Bôa on Reuniting After 1998 Single ‘Duvet’ Enchants New Generation of Fans (Variety)

British alt-rock band Bôa has lived more than a few lifetimes. The group comprised of vocalist Jasmine Rodgers, and musicians Alex Caird and Lee Sullivan, got its start as a casual jam session between local musicians in Rodgers’ home studio in the early ’90s. Rodgers wasn’t even technically in the band at the time, but the upstairs studio they rehearsed in was attached to the home she shared with her brother Steve, and her father Paul Rodgers, singer for the classic rock bands Free and Bad Company.

“It was natural for everybody to go there and rehearse and I wouldn’t stop singing downstairs,” Rodgers tells Variety over a Zoom call. “I remember Alex being like, ‘Do you want to, just kind of, sing?’… When we were coming up, locals knew locals and all we would do is play… I don’t remember actually going out. We would go on long walks through the forest on the outskirts of London, the summary backwater, at like three or four in the morning when we were done rehearsing and it was actually quite weirdly healthy.”

Listening to Bôa’s 1998 single “Duvet” will give you a similar feeling. It’s nostalgic and tender, painting a colorful picture of intermingling instruments that come together to build a chirpy, guitar-pop sound. It’s the kind of song that would play in a romantic scene of a ’90s rom-com taking place during a pivotal summer in the main character’s life.

Today, “Duvet” is also the reason Bôa has reformed some 18 years after they put out their final record. The song has found a niche audience on social media and has earned seven million streams per week so far this year. It’s been used as the soundtrack for over 250,000 TikTok videos — that’s not counting the sped-up or remixed versions — and it’s also the reason the band is gearing up to release a new album for its new-found fanbase.

“It’s equal parts delicious and terrifying,” Rodgers says. Caird adds, “We’re so happy but at the same, there’s a desire to really get it right. Because it’s a brilliant opportunity. And I think we’re just really grateful that people still want to hear new material and support us. We want to give them something good.”

CONTINUE READING ON VARIETY.COM

Recent Highlights

• “Duvet” hit nearly 250 million streams, with over 16 Million streams in the last month alone
• bôa’s monthly listeners on Spotify have grown to 5.6 Million, with 414,000 followers – numbers doubling in the last year
• “Duvet” has enjoyed three separate viral trending moments, currently generating nearly 5M weekly streams and up to 20,000 sound uses per day on TikTok
• Other songs across the catalogue have achieved well over a million streams each since 2021, including “Twilight” with over 45 Million streams
• “Duvet” was added to TikTok global playlist #IndieMusic in July ’23 and bôa were named UK TikTok artist of the week
• 441,000 TikTok followers, 128,000 Instagram followers and 109,000 YouTube subscribers

About bôa:

British alt-rock band bôa have reformed following an incredible renaissance for their track “Duvet,” driven by TikTok fans the world over. Originally released in 1998, and placed as the soundtrack to cult-classic anime series Serial Experiments Lain, “Duvet” became a viral hit on social media towards the end of 2021 – sparking an ongoing, enormous interest in the group that lead to millions of streams across their entire catalogue. Now signed to Nettwerk Music Group, the song has continued to trend throughout 2022 and even entered an incredible third resurgence in May 2023.
Following the initial viral trend that saw “Duvet” streaming into the millions, bôa have reconnected as a band and with fans to continue to build on that initial moment. Garnering well over 100 Million streams over the last year, and over 200,000 fans across social media, the growth of the band still continues.
Fronted by Jasmine Rodgers, daughter of Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), with Alex Caird on bass and Lee Sullivan on drums, bôa had mostly dispersed over the last few years with members following solo careers. Inspired by the growing interest in their past releases, they have garnered an exceptionally invested new fanbase – clamoring for more from bôa.
bôa have returned to the studio in 2023 to record new original music, with new releases anticipated later this year.