tagg Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Folliard, Patrick (2020-06-11). "Out singer/songwriter Steadwell passionate about queer music". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  4. ↑ "Artist Spotlight & Playlist: B.Steady". Autostraddle. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  5. ↑ Marie, J. (2019-02-09). "Be Steadwell Is Your New Musical Crush". www.kitschmix.com. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  6. ↑ "Be Steadwell - Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice". Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Macdonald, Jocelyn (2018-06-21). "Be Steadwell's "Queer Love Songs" are Pop Music for the Whole Rainbow". AfterEllen. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  8. 1 2 Berlatsky, Noah (2020-04-06). "Be Steadwell's queer slow jams are sexy, weird, and relatable". Document Journal. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  9. ↑ "Be Steadwell's New Music Video Will Put A Spell On You". Autostraddle. 2017-06-06. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.