In 2022, the US National Park Service issued a bizarre warning: teenagers must stop licking toads.
They were referring specifically to the Sonoran Desert toad, an amphibian that secretes a potent toxin that some say has psychedelic effects, with the result that thrill-seekers were reportedly trying to get their high direct from the source.
Now it appears this strange phenomenon has been an unlikely source of inspiration for budding musician Cruz Beckham, the youngest son of Victoria and David. He has named his new album and its leading track Lick The Toad, insiders have told the Daily Mail.
The new song finally provides context for the clues that have been popping up on Cruz’s social media account for months.
Cruz started dropping hints in April, when he posted an image of a cartoon frog on Instagram.
In the succeeding months he has shared snaps and videos of his band rehearsing, captioning one post in June with two emojis: a tongue and a frog.
Later in July, Cruz shared a sneak peek of his new music, strumming his guitar in the back of a car and singing the lyrics ‘Green day in Paris’, before appearing in the city for Fashion Week, where he sported a pair of £370 quirky green toad clogs from JW Anderson while walking hand-in-hand with his model girlfriend Jackie Apostel.
Jackie was also wearing green heels and bright green leather gloves.
Cruz has been performing at a number of low-key venues as he looks to build musical success on hard work and not on the back of his parents’ careers
Cruz’s girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, has attended all of his gigs as she seeks to be a driving force behind the band’s future
A source tells me: ‘Jackie clearly knows how to create hype around her boyfriend. It’s reminiscent of the way Victoria has helped carefully shape David Beckham’s career. She’s certainly taken a leaf out of her book.’
The musician, 20, has spent the past week performing with his band at secret gigs up and down the country – and industry insiders have been pleasantly surprised at the young Beckham’s musical abilities.
His accomplished band includes Dan Ewins on bass, Dario Scott on drums, and Telmo Seixas on guitar, with Cruz as the frontman.
After finishing a performance at the live music venue Concorde 2 in Brighton on Friday, the wannabe rockstar finally appeared to reveal the name of his new group, signing a poster in the venue from Cruz Beckham And The Breakers.
An industry source at the Brighton performance says: ‘It was a great night, for only his second gig he was pretty impressive. You can tell he’s a big Oasis fan. There was some indie rock and some indie pop.
‘It was a surprise gig for the audience at first. They didn’t know who he was until word started to spread.
‘He seemed to have been having a great time and he loved the venue. He’s a good frontman, didn’t say his name to anyone, he just played his music.’
Cruz described the first night of his string of gigs last Tuesday at the spit-and-sawdust pub The George Tavern in East London as ‘a nerve-wracking night for me but it felt amazing to be up there’.
The Kooks’ singer Luke Pritchard has been offering advice to Cruz to help his budding music career
He then appeared as the ‘secret’ support act for Welsh indie band The Royston Club, who have helped the youngster hone his frontman skills at a gig in Brighton on Friday, and then in Birmingham and Bristol over the weekend.
‘The reason for the secrecy is that he wants to be judged on his musical abilities, not on his family name. He certainly doesn’t want people who just attend in the hopes of seeing his mum or dad,’ one insider tells me.
They would be sorely disappointed as, apart from brother Romeo, his famous family have stayed away from their son’s debut performances, instead sending supportive messages on social media.
‘So proud Cruzie doing it the right way. Working hard, Cruz Beckham & the gang,’ David wrote on Instagram.
There is no doubt that Cruz could have asked his mum, who has a string of number one singles under her belt from her years in The Spice Girls, for a leg up in the industry.
Instead, he is very much relying on his own talent – in stark contrast to his older brother Brooklyn, 26, who has heavily relied on the Beckham name for his ventures.
Although the oldest Beckham child no longer speaks to his family, the name of his hot sauce – Cloud 23 – is inspired by his father’s shirt number when he played for Real Madrid, while it is also a tribute to his wife Nicola Peltz, whom he proposed to on June 23, 2020.
An insider says: ‘Cruz loves his family, but he is determined to do this his own way. He knows how privileged he is to have had access to instruments and music studios throughout his teenage years.
‘Now he is willing to do the hard graft, touring pubs and small venues and creating a real buzz around his music. He’s taking it very seriously and loves his craft.’
Starting his music career in rather shabby music venues like The George has certainly given his musical debut some much-needed authenticity.
The nepo baby has also enlisted help from The Kooks’ singer Luke Pritchard, who has added some heft to Cruz’s offering by helping him out with song writing.
The indie rocker tells me that the two of them have a lot of common ground when it comes to their taste in music, and have worked together to create Cruz’s sound.
‘He has really good taste in music,’ he says. ‘We chat about early Bee Gees – there aren’t many people I can do that with. We started writing songs together and we’ve become mates. I’d just love to help him navigate [a career in music].’
Pritchard also says that Cruz is aware of the criticism surrounding his parents giving him a leg up, adding: ‘He’s naturally going to come under criticism because of who his parents are. He’s aware of that. It was great when he said: ‘Jesus is also a nepo baby’ [on Instagram]. I thought that was quite a funny response.’
His set list on the new album includes the songs Waste Your Pain, Optics, John Lennon, Tie Don’t Fit, For Your Love, Yeah Yeah Yeah and, of course, Lick The Toad.
It has been a long time coming: Cruz shared his first single, If Every Day Was Christmas, back in 2016, with profits going to charity.
Then, in December last year, he released his single For Ya Love, which some claimed was ‘better than Oasis’.
All this is not to say that Cruz’s doting parents haven’t helped their youngest son, connecting him with some of the biggest names in the music industry.
Cruz is said to have approached producer Max Wolfgang, known for creating hits with Little Mix and Kylie Minogue.
Despite working with top music stars, however, I’m told that new tracks Cruz has shared with industry execs have so far met with a ‘lukewarm response’.
But a friend was quick to defend Cruz, telling me: ‘The industry has changed significantly in recent years. Labels don’t just sign up new artists and launch their career to instant fame like in the past.
‘Now it is all about showing that you have an established audience online, with thousands of streams and can pull in the punters at gigs. They want people with a buzz about them and that is what Cruz is determined to create. Don’t underestimate him.’
Cruz’s devoted girlfriend Jackie, who turned 30 on Saturday and has been in the crowd at every performance, has been similarly bullish about her boyfriend’s budding career.
Taking to Instagram after his first show, the model and DJ wrote: ‘Unannounced, just working on his craft, doing his little thing, having fun, learning, preparing, all HIS songs made by HIM played by HIM sang by HIM, absolutely smashing it, I love you.’
Cruz’s forthcoming album is widely expected to be released this Friday – he and his band have even been pictured wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the date 24.10.25.
But only time will tell if he has what it takes to become a successful musician, perhaps even eclipsing his mother.
