Betty Boo - Interview & Signed Test Pressing Giveaway

Today, 90's icon Betty Boo releases her new album Rip Up The Rulebook. In their glowing review, Retropop declare that "three and a half decades into her career, Betty Boo has not only delivered her strongest work to date, but as a rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer, she remains one of the finest pop stars of her generation." We caught up with the pop princess to discuss the new album and the mix of styles in her signature sound and we have a test pressing of the album, signed by Betty, to give away to one lucky winner.

Coming hot on the heels of 2022's Boomerang, the album Rip Up The Rulebook is Betty's "response to stereotypical ideas about what women should be doing in their fifties". Retropop broke down the style of the album, assessing it as "without question her most diverse to date, fusing the hip-hop icon’s first love with elements of pop, EDM, new wave and disco for a non-stop run of unapologetic anthems."

TM: With a thirty year gap between your second album (1992’s GRRR! It’s Betty Boo) and 2022’s comeback, Boomerang, this time you’ve released a new album almost two years to the day! Is it safe to say that you’ve enjoyed your return to being Betty Boo?

Betty Boo: I have enjoyed every minute of it! I couldn't make music as Betty Boo for a long time and now that I can, I have no plans to stop!

TM: You’ve stated that "the album title Rip Up The Rulebook is my response to stereotypical ideas about what women should be doing in their fifties”. What are some of those stereotypes that you’re trying to challenge and do you hope that this record might inspire other women in their fifties to rip up those rules too?

BB: Both of my parents died in their forties so I am incredibly privileged to be in my fifties and I make the most of every second I have. I'm very fortunate to have found a way to express myself through making music and even luckier to have found an audience. This kind of affirmation is rare and it means the world to me: it should be treasured.

The idea that good music is only made by young people is nonsense. The idea that women should be invisible after the age of 50 is a joke. I think it is a great time to be a woman - Come On Ladies!

"I have always ripped up the rulebook so nothing has changed" - Betty Boo

TM: You have OG rapper Grandmaster Caz of The Cold Crush Brothers on the single ‘Rip Up The Rulebook' and featured Public Enemy’s Chuck D on your last record. As a musician whose career started in rap music and crossed over to pop, how important is it for you to represent the pure hip-hop lineage on your new records?

BB: Caz and Chuck D are two of the greatest who ever did it. They are icons of rap. I'm lucky enough to be friends with them and they have always been supportive of me. I have always been a rapper who adored pop music.

TM: The Boomerang Production team of Andy Wright and Gavin Goldberg (who have credits including Simple Minds, Jeff Beck, Simply Red and many more) have returned on Rip Up The Rulebook. How did your partnership develop and why did you decide to use them again for this album?

BB: I write and produce all of my records with Andy and Gavin. They are brilliant! I met Andy through my husband and we have never looked back.

TM: Rip Up The Rulebook is out now on Splatter Vinyl, Cassette and CD editions on the Official Betty Boo Store. In today’s streaming culture, does having your albums released on physical formats remain important to you?

BB: I love the physical formats. They are beautiful things that people can treasure in an all too digital world. It is one of my favourite parts of releasing new music.