I've become this voice for a millennial generation of feminism, which is awesome, but at the same time it's complicated. We all know I'm a girl, I'm a woman, but it's difficult to figure out how to talk about it and express how important it is without beating it with a hammer and having it be, "So you're a girl in music! So you're a girl in music!" Yes, I'm a girl in music - can we just talk about something else?

Bethany Cosentino

Categorized in : Girl Voice Feminism

Advice I would give to anyone trying to find their own personal style: don't copy anybody, just be yourself, and make your own trends.

Bethany Cosentino

being-yourself advice giving

I am a true believer that a record should not be a bunch of songs that sound exactly the same.

Bethany Cosentino

records sound song

It's really cool to see how many awesome, badass ladies are out there now just doing their thing and putting their foot down, saying, "Nope. You're not going to tell me I'm doing something women shouldn't be doing." It's a scary time but also I think a really important time. I'm happy to see how much girls are responding to a lot of the other powerful big boys swimming out there right now.

Bethany Cosentino

badass girl powerful

It's important to stay creative.

Bethany Cosentino

important creative

I found all these stupid pictures of cats at the beach, and I was like, "They get it, man. They totally get it."

Bethany Cosentino

cat stupid beach

I have personally been affected by women's reproductive health issues, and I will continue to support that cause and spread awareness about it.

Bethany Cosentino

issues support causes

I've always been interested in fashion, and Urban Outfitters presented me with a huge opportunity to pursue that interest.

Bethany Cosentino

urban fashion opportunity

Touring is definitely work. You're spending a lot of time in the car and around the same people and it's not the easiest thing in the world, but it's better than working a 9-to-5 job or something.

Bethany Cosentino

car people world

I really like New York a lot, but I like it more as a place to visit. It was really difficult for me to live there. As a person from California, I'm still very neurotic and anxious, but in a more laid-back way.

Bethany Cosentino

neurotic difficult anxious

I'm working all the time. When I'm home I try to split my time evenly between resting and preparing for another tour, and writing stuff.

Bethany Cosentino

home writing trying

We went from being a band that was recording songs in my bandmate's bedroom to a band that's doing extensive touring and had a record on the Billboard charts and everything happened insanely fast, but it's not something that I sought out. It just happened.

Bethany Cosentino

bedroom song

I'm really proud to be a woman making music. Nothing makes me happier than when other women approach me at shows and say, "You've inspired me to start writing music," or, "I feel like we could be best friends." Music is a male-dominated business, so it's nice to see bands with girls in them, and not just a bunch of dudes with beards in flannel shirts.

Bethany Cosentino

nice girl writing

I think people assume that whatever kind of music you make is the music you listen to. Don't get me wrong, I listen to tons of pop music and all the music that really inspires Best Coast is very straightforward '50s and '60s pop music, but I've been listening to R&B and rap since I was a kid. I grew up in L.A. It's part of the culture. I listen to anything.

Bethany Cosentino

rap kids thinking

I was looking at pictures of cats laying out on the beach and I thought, "Cats hate water, so why would they like the beach?" But then I realized that cats like to just lay around and lounge and be lazy, and what better place to do that than on the beach?

Bethany Cosentino

cat hate beach

I like the 50s, party-movie aesthetic of the beach. I'm not really into modern-day beach.

Bethany Cosentino

modern party beach

I feel like talking to people who don't tour, when you talk about touring - obviously we're super blessed and very lucky to be doing what we do - but there are so many weird things that could never happen anywhere else. When I talk to people who don't tour they look at me like I'm being bratty and complaining about this job that I have. It's not that! It's the fact that when I'm home I can exercise every day, I can cook myself good meals, then when I'm on the road for a long time it's like, "There's a Subway. I guess I'm eating a bowl full of lettuce because I don't eat McDonalds."

Bethany Cosentino

blessed home jobs

As artists and creative people it's such an important time to be expressive and be empowering and supportive of people. It is a time where I feel like everyone has to be together and say, "Hey, we're all going to be okay. We just need to work together."

Bethany Cosentino

empowering artist people

There are days where I turn on the TV or I look at the news and I'm like, "I want to go to Mars. This is insane." But I can't go to Mars! I need to face reality and just to have some hope.

Bethany Cosentino

insane reality needs

That, to me, is what I feel like is the future. If I have a daughter, if you have a daughter, becoming that ideal where it's not about your gender; it's about us being human, being in this together.

Bethany Cosentino

becoming daughter together

I have to remember the good people in the world outnumber the bad people. I think when you start to feel frustrated or you have no hope left in humanity or whatever, you've got to just remember that there are people out there who are working incredibly hard to get a positive message across.

Bethany Cosentino

humanity people thinking