Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs chatted about her new music, which includes her anthemic single “superhuman.”
Tim Tebow once said, “Success comes in a lot of ways, but it doesn’t come with money and it doesn’t come with fame. It comes from having a meaning in your life, doing what you love, and being passionate about what you do. That’s having a life of success. When you have the ability to do what you love, love what you do, and have the ability to impact people. That’s having a life of success. That’s what having a life of meaning is.”
A person who is worthy of this inspirational quote by Tim Tebow is recording arist Bishop Briggs.
Remaining prolific this year, Briggs unveiled an empowering and engaging new single and music video for “superhuman,” which was released via Arista Records.
On the idea behind “superhuman,” she said, “Before I got pregnant, I truly had the worst year ever. I wanted to find a way to describe it to my mom without it being too terrifying. Also, my sister was a super-positive person so I wanted to make sure that it had that theme with it.”
Regarding the song’s moving music video, she remarked, “Just the fact that all of us come from different walks of life and yet we can all connect and say ‘we went through this and we are still here’ is the most connecting this ever. You can’t describe how isolated you feel. My hope is that with the music video, people see themselves in each person.”
“My goal as a human and as a friend would be for others to feel less alone, that’s always my first goal. I hope that when people hear and see ‘superhuman,’ they know that it is going to be okay. It might be different, and it will come in ways but it will be okay. You are not alone,” she explained.
Briggs is known for emotional and cathartic songs that blur the boundaries between alternative, pop, and electronic. Born in London to Scottish parents, Bishop grew up in Japan and Hong Kong.
Days after graduating high school, she moved to Los Angeles where, after years of performing at any venue that would have her, she was discovered in a small hole-in-the-wall by a former-A&R rep and the rest was history. The music of Bishop Briggs transcends the limitations of singular genres, blending folk, pop, and electronic music into a wholly unique sound.
Music and songwriting inspirations
On her music and songwriting inspirations, she said, “The biggest inspiration would have to be wherever there are cobwebs in my brain that are full of darkness, and the things that I have kept in the vault of my mind, the inspiration would be somewhere there. Then, I would want to try to put it somewhere in the world where it would make sense.”
“I want people to really see me. Also, it’s about allowing that to come across in a way that feels authentic to you,” she added.
It is evident that Briggs is an old soul because she is a huge fan of vinyl. “I love vinyl so much,” she admitted. “It is so good yet so lost. While vinyl had a bit of a comeback, I do want it even more.”
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said with a sweet laugh, “Disarray.” “There is a vulnerability to this chapter of life that feels very raw but beautiful at the same time,” she explained. “There is something with having a baby that can do that where things are not in your control, and you can’t predict anything. Disarray in the best way,” she added.
From her musical catalog, she claimed the demo version of “I Tried” as her personal favorite tune. “I think there will always be a soft spot in my heart for ‘I Tried.’ It really represented a lot of my insecurities not only in the lyrics and how it all came about but even when I recorded that, I came out of the booth and apologized to the producer.”
“Then, I listened back and I cried so much because it didn’t matter about perfectionism, it was about telling the truth. On a deep, fundamental level, that song sort of exposed me,” she added.
She also noted that her song “White Flag” makes her emotional every time she performs it live. She subsequently described her smash single “River” as the “gift that keeps on giving.”
Superpower
If Briggs were to have any superpower, she noted that it would be “to bring her sister back to life and hang out with her all the time.” “My hope is that other people would be able to garner this superpower, bring back a loved one, and be able to hang out with them all the time,” she said.
‘Rise To’
Fittingly, the song soundtracks the “Rise To” campaign by Rise – an initiative of Schmidt Futures and The Rhodes Trust that finds brilliant young people who need opportunity and supports them for life as they work to serve others. “This is the coolest thing ever. I am really excited about it,” she said.
“Basically, these incredibly young people are impacting their communities in different, creative ways. This is essentially what I hope I do with my music. My creative outlet is music so I tell my truth in that way, and I hope people feel less alone and empowered in some way. That’s what these kids are doing with the ‘Rise To’ campaign,” she added.
The integrated campaign invites global talent to apply to “Rise” as they continue to turn opportunities into action and ‘Rise To’ solve the world’s most pressing issues. To learn more about “Rise,” visit its official website.
When asked if she were to write, direct, and produce her own short film (and what topic it would be on), Briggs responded, “I have a lot of philanthropic goals so I wonder if there is a way that I can talk about something I wish more people knew about by a way of a film.”
She listed Pink and Lizzo as her dream duet choices in music. “I love these powerful women that don’t hold back. There is something that always draws me to them,” she said.
For young and aspiring artists, Briggs said, “Know that you have every right to say ‘no.’ I think sometimes the dream of all this can become bigger than our voice in the room. You can be your full, empowered self and people can fully accept you and they can appreciate that. I wish I had known that earlier and felt empowered to do that.”
When asked what she would dress up as if she were to go on “The Masked Singer,” she revealed that she would be Marie, the white cat from “The Aristocats.”
On her definition of the word success, Briggs concluded, “Success means being present in your body.” “The minute that you have to disassociate with your body, there is something wrong,” she said.
“superhuman” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Bishop Briggs, check out her official website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
