GHOSTS OF TENNESSEE: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BEATRIX

Last month, LA-based artist Beatrix released her haunting new single, “Ghosts of Tennessee,” just in time for the spooky season. The track is emotionally raw, combining elements of indie rock, folk, and alt-pop — a sound that makes her music uniquely fragile yet powerful. We got a chance to find out more about the new music and her upcoming projects:

If someone has yet to hear your music, how would you describe your songwriting style and aesthetic?

My songs sit somewhere between personal confession and American folklore. I create vignettes that are scenes constructed from both memory and myth, but they’re always true. I’m part self-historian (chronicling moments I want to remember and or ones I don’t, but need to) and part symbolist (I write about ghosts, angels, hell, and dreams). I like traditional song structure (I’m a sucker for the payoff of a good verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus), but I love an unexpected chord progression. Sonically, I’d describe my music as indie folk/rock/alt/Americana. I love the sound of a live band mixed with more sound design-y elements.

How does your background in classical music inspire your work today?

The classical world is very rigid and traditional and it ended up not being for me but I was exposed to very interesting music and I did learn lot of discipline. To be a successful classical musician you have to be willing to sacrifice a lot to be in a practice room for most of the day alone and that will drive most people crazy, but I think it set me up well to be an artist. I also got great technical training in voice, piano, acting, music theory and history which has helped me immensely in the craft of songwriting and performance.

What was your inspiration behind the look of your music video for “Ghosts of Tennessee?” What was your favorite part of creating it?

In the song I am a ghost from the past coming back to haunt someone who hurt me and I wanted to embody the ghost physically for the music video. Rogue Bonaventura directed the video and she did such a great job of helping bring the idea to life. We used white makeup on my face and body and whited out my eyebrows to make me look ghostly and shot into the night. My favorite part was shooting the end of the video where I wade into the water and dive underneath it and “drown.” We shot on 35 mm film which looked so incredible but was expensive so we had just enough to execute the shot once, which was so exciting. I was freezing when I got out and had to warm myself with a hairdryer but it was worth it.

Who are you currently listening to?

Right now I’m listening to Michigan by Sufjan Stevens, Ace by Madison Cunningham, and Getting Killed by Geese. My top artist for the past 5 years has been Mitski - I just saw her film The Land on Tuesday and also saw her when she played the Hollywood Bowl this past summer

Did you do anything different in your writing or recording process for “Ghosts of Tennessee” that you didn’t do in your previous projects?

“Ghosts of Tennessee” is the first song that I wrote on a guitar in Nashville tuning (how fitting), which I am now obsessed with. It’s where the lower strings are tuned an octave higher than standard tuning and it unlocked a whole new world to me. I worked with new producers for this single (Philip Etherington & Ehren Ebbage) which was a big change. We also had Rob Moose (strings) and Greg Leisz (pedal steel) on the song who I haven’t worked with before, and what a privilege.

What role does collaboration play in your music?

Collaboration is so important in my music - if I tried to do everything by myself then the music would suffer. I think it’s important to do everything I can to the best of my ability and to bring in other people who have different strengths than me and get an outside perspective on what I’m doing. For example, I am not an engineer! I’ve learned so much from watching Philip and Ehren but I definitely cannot do what they do technically. Of course, most obviously there are many instruments I can’t play like drums, strings, horns, pedal steel, woodwinds, etc. It’s so much more fun to make music with other people than by yourself. It’s so much easier to respond to the energy of other people in a room than generate it all yourself and it’s much more fun. Playing with other people makes me feel connected to them in a way that nothing else can.

What can listeners expect from your upcoming album?

It rocks. I don’t know, umm listeners can expect 10 songs that I put my entire energy and soul into for a whole year of my life. They can expect me to rehash old wounds from 10+ years ago and trick some of the best musicians in the world into being a part of it. But seriously, it’s a journey through me grappling with loss and betrayal and hurt, of being smashed into pieces and putting myself back together as I recorded each song and tried to make something beautiful. I’m grateful if anyone listens to the songs at all but ideally it is meant to be listened to as an album. It’s a story that’s meant to be heard in a certain sequence.

Now that you’re LA based what are your favorite things to do around the city?

I’ve lived in east LA for 3 years now and I love it so much. Honestly, I like to be home a lot but when I do leave the house… I love going out for sushi, seeing live shows, going to the Americana to shop and see movies at AMC, thrifting at Crossroads, and hiking at Deb’s park.

You’ve recently performed at KCRWs School Night again. What does playing those shows mean to you?

It means the world to me to have KCRW’s support - they were the first radio station to play my music. Every show means so much to me - It can sometimes feel like you’re throwing your soul out into the void when you upload your songs to streaming services and the numbers don’t really feel meaningful until you are in a room with real people playing the songs and see how they respond in real time.

What do you hope to accomplish in 2026 and what do you want to leave behind in 2025?

In 2026 I want to stay present, release an album that I am proud of, travel and play more shows (open for someone I admire?), keep writing (LP3?) and read and go outside more. I’d like to leave behind doomscrolling in 2025.

Find more information about Beatrix here: Website