15 is the name of Bhad Bhabie’s debut album, her age, and the minutes of fame she’s well overstayed. None of 15‘s 15 tracks would sound out of place on Apple Music’s It’s Lit!!! playlist, or at 1 OAK—and that’s likely by design. You’ve probably already had the staggeringly memorable chorus of ‘Hi Bich’ stuck inside your head, and the album delivers a slew of other earworms with satisfying assists from YG (‘Juice’), and Lil Yachty (‘Gucci Flip Flops’). ‘No More Love’ and ‘Trust Me’ see Bhabie experiment with a more angelic R&B sound, with Ty Dolla $ign joining her for the latter.
You most likely came across Bhad Bhabie (born Danielle Bregoli) in 2016, as the glaringly loud thirteen year old ‘Cash Me Outside girl’. Over the past two years Bhabie has managed the near-impossible transition from walking meme to hitmaker, with the help of management team Adam Kluger (also responsible for the early successes of Lady Gaga, Flo Rida and Jason Derulo) and digital director Dan Roof (careful listeners will recognise both from album closer Bhad Bhabie Story). Now a Billboard award nominated rapper and songwriter, the Floridian is now setting off to tour the US supporting Lil Yachty with a five-date Australian tour to follow. As she puts it herself, “Rose up from the depths, now I live a dream.”
It’s been such a huge year for you! Congratulations on your new mixtape, so many new videos and collabs, nominations and your US tour. What’s your favourite track you’ve released lately?
Young N Bhad, I just like the song, it’s with City Girls and it’s really fun. I feel like we topped it.
I’m really looking forward to your Australian tour. What’s the energy feel like when you’re on stage? What do you want to get up to while you’re here?
It’s super fun, I love performing so much. I hope this tour goes well, I really think it will. I want to see some koalas and shit.
You probably will! Who did you grow up listening to? How do they influence what you release now?
I grew up listening to Trina, T-Pain, Flo Rida and people like that. Trina’s music does a little bit, but that’s just kinda like a part of me and who I am.
What’s been your favourite collaboration to date, and who’s your dream collaborator?
YG, we had so much fun together. I really want to work with Juice WRLD.
I feel like your style goes hand in hand with your music. What’s your favourite sneaker you own?
I have a pair of Nike Red 11s and they’re my favourite.
Another thing I really notice are your nails, what’s your favourite colour?
I like getting light pink, or sheer colours like sheer white, stuff like that. And they have to be really long.
Do you believe in astrology? What’s your star sign?
I am an Aries. And yeah I’m a true Aries [laughs].
How does it feel when you keep being nominated for awards alongside established rappers, like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj?
It’s amazing. That was actually so crazy, I was like “people really fuck with me, okay.”
Did you get a chance to talk to Cardi and Nicki?
I’ve met Cardi before but I don’t really have any desire to meet Nicki though.
Are you more ‘Team Cardi’?
It’s not really about the team, I think it’s more how Nicki is handling this whole thing really wrong. And don’t get me wrong, I grew up listening to Nicki, that was one of my favourite female artists. And I still think her music is good, but after all this shit she’s been doing she’s been making a really bad name for herself.
You just released your music video for Geeked Up, where you’re kind of dressed up as a minion. All your music videos have really wild artistic direction, where do these ideas come from?
That was probably my favourite video to shoot, it was just a lot of fun. Usually me and my team work on it together. We shoot off random ideas about it and then we figure it all out.
There’s such a solid variety of genres and production styles on ‘15’. How did it feel making an autobiographical track like Bhad Bhabie Story (Outro) and finally getting your side out to the world?
It just felt good to get it off my chest and get it heard the right way. Straight from the source, from me, not what other people can say. I’ve always known I’ve just wanted to do music, so from here on, I’m focusing on only the music.
How do you manage to be so unapologetically you 24/7?
I don’t show anyone anything else, I just be me.
Bhad Bhabie is touring Australia this December, find more tour details here.
Friday 7th December – Astor Theatre, Perth
Saturday 8th December – Eatons Hill Ballroom, Brisbane
Sunday 9th December – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Wednesday 12th December – 170 Russell, Melbourne
Thursday 13th December – HQ, Adelaide
Saturday 15th December – The Studio, Auckland