By: Phoebe Shi

Singer-songwriter Lili Trifilio’s band Beach Bunny has gained mass popularity over the pandemic. Her bubbly demeanor and style have won her fans outside of her original TikTok target demographic.

Trifilio’s first song to become popular was “Cloud 9,” from the band’s debut album, Honeymoon. It went viral in March, 2021, and now has more than 240 million streams on Spotify.

Indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara collaborated with Beach Bunny on a version of “Cloud 9” that includes “she” and “they” pronouns. The original song was written about a man from the perspective of a woman, so this new version is more inclusive towards queer audiences. They were both fans of Beach Bunny before “Cloud 9” gained popularity.

However, Trifilio feared that after her initial success, she would not be taken seriously.

“I was such a crab about it,” she said. “Like I’m going to fall into this genre of internet bands. I was like, ‘No, I want to play big stages and play with bands I like, and not be thought of as cringey. I had all these weird ego dilemmas.”

Over the pandemic, she taught herself music production from interviews and YouTube tutorials. Beach Bunny’s second album, Emotional Creature, will feature experimental music and production.