Saturday Conversation: Bishop Briggs On ‘The Masked Singer,’ Adele, MeToo And More

When Bishop Briggs’ management tipped me off on a phone call just prior to our interview that she had won The Masked Singer and was going to be revealed as Medusa on the show this past week, I said the exposure would be great for her and a lot of headlines would say, “Who is Bishop Briggs?”

For some, Briggs is a revelatory surprise. But, many of us around music have known what viewers of the show are just learning — Briggs is a total badass singer and person. I’ve been fortunate to be friends with her for several years now and know her to be one of the coolest, kindest people in music. And as for her incredible power as a singer I was there at No Vacancy in Los Angeles when she first performed “High Water,” a song she wrote for her late sister Kate, and made an entire bar sob from the sheer beauty of the performance and the song.

So, Briggs winning The Masked Singer is not a surprise to people like myself or Sage Bava, who is such a fan she covered Briggs’ “Superhuman” on her Instagram. We have known for a long time, Briggs is a superstar. We talked to Briggs about the show, her new music, her upcoming fall tour and much more.

Steve Baltin: How the hell did this happen? And has it been super weird and surreal?.

Bishop Briggs: Oh, it has been the coolest thing ever. And,the most difficult thing to keep a secret. I thought I was a good secret keeper until this happened, and I have just been chewing my fingernails wanting to reveal everything.

Baltin: Well, now you have like 24 more hours until you can reveal everything?

Briggs: Yes, and even us talking about it, I’m like, “Okay, is this real? [Laughter], Can I be open about this?” Yeah. So 24 hours.

Baltin: When you do something like this, has it been really fun to inhabit these songs?

Briggs: Oh, yes. And I think what was really exciting about the experience was as I progressed in the competition, it felt like I got to really dive into songs that meant a lot to me on my personal journey. “Take Me To Church” by Hozier and, Sia as an artist, and then “Welcome To The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. And then “Someone Like You,” by Adele. ABBA night that’s where it began. And then I feel like I got to show a bit more of who I am as an artist.

Baltin: I have a great Adele story. I interviewed her for AOL Sessions when 21 came out, and it was one of the first live performances that she did of “Someone Like You.” And at the time, it’s a crew of all guys, and they’re all sitting there bawling. I was telling her about everyone crying in the interview, and she’s like, “It’s so easy to make men cry.” And she laughed. So did you make guys cry with “Someone Like You?”

Briggs: (Laughs) Well, I do think that is the effect of Adele, that is what her star quality is. I hope that people felt touched by the music, but having grown men cry, that does feel very Adele specific. But I tried my best to evoke emotion. And just to be totally transparent, it was very daunting and intimidating, and I hope I did it justice. But my dad has told me I’m not allowed to read any comments, so who knows? But hopefully it was okay.

Baltin: Your dad is a smart man because, yeah stay away from the internet. It’s an evil place. I talk about this with actors all the time. Do you feel like you’re taking on a part? Did you become Medusa?

Briggs: Well, I feel really lucky that there was an energy about Medusa that I gravitate towards as a performer. So it felt like I got to just be myself, the person that I am on stage, I got to inhabit that. But the thing that I did miss that I couldn’t do while wearing a mask was when the song would finish. Like, all I want to do is show that I am crying, show that I am smiling, show that I’m relieved, show, and all of that comes out of your face when you’re finished singing. So I did miss that element of it, but there is something really, powerful about Medusa that I’m grateful for that I could connect to.

Sage Bava: So when you were choosing these songs that you’ve loved for years, did you go into it knowing exactly what you wanted to do with them and that was what was born? Or did it surprise you that you found something else within the song and it ended up taking a whole different direction?

Briggs: Well, it’s interesting because the part of it that I had to take into consideration was I might not make it to the next round. So what is a song that I can put enough of myself into, or hopefully all of myself into that if I leave, I’ll feel proud of or I’ll feel, like I’ve given it my all. So it was really important to make sure I made it my own as much as I could. So that was really my goal. And by the way, it was really similar to performing at a show. You never know if it’s gonna be your last show. You never know if it’s someone’s first time seeing you. You never know. So there was that element of it, that pressure, for sure.

Bava: What was your favorite song of all of the different arrangements and choices?

Briggs: That’s so hard [laughter]. I felt a really deep connection singing “New York, New York” because I grew up hearing my dad sing that song, and I did a acoustic version of it. And that intimacy is something, that’s why that moment that Steve is talking about of singing “High Water” in this intimate, venue, those are the moments that really stick with you, that you feel as though someone is really seeing your soul. And with the other songs, I love that I get to perform and put myself out there and hopefully show a side of myself that’s confident and daring, but the part of me that just is standing there and exposing my soul and spirit, that’s the moments that I really cherish and hold onto. I just remembered as I was saying this, “Take Me To Church” by Hozier was so much fun. I feel like that might be the middle ground where I got to feel that intimacy, feel that emotion. But I did get to run around. But if we talk about this long enough, I will name every song I know [laughter]. .

