Be The The Bear is the performance name of Swedish artist and producer Christina Wehag. A one-woman music machine, she fuses clever pop with an avant-garde persona, much like fellow Nordic artists, Björk, AURORA, and Sada Vidoo. The nom de plume of ‘Be The Bear’ comes from her childhood fear of bears. She reclaimed her nightmares by adopting the wild bear as her totem, thus also creating a musical persona for herself.
New song, ‘Mermaid’, was written for her friend, who was in a psychiatric hospital at the time. It is a love song for her friend, but it’s also a love song for anyone who is struggling with mental illness. Be The Bear hopes that this song will be one more step towards ending the taboo surrounding mental health.
‘Mermaid’ is a siren song – but rather than calling sailors to their doom, it rather encourages people struggling with their mental health to seek assistance from others. It’s a lyrical motivation:
You’re not alone
When you’re swimming in the dark
Follow the glowing bodies drifting
You can find Be The Bear online on her official website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud. ‘Mermaid’ is out today May 31. Stream ‘Mermaid’ on Spotify, Apple Music & Soundcloud, and download on iTunes.
