This incarnation of BETSIE makes sense, given how she embarked upon music. At 13-years-old, her older brother already played guitar and offered to teach her, “But all he wanted to sing was Blink 182, so I said, ‘I’m going to start teaching myself guitar’, so I could sing the songs I really liked.” Using an online chord book, and Magix Music Maker, BETSIE started to create her own sound.
This self-improvement pattern continued into her late teens, when she wasn’t able to take Music A Level due a to lack of students, but spent all her time in the Music department practicing songwriting: “I got in a lot of trouble for doing that. I only ended up coming out with one A level, but it was English Language!”
Knowing Jon Bon Jovi’s brother ran it, she pinned her hopes on him liking links she was sending – ‘basically… if you keep asking, they have to say yes.’
Originally inspired to write lyrics by listening to Bon Jovi, BETSIE’s tenacity paid dividends when in 2019, she supported the band at several international shows. Not going through the usual routes to reach the rock legends, BETSIE spent years messaging the official website. Knowing that Jon Bon Jovi’s brother ran it, she pinned her hopes on him liking links she was sending, “Basically it was persisting and if you keep asking and you annoy them enough, they have to say yes.”
In fact, BETSIE had foreshadowed this moment, “When I first heard them I said to my mum, ‘I’m going to open for Bon Jovi one day,’ and she said: ‘okay dear’.” Aside from a few hiccups, such as tripping over a cable in front of 20,000 people, and declaring how sweaty she was after a performance with a unknown live mic, through perseverance BETSIE met the man that inspired her career: “I was really nervous to meet him because they say, ‘don’t meet your heroes’. But I managed to stay calm, he was really nice.”
Another turning point for BETSIE arrived in the form of writer and producer, Kaity Rae. After a chance session in February 2019, BETSIE has consistently worked with Kaity ever since. “I just co-write, I don’t do any producing,” she explains, “I give her all the credit because she is absolutely incredible, she’s completely self-taught.”
Comparing their relationship to Elton John and Bernie Taupin, BETSIE perpetually sings Kaity’s praises: “I work with loads of people but with her it seems to click so well. She helped create my sound.” This is dubbed ‘BITCH POP’, which BETSIE now has tattooed on her shoulder, much to her dad’s dismay. “When me and Kaity created the sound, I said, ‘Nothing sounds exactly like this.’ I wanted to create my own genre for the sort of music I was doing. I wanted to reclaim the word ‘bitch’ and make it positive.” Having no luck with previous producers (“Typical, because all of the other producers I worked with were men”) Kaity articulated what was in BETSIE’s mind but couldn’t produce herself, “She would just listen and made sense of what I was saying I wanted it to sound like.”
I love talking to people and making that story sound like it’s coming from me.
This isn’t to say BETSIE only works with Kaity, as she enjoys the variety of writing with others: “It’s amazing that you can get in a room with someone you’ve never met before and know nothing about, and then something exists at the end of it that didn’t before. It still blows my mind every time.” However, Kaity is still a co-producer on any track, just to make it true to the BITCH POP resonance.
Even with a musical partner, BETSIE has her own vision – one of a voyeur. She has a knack for observing people’s behaviours and turning it into a narrative that others can relate to: “I know there are some artists that will only write about exact stuff that’s happened to them. But I love talking to people and making that story sound like it’s coming from me.”
Ur the Party
The two most recent singles, ‘Ur The Party’ and ‘Friday 13th’, were created by the GOLD/Rae duo. The first was written about observing fans of Jon Bon Jovi reacting to seeing the man himself walk past, while ‘Friday 13th’ is about an actual ‘freaky Friday’, where BETSIE’s journey was waylaid, and Kaity had her own nightmare, “A cactus fell off her shelf and on her head, and she had all the needles sticking out.” Both in keeping with the upbeat sound the pair have created, BETSIE is looking forward to playing live again, with a headline show rescheduled to November, giving free tickets to NHS and key workers.
Using the current downtime to the best of her abilities, BETSIE is enjoying walks with her two dogs near the Northamptonshire village in which she lives. On the creative front, she is conscious of the pressure to use the time ‘effectively’, “I’m trying to do lots of writing but also trying not to beat myself up if I don’t feel creative because it’s obviously not a normal time.”
I’m trying to do lots of writing but also trying not to beat myself up if I don’t feel creative because it’s obviously not a normal time
However, she did receive a surprising lockdown job after posting about downloading a video game, “I got a message from the composer of the music on The Sims, who asked if I wanted to sing on the new expansion pack. They’re really scary with it, they said, ‘You can’t tell anyone what the mood is or what expansion pack it’s on’.”
Alongside recording for this cult classic, BETSIE is keeping busy by diligently messaging fans, “With artists that I really love, I would frickin love for them to respond if I was to message them.” Aware of the perilous pitfalls of social media, and sticking to her instincts, BETSIE is ramping up her engagement instead of lowering it.
“I’ve been very nervous about slipping off the radar, so I’ve been on my phone a lot more. I’ve been able to properly chat to people, because I know I’m feeling weird about it so other people must be.” It’s this human-to-fan, instead of artist-to-fan relationship that sees her followers increase, even without live shows.
BETSIE GØLD hasn’t changed her approach to music since she was 13 years old. From the girl who taught herself the guitar, to the woman who is forging a nuanced pop sound, she is proudly representing herself in the only way she feels comfortable. Looking forward to playing live again, this is what makes her feel whole. “As long as I’m in a room with people who have deliberately chosen to listen to what I have to say,” she says,” then that will fulfil me.” In the meantime, connecting with people virtually will do her in good stead in the unavoidably changed industry that awaits.
