Biblemami is one of Australia’s future pop innovators, and 2021 has been a year of characteristic highs for her as she lays the important foundations. The Canberra based singer-songwriter has just turned 18, is about to graduate high school, signed to Dew Process, and has also just dropped her debut EP. Steering into 2022, she’s already got “must watch” status pinned onto her name.
‘Unpleasant Adolescent’ is all about the beginning. With each track written between age 14-17, she has narrowed in on her unique perspective as a young woman exploring her identity. With hilarious anecdotes and vulnerable undertones connected to each story, she’s found her confidence through opening up. Honing her vibrant pop sound, each track is fronted by a strong ear worm hook that is immediately infectious and has you wanting to dance along at one of her future shows.
I recently chatted to Biblemami about the self-discovery journey behind her debut EP, explored the different versions of ‘Bunny’, and got to the bottom of the confident lyrics behind the future anthem ‘Maneater’. Check it out BELOW;
THOMAS BLEACH: Your debut EP ‘Unpleasant Adolescent’ is a really bold and defining introduction to who you are as an artist. What is the most surprising thing you think listeners will learn about you after hearing the EP for the first time in full?
BIBLEMAMI: A lot of the stuff I have released so far have obviously been about my adolescence and growing up. But I would also say it’s caught in the earlier stages. For example, I wrote ‘Death Support’ when I was 14, ‘Act Ur Age’ when I was 15, and ‘Bunny’ when I was 16. I’m 18 now and I think people are going to really find that maturity that I’ve theoretically picked up in 2 years.
TB: Let’s go track by track through the EP, starting with the opening track ’Bunny’. Layered with an intricate production, this has one of the boldest foundations. How many versions of this song did it go through to find where it has not gotten too?
B: ‘Bunny’ was the first song my producer Thomas Porter and I made together. We started working on it the day we met and I didn’t expect too much from it as the session was very introductory. But we ended up hitting a stride. He laid down this really nice baseline, and it just felt good. We wrote the song in its entirety within 2-3 hours. We went away from the session and realised that it hits so we worked on it more and more. Every time I was back in Sydney we were working on it and shifting things. It kinda just evolved really slowly, but it was like the original idea and original spirit but just refined over time.
TB: Sonically ‘Outsider’ has this perfect contrast of emotional and euphoric energy that embraces the lyric “I’m an outsider, I’m a good liar”. It reminds me a bit of Sasha Sloan. So who or what were some of your sonical references specifically for this track?
B: ‘Outsider’ definitely has more of a pop influence. Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’ was a big reference for this track. I am loving everything she’s putting out at the moment and the style of her stuff. I would also say that I grew up on the pop girls like Katy Perry and Charli XCX, so I was kinda influenced by what I thought was a pop party song and then put my own spin on it.
TB: ‘Maneater’ is an immediate standout with its dominative energy and playful lyrics that hold quite the punch. Can you explain the creative process behind this track?
B: ‘Maneater’ probably has the most fleshed out backstory. Basically when I was in Year 9 my boyfriend’s mum really did not like me. I didn’t know why, and he showed me a text from her and she was like “I don’t like her as she seems like a maneater”… I WAS 14!! 14!! And this woman was just calling me this, like was she serious? I had kissed 4 people on the lips, like I don’t think I’m much of a maneater, but okay. So it kinda just stuck with me. I decided to embrace any sexuality that I had and was like “you know what, I will eat your son, and I will eat your husband too” *laughs*. So it’s a song about realising that I don’t need to follow your expectations about what my sexuality should be as a teenage girl, and I’m going to take control and do what I want.
TB: “You tell all your friends I’m not like the other girls. I guess that you’re kinda right, I’m way fucking crazier” is a lyric that is a giant ass mood *laughs*.
B: *laughs* Thank you! That lyric comes from when dudes go “nah, nah, my ex girlfriend is crazy” and I’m like “okay, well you’re not going to get anything better from me because I’m insane” *laughs*.
TB: ‘death support’ is sonically one of the most stripped back releases on the EP and shows a melodically charged side of your artistry. Why did this song feel important to keep in a stripped back soundscape?
B: Most of the music I make I’m not really vulnerable or emotional. Or at least the vulnerability I express is done in a different way. But ‘Death Support’ is me really stripped back emotionally. I’m telling everyone how I’m feeling and talking about a situation that is uncomfortable and difficult to talk about. I wanted it to sound like the music equivalent of sitting down with a friend and telling them those feelings.
TB: You only released your debut single ‘Act Ur Age’ last year. So what was something you personally learnt from releasing that song into the world, and seeing people connect to your music for the first ever time on a global level?
B: It was kinda insane. I wasn’t really used to having a release like that as I had been putting songs up on Soundcloud for so long. But ‘Act Ur Age’ really made music feel like a career, which was something I was serious about more than anything before. It was a ton of fun talking to people about it and seeing people actually listening to it. It was also really fun seeing my ex-boyfriend’s response who was mentioned in the song *laughs*. It was crazy. And I really appreciate all the support and love people gave it as I was really self-conscious.
TB: Let’s play a quick game of rapid fire questions. Are you ready?
B: Uh-yes *laughs*.
TB: The emoji that best describes my debut EP ‘Unpleasant Adolescent’ is…
B: The heart emoji on fire.
TB: The weirdest hobby or obsession I’ve picked up over the past 12 months has been…
B: Dinosaurs! I have been mad engaging with dinosaur content on Reddit and YouTube. My Reddit username is Dinosaurs420, and all I do is interact with palaeontology content.
TB: The colour of my toothbrush currently is…
B: Pink! It’s always pink, it never changes.
TB: A song I wish I wrote is…
B: ‘Bitter’ by Chappell Roan.
TB: Pineapple on pizza is…
B: Delicious! It’s so good! Im not a big pizza person, but if I turn up to a party and there’s pizza boxes then I’m going straight for the Hawaiian and picking the ham off.
‘Unpleasant Adolescent’ is out now!