BEKA BARZ takes us on a journey with ‘Wannabe.’ An empowering anthem inspired by a painful chapter from her past, it’s raw and honest but playful. Ripped from the wreckage of betrayal, the song flips heartbreak on its head, leavening pain with humor and defiance as it playfully acknowledges, in its title at least, the classic Spice Girls hit that inspired it. The end product is a sassy, affirming track that gives listeners permission to laugh about life’s curves but own their power.
In classic, brilliantly fierce, independent BEKA style, not only did she write and record the track but also produced and engineered it under her alter ego, B3K. And its visuals were local, too, with BEKA directing and editing the video (her wife, Aimee Buffong, shot it) under their shared production company name, Four Reel. This is BEKA at her uninhibited best, and this behind-the-scenes approach not only proves the artist’s dedication to creative freedom but also her capacity to shape her art from all sides.
There is also a bit of an international flavor to the single itself, having collaborated on the track with Zimbabwean producer EliQr64. They had to reach each other in the spirit of that music, despite not sharing a language. And it is that doubling up of talents that brings “Wannabe” a different, cross-cultural axis, but BEKA’s laser-quick wit and unapologetic delivery come through.
The record "Wannabe," which is resilient to alchemy and the pain it takes to forge art, was recorded, mixed, and produced entirely in her home studio. Flipping an experience of infidelity on its head and judiciously spinning it into a positive, tongue-in-cheek anthem, BEKA implores us all to take control of our stories. It’s also a reminder that creative work can be at its most liberating in the depths of despair.