Premiere: Be The Bear Rises with Inspiring Indie Pop Anthem "I Don't Want To"

Be The Bear’s infectiously feelgood “I Don’t Want To” is a shout-out-loud indie pop anthem of defiance and self-empowerment.

Recommended If You Like: Misterwives, Smallpools, COIN

This song is all about harnessing that joie de vivre and restless summer energy, and just going for what you want.

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Fans of bright indie pop beware: Be The Bear is on the rise, and ready to take over your ears. Out tomorrow, infectiously feelgood single “I Don’t Want To” is a shout-out-loud anthem of defiance and self-empowerment. Dynamic, charismatic, and insanely catchy, it’s got all the makings of an indie hit.

Beneath the dusty ground
I found a hidden door
I think I’ve got it now
Can you squeeze me through?
(It could be so beautiful)
I know you feel it too
You might not see it now
But I know where we’re going
I’ll take the lead from here
Watch out we’re coming through
(It’s been really lovely)
But now I gotta scream

Listen: “I Don’t Want To” – Be The Bear

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Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “I Don’t Want To,” the official sophomore single from Gothenburg, Sweden’s Be The Bear. The nom de plume of artist and producer Christina Wehage (founder of indie label Loud Attic Records), Be The Bear is by its very nature a rebellion: The name itself derives from the artist’s childhood fear of bears and recurring nightmares. In reclaiming the bear as her own, the artist asserts inspiring confidence and awareness. She won’t let anything stand in her way, a stance she doubles down on in her latest release.

I Don't Want To - Be The Bear — I Don’t Want To – Be The Bear

The followup to 2017’s epically majestic debut single “Erupt,” “I Don’t Want To” basks deep in the throes of passion. Recalling the likes of Misterwives, Smallpools, and more Atwood favorites, Be The Bear oozes boldness and self-assurance through a dazzling array of pulsing guitars that pop like crackling fire. Out of the flames emerges Wehage’s powerful voice, clear and crisp in its evocative portrayal of individuality.

Bring me the sun
Or my life will be over
They say I should wait for it
But I don’t want to
Bring me the sun
Or my heart will stop glowing
They say I should wait for it
But I don’t want to

“‘I Don’t Want To’ is about refusing to sit and wait for things to come to you – and demanding to be heard, getting things done yourself and not letting anyone get you down or tell you what you can’t do,” Be The Bear tells Atwood Magazine. “The song was created out of pure joy and playfulness, during a sweaty improvised rehearsal in my studio… We were just bouncing up and down, laughing and shouting more than singing. It was one of those songs that just writes itself organically, and you wonder where it came from.”

Wehage continues, “I’m a very positive and bouncy person, and that can really piss some people off; I can’t tell you the amount of times people in the music business have told me I shouldn’t have too high hopes, that it’s pretty much impossible to make it, or worse, have given me false hope or put me on hold. It’s so easy to get down and I know that’s why so many people give up on making music altogether… Even though that’s the one thing in life they can see themselves doing, like me. It takes a very firm positive attitude and general stubbornness and self-pride to keep going. This song is all about harnessing that joie de vivre and restless summer energy, and just going for what you want. That is something I try to do as much as possible, and encourage everyone I meet to do too. Let’s have the biggest dreams and go for them – the bigger the better.”

The things we couldn’t do
The things we’d never say
Let’s do them anyway
Let’s shout it out today
(It could be so beautiful)
Do you feel better now?
I know you feel it too
And all the dust will rise
And we’ll be bright like stars
Jumping to the rhythm
Of our open hearts
(It’s been really lovely)
But now I gotta scream

“Let’s have the biggest dreams and go for them.” Be The Bear is an inspiration and role model, and she infuses those qualities into “I Don’t Want To” with effusive charm. “The things we couldn’t do, the things we’d never say, let’s do them anyway,” she sings with an effortless, knowing warmth. Who could deny such emphatic belief in the self?

Wehage reclaims a lot more than old fears in her second official single. Exploding with a magical concoction of positivity and determination, “I Don’t Want To” instills within each of us a radiant self-confidence and faith in ourselves. Shining bright and extending its rays to every corner of the soundsphere, the song dares us to jump higher and go farther – to follow our dreams into the beyond, and help others follow theirs as well.

“Bring me the sun, or my heart will stop glowing. They say I should wait for it, but I don’t want to.” Stream Be The Bear’s sensational new single exclusively on Atwood Magazine!

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