Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Herindie folk music typically centers on acoustic guitar andelectronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes. She has won fourGrammy Awards on eleven nominations.
Bridgers (right) performing as part ofSloppy Jane in 2013
Bridgers was a member of various groups while still in high school, including Einstein's Dirty Secret andSloppy Jane, and frequently played shows around Los Angeles as a solo act.[8][9] After deciding not to attend college to focus on her career, her growing presence in the L.A. music scene led to her befriending producerTony Berg, who began working with her on her first album for free.[10] Playing in anApple commercial with Sloppy Jane had given her some financial security, so she planned to complete her record and then sell it to a label, rather than attempting to get signed first. This allowed her much more time and creative freedom to create what would becomeStranger in the Alps.[11] Around this time, Bridgers met American singer-songwriterRyan Adams through mutual collaborators, and he put out herEPKiller on his label PAX AM.[12][13][14][15][16] Bridgers also supportedJulien Baker on her 2016 tour of the East Coast.[17][18]
In January 2017, Bridgers released the single "Smoke Signals" and opened forConor Oberst on his European tour.[19] The two had met the previous summer at a secret showcase, organized by Oberst at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. He and hisBright Eyes bandmate,Mike Mogis, contributed vocals and production toStranger in the Alps.[20] Bridgers joinedThe Joy Formidable and Ryan Adams for select dates on their respective U.S. tours before playing atSouth by Southwest in March 2017.[19] In June 2017, Bridgers signed toindependent labelDead Oceans.
On December 5, 2018, Bridgers released aSpotify Singles session recorded at Spotify Studios NYC featuring a performance of "Scott Street" and a cover ofthe Cure's "Friday I'm in Love".[37][38]
On February 26, 2020, Bridgers released the single "Garden Song" alongside its music video.[42] In April,the 1975 released the song "Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America" with Bridgers, ahead of their studio albumNotes on a Conditional Form, which features Bridgers on three tracks. She was slated to tour with them in summer 2020 before the tour's cancellation due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[43][44] On April 9, 2020, Bridgers released "Kyoto"[45] and announced onInstagram that her second albumPunisher would be released on June 19, 2020. Bridgers released the album a day earlier than stated, stating: "I'm not [delaying] the record until things go back to 'normal' because I don't think they should. Here it is a little early."[46] The album received widespread positive reviews.[47] In July 2020, Bridgers released the music video for her single "I Know the End".[48] While working onPunisher, Bridgers also producedChristian Lee Hutson's albumBeginners, which was released onAnti- Records in May 2020.[30] That September, she played to an all-virtual audience of 4 million atRed Rocks Amphitheatre as part of their Unpaused Concert Series. In October, Bridgers announced the formation of her own labelSaddest Factory, animprint of Dead Oceans.[49]
While awaiting the results of the2020 United States presidential election on November 3, Bridgers tweeted that she would cover "Iris" byGoo Goo Dolls if then-presidentDonald Trump lost. The cover, which was recorded as a duet withMaggie Rogers under the name Phoebe & Maggie, was released exclusively on Bridgers'Bandcamp page for one day only on November 13. The song received 28,000 downloads with proceeds going toStacey Abrams'Fair Fight Action organization to promote fair elections both in the state ofGeorgia and nationwide.[50][51] On November 10, Bridgers announced an EP of four reworked tracks fromPunisher, entitledCopycat Killer, in collaboration withRob Moose.Copycat Killer was released digitally on November 20, 2020.[52] On November 23, she released a cover ofMerle Haggard's "If We Make It Through December", with proceeds going to LA's Downtown Women's Center.[53]
Bridgers was a musical guest on the eleventh episode of the 46th season ofSaturday Night Live, playing "Kyoto" and "I Know the End" and closing the performance bysmashing her guitar on a fakestage monitor.[57][58][59] On March 9, 2021, Bridgers released a secondSpotify Singles session featuring a cover ofJohn Prine's "Summer's End" and a version of "Kyoto" featuring vocals fromJackson Browne.[60] In August 2021 it was announced that Bridgers would appear onThe Killers' albumPressure Machine on the track "Runaway Horses", released August 13.[61] That same month, she released a cover ofMetallica's 1991 song "Nothing Else Matters"; the song appeared on the cover albumThe Metallica Blacklist released the following month as one of 12 covers of the song.[62] She also provided background vocals on five tracks fromLorde's third album,Solar Power, released on August 20.[63]
On September 3, 2021, Bridgers embarked on theReunion Tour, starting inSt. Louis, Missouri.[64] She featured onMuna's single "Silk Chiffon" released September 7 on Saddest Factory.[65] She also featured on the song "Atlantis" fromNoah Gundersen's album,A Pillar of Salt, released in October 2021. On October 13, Bridgers' version ofBo Burnham's "That Funny Feeling" opened at No. 2 on both the Rock & Alternative Digital Song Sales, and Alternative Digital Song Sales charts.[66]
On November 12, 2021, Bridgers appeared onTaylor Swift's second re-recorded albumRed (Taylor's Version) on the track "Nothing New".[67] The song debuted and peaked at No. 43 on theBillboard Hot 100, becoming Bridgers' highest-peaking entry on the chart.[68] On November 30, she released a cover of "Day After Tomorrow" byTom Waits, continuing her tradition of releasing a cover for the holidays. Proceeds from the release were donated to an organization supporting refugees and human trafficking victims in California.[69] On December 15, 2021, Bridgers appeared on true crime comedy podcast,My Favorite Murder, to discuss with the hosts her "hometown" crime story: the murder of 16-year-old Marissa Mathy-Zvaifler at the Sunshine Theater.[70]