Baltin: Let’s jump onto the EP now. I loved what you said about “Baggage.” At what point have you started to own your baggage and realize that, ’cause again, what you’re saying too about, the fact that people appreciate you opening up, it’s always true.

Briggs: Right? Yeah, I’m still a work in progress, I feel like some days I feel super empowered at this idea of really sharing how my day is going, and then the next day I feel completely debilitated by it. I think that’s just the lovely washing machine of being a human. But, I felt really inspired when writing “Baggage” to own this side of myself that was saying, “Hey, here is everything that’s going on.” As if it was a first date. And I was like, “If I’m gonna go out with this person again, I might as well say what’s coming. I might as well say, ‘Hey, like, here is what it’s happened. Here’s how it’s affected me. Here is my baggage.'” And with that being said, I feel like we all have different interpretations of what our baggage is. There’s something that I could come to you guys sharing as my baggage, and you’re like, “Wait till I show you what I have been going through.” So I feel like there’s this connection that we all sort of have with our baggage.

Baltin: Do you feel like writing “High Water” then and opening up about your sister has allowed you to tap into more of your openness as a writer?

Briggs: There is that book, The Artist’s Way, and there’s this section in it where it talks about just writing to write. And even if you write that day and nothing comes of it, and you feel like it was a waste, that song or that lyric or that melody that you came up with that particular day can lead you to the next idea. And so with that being said, I feel that distinctly with those songs because I remember recording “High Water” and being like, “Why am I doing this to myself? I mean, this is so difficult and confusing and feels like the opposite of therapy. I feel as though I’m going backwards”. But now that I have done that, it allowed me to, lean into that part of myself that is the majority of myself. The entirety of myself is not perfect. So, admitting that. And I do feel like we’re in a really cool time with the new generation where they’re leaning into imperfections, they’re wearing pimple patches, they’re hosting unfiltered things. There is a shift that’s happening and we either revolt against it and or we lean in and see how it feels. And it does feel better than presenting something inauthentic and then making other people feel as if they are unhinged for having difficult days and years.

Bava: I loved what you said earlier about how this generation is trying to be more open with imperfections. And I really credit artists like you that paved that way. When did you step into that? Or have you always just been brave with showing yourself to the world? Or was there a year or an experience that you woke up to knowing that that was super important to you?

Briggs: That’s a great question. I feel like my life really changed once the MeToo movement happened because I had all these secrets as a woman existing in the music business that I thought I was just supposed to keep to myself and that I was supposed to just allow to happen. And when the MeToo movement happened, it was like, “Oh wow. We’ve all gone through this and here’s that person’s story. And there were so many things as a woman that I felt like I had to hide.” Even hiding confidence, because the men around me felt very intimidated by that and threatened by that. And realizing that life is really short. And when I worked with men that were feminists, that did believe in men and women being equal, I all of a sudden realized their favorite part of me was when I was my most confident self in the session, and when I shared my ideas. And I think the MeToo movement allowed those men to step forward. And so I think that was a really big game changer ’cause there was this like, positioning of self that I thought I had to do before. And maybe I did have to do before, where I was, “I didn’t come up with an idea, we came up with the idea. You, sir, in the room came up with the idea.” And so the minute that everyone came forward and they said, “Hey, that’s really misogynistic,” and, “Hey, that’s not okay,” and “Where are the female engineers?” And the minute that that conversation started happening, I all of a sudden felt like one of my biggest shames and secrets was now shared and could be let go.

Bava: I was so fascinated to learn about your upbringing and all the places you’ve lived in, things you’ve seen. And do you feel like you think very differently than a lot of Americans or a lot of just people of the world because you’ve experienced all these different amalgamations of places, and now you’ve just have your own way of thinking and being?

Briggs: I’m so obsessed with American culture that I could never find myself more worldly than [chuckle] the average American, because I grew up just admiring America and being fascinated by it. But what I will say is I really think it has everything to do with what’s being played in your living room. Because my mom and dad were these two Scottish people that were just obsessed with music. They loved Queen and The Beatles and Barry White and Carole King and Eva Cassidy. And I was talking to them recently about this, and they were saying that with me growing up, they said there was not a moment where music was not on. It was just the thing in the house. So I really think wherever we had ended up, that was the game changer for me in particular. And yeah, so I think that was a huge, huge difference.

Baltin: Sage has never seen you live, and obviously you’ve made me cry live. So we’re coming to either New York or LA. What songs are you most excited to do live when we see you in either New York or LA in the fall?

Briggs: “Art of Survival” is a wild ride to perform live. I was fortunate enough to be able to perform it at Coachella when I was very pregnant. And even when I was very pregnant, I was running around jumping up and down. And that’s a song that I think when you hear it live, you understand what the intention is. And the intention is you’re fighting for survival. You’re not looking at survival and thinking, “Oh, what a beautiful art form.” Your jaw is clenched, your teeth are rubbing together and you are fighting for survival. And that is exactly what comes over me when I perform it. “Art of Survival,” I’m really excited.