Aussie singer-songwriter Jude York has been making strides on social media for his self-produced pop melodies like ‘Monaco‘, ‘Mr Porcelain‘, and ‘Cashew‘. Jude’s mother & classically trained musician, Liza Beamish, has collaborated with her son on a cover of ABBA’s “Slipping Through My Fingers” which is going viral on social media with over 40 million views. The mother-son duo spoke with us at Karma! Magazine to talk more about the role music plays in their family.
As “a very musical household”, Beamish recollects on her piano studies at the conservatory and choosing voice as a secondary study: “It kind of took over and I ended up being an opera singer!”
“Originally I was just having fun and playing around but then I started singing with mom when I was about nine and we did our first show,” York explains. “Then, when I was a teenager, I discovered songwriting and then my dad started to teach me a bit of production and then as I’ve gotten older, I’ve blended all of these worlds to create quite theatrical original music that I produce myself.”
Beamish and York also chatted about how their taste in music can be quite eclectic; “one moment we’ll be listening to classical and then the next it’ll be like 1940s jazz and then the next it’ll be 2010 pop”.
“Of course, I listen to my son’s music!”, Beamish added.
Jude York has been making music since 2021 with his release of ‘I Won’t Need To Dream‘. York teased the song with Tik Toks of him and his parents harmonizing to the tune which kicked off his trajectory to stardom. Since then, York has released his first album ‘Problem Child‘ in 2024 and reflects on the changes in his workflow: “I think the main thing that’s changed in my creative process is that I’ve become a more competent producer. And so now I feel like while piano is still the core of my songwriting, I have more tools in my arsenal that I can draw from and I can start a song in really creative ways.”
York mentions his favourite song he’s released is ‘Monaco’, a somber but upbeat pop-synth hit about fleeting summer love. “I really like how it is so melodic, like all of the different sections are so distinct. I also just had a really really fun time producing it and blending a kind of an emotional story with a fun track.”
Beamish’s favourite song of York’s is ‘Mr Porcelain’, a slower song on ‘Problem Child’ about the fragility of youthful courtship in an online world and wanting what you cannot have (and maybe shouldn’t).
Beamish, an accomplished operatic singer herself, shared that it was “inevitable” that music would become a large part of her children’s’ lives. “In fact, [my parents] ironically wanted me to not pursue music as a career for a long time,” York recalled. “Jude is really smart, so he could have gone in a different direction. It would have been possibly better for him if they had, but maybe not as fun!”, Beamish replied.
York & Beamish’s cover of ABBA’s “Slipping Through My Fingers” is taking the internet by storm. The melodic piano and strings in combination with York and Beamish’s soothing vocals dripping with bittersweet emotion create a truly unique cover of this iconic song. The warm horns lead out the song in a bold but beautiful way.
A song attributed to a mother watching her child grow up, the added context of mother and son collaborating on this song send chills down your arms and tears lining your eyes (albeit, this writer has wet eyelashes listening to the track while writing).
Beamish has been “overwhelmed” by the the response to the track: “I just think it’s such a pretty song and I love that it’s not symmetrical, you know? But the the impact of it, I guess it speaks to people’s hearts. It certainly does to me.”
“I think what drew me to it is that it feels like it’s appropriate from both perspectives, which I’d never really thought about until we were doing it. Time is constantly moving,” York answers.
“It’s actually the juxtaposition that is what has resonated with people I think,” Beamish adds.
With the pair’s increased online presence, it’s had some effect on their relationship. “I think on one hand it has given us a lot to be excited about”, York remarked. “It’s very surreal to see our dynamic resonate with so many people and touch so many people. It reminds us that we do have a really strong relationship as a mother and son. On the other hand, it is also a little strange because what is normally private between us is seen by tens of millions of people all of a sudden.”
“I think it’s brought us closer together and it kind of surprised me that our relationship is relevant to the rest of the world,” Liza added. “It’s charming and nice because I think what we have together, our relationship, is genuine. It’s not fabricated for the internet. And I think people can see that that is the case.”
York has been performing shows across his native Australia: “It’s really great. I think the nice thing is that a lot of the fans in Australia have been there for the longest time. There are obviously some newer ones from my recent releases but a lot of them discovered me on Eurovision: Australia Decides or even before that so they’ve been able to see the evolution and come with me throughout the whole process. I feel like they’re kind of family at this point.”
York also confirmed that he’s excited to finish up his next body of work. “It’s been the biggest project that I’ve been working towards for the last year so this is really everything coming together for me. I’m extremely excited for everyone to hear all of the new songs,” he added.
York will be travelling to Europe for shows in May and June, including Oberkampf Music Festival in Paris on May 22nd and Mighty Hoopla in London on May 31st with hopefully more show announcements to come.
Speaking of travel, York and Beamish have had some time to travel together and the rest of their family. When asked about their favourite destination, Beamish recalled Luxembourg being a notable adventure.
“The story is I was booked to open for Dean Lewis in Luxembourg and because of the timing of it all, we had a small gap so the whole family ended up staying in Luxembourg for eight days. It was a very magical time. We booked an apartment and just kind of lived the Luxembourg-ish life for a little while,” York explained
As with all Karma! interviews, we asked the pair what colour would best represent them:
Beamish: I don’t know. Maybe pale blue. I feel comfortable in blue and find it a calming color and I feel like I’ve got a calming presence.
York: Crimson. I personally think it’s red because I feel like it’s a bold color, it’s a bit dramatic. It makes a statement and it can be kind of any emotion. It’s not just angry. It could just be that it’s just reflective of passion in general for me. Plus, I also think about it as a very natural color. You know, red the color of blood, red the color of hearts, you know what I mean? It’s the colour that we all are internally.
As for some recommended tunes, York recommends Aurora’s ‘When the Dark Dresses Lightly’, with Beamish answering, “I could definitely pick a Jude song, I’m kind of fond of Cashew but otherwise ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars.”
As mentioned, you can find Jude York playing in Paris and London this spring. Be sure to follow Jude on Instagram and Spotify for upcoming music and performance announcements!
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