beccs is absolutely the cutest human. After discovering her at SXSW this year, we were able to get some face time with her and chat about her inspiration, battle with eating disorders and ending on a lighter note - her childhood pet rats. No, really!
beccs, tell us about your start in music?
beccs: Well, I grew up in a pretty musical family. I played the cello by age four and I was just always singing. I joined every singing group - acapella, choir, whatever. As a kid, I did tons of musicals and theater and I began songwriting at around, I don’t know, 15 or 16.
Um, I had a pretty sever eating disorder so the piano was right next to the kitchen, and then across from that was the bathroom. So it was just this kind of triangle of like “do I go there?” or “do I go THERE?” and I found that sitting at the piano was the only pastime that connected me enough to something other than my disorder. I just wrote all these songs that helped me get throuhgh those years and I think I’ve always felt when I was writing at the piano that there was just this collective healing that I was connected to.
I can imagine that that was so tough, but what an incredible story. How would you say those moments, or rather, that entire moment shaped your songwriting?
beccs: Yeah, I think songwriting from its earliest, from its origin for me, was always a means of survival. It was what I needed to do to get through. Now, I’m more of a seemingly, ha, self-regulated adult.
Is there a particular song that you've written that you are the most proud of?
beccs: It’s not out yet, but it’s a song called “Food” and I’m very proud of it because I produced it, and it chronicles a point in my recovery where I realized that there was this part of my disorder I was still holding onto. It kind of explores the grief, hope, and uncertainty and letting those final remnants go. But I’m also really proud of it, sonically and it’s a got a fun chord progression.
What is something that fans of yours may not already know about you?
beccs: Ohhh something about me musically or as a human?
Totally up to you!!
beccs: Okay, so, I used to have two pet rats.
STOP!! What were their names?!
beccs: Pepsi and Jackie!
AGH! I honestly love unconventional pets so I think that’s really cute.
beccs: But! If fans don’t like that fact, I have another one - I am really close to my Nima, my 95-year old grandmother.
My grandmother is in her 90s as well so that’s really, really special. Congratulations to your nima!
Samantha Fong
"At 15 years old, I begged my mom to take me to Walmart to get Taylor Swift's debut deluxe album and I never turned back. This was my very first entry point to stan fandom. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee I was exposed to a ton of music - from rapping 3 6 Mafia to bopping to Justin Timberlake's solo discography. Now, in LA have a day job working in nonprofit development, but by night, I'm a full-fledged fangirl. I'll listen to generally any genre, but I'm a sucker for a good pop song. If you ever need someone to scream sing Carly Rae Jepsen's E·MO·TION with, I'm your girl. No, I still have not gotten over the One Direction hiatus. Please continue to respect my privacy. Twitter : samfonggg, Instagram : samantha_fong"