In January 2023, Boygenius reunited and announced their debut albumThe Record, which was released on March 31, and released singles "$20", "True Blue", and "Emily I'm Sorry".[81] In February 2023, Bridgers featured on "Adderall" by Englishpost-punk band and Dead Oceans labelmateShame, the third single from their third albumFood for Worms.[82] She was featured on the tracks "This Isn't Helping" and "Your Mind Is Not Your Friend" from the albumFirst Two Pages of Frankenstein, bythe National, released on April 28, 2023. She also features in the music video for the latter, directed by her brother, Jackson Bridgers. She also opened and performed with Taylor Swift in May 2023 in New Jersey.[83] On May 28, 2023, Bridgers released the single "Waiting Room", viaBandcamp, with all proceeds donated toMusic Will.[84] Bridgers again collaborated with the National by featuring on the title track of their albumLaugh Track, released on September 18, 2023.[85][86] On February 1, 2024, Boygenius announced at a secret show in Los Angeles that they are going on hiatus. They reportedly said that they were "going away for the foreseeable future".[87] She was the most awarded person at the66th Annual Grammy Awards, winning three for her work with Boygenius and one for her collaboration with SZA.[88] Following the Grammys, Bridgers revealed she planned to step back and take a break for the remainder of 2024.[89]
Bridgers has citedElliott Smith as one of her main musical influences
Bridgers's musical style has been variously categorized aspop,[90]indie rock,[91][92]indie folk,[93][94]emo-folk,[95][96]indie emo[97] andindie pop.[98] It often centers acoustic guitar, and incorporates atmospheric strings, production and electronic instrumentation. Her music has been described as "anxious", "melancholy" and "haunting". Themes include death, trauma, therapy, depression and strained relationships, "undercut by her dry wit" and "straightforward delivery."[99][1][100] Several of Bridgers's songs are about personal issues. For example, "Kyoto" was inspired by her relationship with her father, while "Motion Sickness" and "ICU" are about past breakups.[101][99] Her complex storytelling and use of evocativeimagery, such as in "Garden Song", have also been commended.[102][103][100]
Both of Bridgers's albums containHalloween-themed visual motifs, with the album covers ofStranger in the Alps andPunisher containing ghost and skeleton imagery respectively. She is known for wearing variations of a skeletononesie, inspired by her reported love for "creepy and corny stuff".[113] Her fans are often referred to as "Pharbs", a play onNicki Minaj fans calling themselves "Barbs".[114]
In October 2020, Bridgers performed as part of the virtualfundraiser festival "Village of Love" benefitingPlanned Parenthood in Los Angeles and New York.[119] AtSXSW in 2022, Bridgers andCaleb Hearon criticizedGreg Abbott's position on gender-affirming care for children and invited progressive politicianGreg Casar to the stage.[120] At a May 2022 concert in Florida, following the passage ofFlorida House Bill 1557, Bridgers repeatedly expressed disdain forRon DeSantis.[121]
Following thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Bridgers shared a post from another account on Instagram which mourned the victims of colonialism during the monarch's reign while calling Queen Elizabeth a war criminal.[122]
While performing with Boygenius atCoachella in April 2023, the band spoke in support oftrans rights following bills proposed in states likeFlorida andMissouri.[123] Bridgers also added "And abortion rocks, and fuck Ron DeSantis."[124]
Bridgers advocates for abortion legality. In an interview withTeen Vogue in 2022, she expressed disdain for the overturning ofRoe v. Wade.[125]
After winning multiple awards at the66th Grammy Awards, Bridgers called outNeil Portnow, ex-president of theRecording Academy, criticizing his remarks towards women musical artists and highlighting accusations he engaged in sexual violence.[126] In closing her statement she said "to him, I'd like to say I know you're not dead yet, but when you are, rot in piss."[127] Also at the 66th Grammy Awards, Bridgers' red carpet outfit, coordinated with the other members of Boygenius, featuredArtists4Ceasefire pins calling for a ceasefire in the midst of theIsraeli invasion of Gaza.[128]
Bridgers and Vore performing atThe Crocodile in 2018
Bridgers and American musicianRyan Adams started a relationship in 2014, while he was still married to actress/singerMandy Moore.[129] They broke up at an unknown date. Her song "Motion Sickness" is about their relationship.[3][130][131] Bridgers and six other women accused Adams ofemotional abuse in a 2019 report byThe New York Times.[101] Bridgers later dated American musician Marshall Vore, who works as her touring drummer and has collaborated with her on other music; they co-wrote her single "ICU" about their relationship,[132] and remain friends and collaborators.[99] From 2020 till December 2022, Bridgers was in a relationship with Irish actorPaul Mescal.[133] Since December 2022, Bridgers has been dating comedianBo Burnham.[134][135]
^Brodsky, Rachel (February 12, 2021)."Album reviews: Pale Waves – Who am I? and Django Django – Glowing in the Dark".The Independent.Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2021.Today, a new crop of indie performers cite Lavigne – and her brassy brand of MTV-friendly pop suffused with snarling rage against the machine – as a major influence: Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, Phoebe Bridgers...
^Aswad, Jem (February 17, 2019)."Phoebe Bridgers Slams Ryan Adams' 'Network' of Enablers".Variety. Penske Media Corporation. RetrievedAugust 5, 2024.Like other women in the article, Bridgers says she had a relationship with Adams in 2014, when she was 20 and he 40, that began as a musical 'mentorship' but soon became romantic and controlling, in which Adams would demand that she 'leave social situations to have phone sex, and threatening suicide if she didn't reply immediately.'
^Petrusich, Amanda (May 17, 2020)."Phoebe Bridgers's Frank, Anxious Music".The New Yorker. Condé Nast.Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. RetrievedAugust 1, 2022.Bridgers is a pescatarian, and she recalled an incident from high school in which she was mocked for her diet...
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