Above photo credit: Patrick Donovan Studios
Based in Brooklyn, NETER BES is an up-and-coming queer icon who, I believe, is about to take the music world by storm! A natural-born performer, his genre-bending exploration of pop music is a breath of fresh air, boundary-pushing and challenging the status quo.
Eager to find out more about the artist before he blows up, I was delighted when he agreed to an interview! Chatting with us about his “first baby” ‘IF YOU WANT’, which three albums he’d take with him to a deserted island, and what he’d ultimately like to be remembered for, please give a warm welcome to our new friend NETER BES!
Welcome NETER BES! I’m so excited to introduce you to our ever-growing audience! I love discovering artists still in their infancy musically and I’m wondering if you could tell us when your love affair with music began.
Hi! You can call me BES… Neter is more of a descriptor haha! I’ve been singing forever. I mean, I started out acting, and I just fell in love with performance. In all forms, really. Then I started to write and produce my own stuff in college, and here we are!
‘IF YOU WANT’ is truly the perfect indie pop song, and it’s a tune that I find myself sticking straight back on after it’s finished. Do you remember its “birth” so to speak and what would you like our readers to know about the single?
Wow. Yeah. Thank you! ‘IF YOU WANT’ is literally like my first baby. It was the first song that I wrote where I was taking myself seriously as an artist. And it’s such a fun song, but it’s also vulnerable… I remember sending it to J, who produced it, and being sooo nervous about what people would think. And they were just like, I don’t think you need to be worried at all. And now we have the perfect indie pop song! So, that’s the message, just send the text!
Who would you put down as some of your biggest musical influences and who would you ultimately credit for helping shape and mould your overall sound?
Beyoncé is definitely top of that list for me. She’s probably used to that by now haha! And then there’s a long list of black gay men who I owe a lot to: Frank Ocean, Sylvester, Kevin Aviance, Luther Vandross.
When you’re not creating music, what keeps you busy and happy? Walk us through a non-musical day in the life of NETER BES.
Honestly, I am so low maintenance. I like to dance in the mornings. That brings me a lot of joy. Then during the day, I’ll just chill. I work a lot, so if I’m not working, it’s giving, like, rest. And then at night… I’m going out! I’m finding a good DJ… I’m getting right up on a speaker, and I’m moving.
What aspects of being a musician do you cherish most? And on the flip side of that, what would you say have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered?
I truly love performing. Like, it’s so corny, but it’s what I was born to do… Period. There’s no feeling like being up there and sharing an experience with an audience. And I also think that performing is the most challenging part. It takes hard work. And sweat. And it’s taxing. But it’s so worth it.
Which of your lyrics would you like to see printed on a T-shirt?
Dang, that’s hard. I’ve written some banger shirts, I’m not even gonna lie. And I can’t give them all away… Okay, I’ll say this one: “I AM WHAT YOU CAME TO SEE.” Like… Boom! It goes so hard. It’s attention-grabbing. It’s from my EP, ‘POPAGANDA’. It’s already made… (Winks) Coming soon, coming soon.
Alright, BES – desert island time! You’re allowed to grab 3 albums before being stranded on an island. Which do you choose?
Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’, Ariana Grande’s ‘thank u, next’, and Lady Gaga’s ‘ARTPOP’. It’s gonna be a very gay island.
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us BES! It’s been great getting to know you a bit better. Not to get too dark or anything, but what would you ultimately like to be remembered for?
That isn’t dark! Or it doesn’t have to be. I’d like to be remembered for having something to say, my own point of view. My songs are all so different, but they’re all me. And I always try to have a reason to share. So, thanks for having me. We should keep in touch! I’m @neterbes everywhere.
