Rising alternative artist Bea Elmy Martin unveils her spellbinding new single ‘Where We Part’, a cinematic and emotionally resonant offering that marks the first release from her much-anticipated debut album ‘Under the Yew’. Known for her meticulous creative vision and multidimensional artistry, Bea continues to push the boundaries of alt-pop with a sound that is as brooding as it is beautiful.

Following her breakout debut Blue Escape (2021), which gained early support from BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 6’s Lauren Laverne, Clash Magazine, and Wonderland, Bea stepped back from the fast pace of the industry to fully immerse herself in the creation of her debut LP. ‘Under the Yew’, recorded with longtime collaborator and producer Dominick J Goldsmith from renowned trip hop trio HÆLOS in her native London, is the product of nearly two years of quiet dedication and deliberate craftsmanship.

Leading the project is ‘Where We Part’, a richly layered alt-pop ballad born from personal grief and creative renewal. Written during a period of deep emotional loss, the track captures the quiet devastation of absence while holding space for resilience and rediscovery. Beginning with Bea’s signature piano and stirring vocals, the song swells into an atmospheric tapestry of intricate harmonies and evolving textures, recalling the sonic complexity of artists like Billie Marten, Joy Crookes, and CMAT.

She shares, “This album became a space to process that journey. It’s taught me that even in loss, love endures, and with it, healing begins. ‘Where We Part’ also speaks to the quiet endings we experience in relationships, friendships, and within ourselves. Subtle shifts where paths diverge and we’re left to redefine who we are without someone or something we once held close.”

Produced with a deft hand and striking attention to detail, ‘Where We Part’ stands as a luminous showcase of Bea’s evolving sound – equal parts intimate and expansive, melancholic and transcendent. With crisp, ever-shifting production and emotionally potent songwriting, the track signals a new chapter for an artist unafraid to lead with honesty and depth.

‘Where We Part’ is a striking reintroduction to an artist coming fully into her own. And with her debut album ‘Under the Yew’, Bea Elmy Martin is poised to become one of the most distinctive and enduring voices in contemporary alternative music.

Q&A

I see that your upcoming album, Under the Yew, is titled as being volume 1. When will you begin volume 2, and how will it compare and contrast to pt. 1 of your collection?

Volume two has already been written — it’s in the final stages now, just polishing things and getting everything exactly where it needs to be. You’ll be hearing the first track from Volume Two a lot sooner than you think. If Volume One was about sitting in the thick of grief and letting it move through you, Volume Two is more about what comes after — the stillness, the clarity, and the small moments of light that begin to return. It’s connected, but it feels like turning a page.

What was it like working with producer Dominick J Goldsmith?

Dom and I clicked from the very beginning. We’re honestly so lucky to have such a great working relationship. I think we energize each other well, and that’s such a rare thing to find. We both trusted the process and never forced anything; that freedom is what allowed the songs to become what they needed to be.

Was “Where We Part” inspired by a single life event of yours, or does it express multiple times and feelings?

I wrote “Where We Part” the night my dog, Ike, passed away. He’d been with me since I was little, and the feeling of losing him was instantly crushing, unlike other kinds of grief, which sometimes takes time to settle in. It’s an ode to him, but the song became comforting in other ways, too. I found it grounding to sing during different moments of loss I experienced later in the year. When emotions are that intense, music can be a great way to make sense of things.

Your vocals in this one are more delicate than ‘Blue Escape’. How do you practice achieving different vocal feelings and timbres?

When we recorded Blue Escape, I was 18, so my voice has changed a lot since then. I think I was still figuring out what my sound was at the time. Now, I feel far more connected and confident in where my voice sits and what it can do emotionally. I’m just focused on what feels true at the moment. I’ve had a lot of fun singing in my lower register over this record.

Does the yew tree have any significance to you? I once heard that the Celts saw it as a tree of death and resurrection.

Absolutely — a yew tree fell in my parents’ garden in Rye while I was writing the album. It was HUGE and had an owl house on it that my sister had made for my parents. Somehow, even though the tree came down, the owl house survived completely untouched. Not long after, a family of owls moved in, and now we hear them calling to each other in the evenings. That whole moment — destruction, survival, new life — it just was the album to me. It perfectly encapsulated the themes of mortality and rebirth. I kept picturing those little owls under the fallen yew tree, making something beautiful and joyful out of it all.

The last thing you say in the song is “You are my best friend, and I can pretend that you’re….”. What would the last word have been?

The full line is actually, “You are my best friend, and I can’t pretend that you’re not there.” I guess this part of the song is reflective of the feelings of denial you get when you lose someone. It seems so wrong that you can’t cuddle them! A quiet refusal to let go.

LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/beaelmymartin
https://www.instagram.com/beaelmymartin/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Z3GDBp8qms6GCTWZlBA3M