Get to Know the Music Industry Disruptors Taking Stardom on Their Own Terms

These stars are part of e.l.f.'s 'Get Ready With Music, The Album,' and while the group of artists couldn’t be more different, they do have one thing in common: They are totally themselves

Alex Ross

Published on October 15

Betty Who collects ties. The Australian-born pop star reveals this particular sartorial preference shortly after she enters the photo studio at People’s downtown Manhattan headquarters for her shoot and interview. “I love yours,” she whispers, referencing this reporter’s brown-and blue-striped tie. She’s not wearing her favorite accessory herself just yet (she’ll confab with her stylist and glam team imminently), but as she introduces herself to the crew on-set, she remains deep in conversation with People about how her affinity for ties runs so deep that her friends have begun purchasing them on her behalf.

Betty’s here to discuss how she became a music industry disruptor, a label she relishes, by the way (“I love to disrupt things—you wouldn’t believe it,” she says). But a true and charming professional, she’s managed to create an inclusive vibe for everyone on-set—including her fellow cover stars Charlotte Rose Benjamin, Black Gatsby, Mariangela and Olivia Reyes.

Together, the five musicians are taking on the music industry on their own terms, with their bright eyes and fresh faces. Literally, as everything from their eyeshadow down to their blush is from cosmetics brand e.l.f., which is putting its own spin on the “Get Ready With Me” trend with Get Ready With Music, The Album, out Oct. 15. It features tracks from these five artists and seven more, all chosen for their diverse musical styles and talents to create a playlist designed to amp up your night out.

“The music is so good,” says Betty, who, despite her taste for ties, is never one to be creatively tied down. “I think that it's a perfect combination between these incredibly talented and wonderful people who are expressing themselves and e.l.f., which is a company that I think really prioritizes being yourself.”

Charlotte Rose Benjamin

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The year may be 2024, but the ’90s are calling to Charlotte Rose Benjamin. The indie rocker—think Sheryl Crow meets Avril Lavigne —is here to write proudly about what she knows: “I guess the theme of my songs is being a girl,” the 28 year-old quips. The “Hairpin” singer, whose sophomore album, Moth Mouth, dropped in September, grew up in a creative household with a father who was a singer and guitar player and a mother who was a modern dancer. “I just was always watching my dad play out at bar gigs, and I was always singing,” she says.

Still, confidence doesn’t come easy, and “feeling empowered and feeling strong and brave isn’t so natural for me,” Benjamin confesses. “I don't know how to channel bravery or empowerment. It's really hard. I don't think a lot of people feel that way all the time. I definitely don't.”

Instead, Benjamin acknowledges her self-doubt, singing about how she finds solace and strength in knowing she’s far from perfect. “Feeling confident and feeling empowered for me comes from knowing that I'm going to make a mistake,” the singer says. “I think being really honest is a way to be disruptive.”