Bishop Briggs is known for her soulful sound, and during a recent interview with AltPress she discussed her love for bands like My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco, explaining that they have more in common with soul artists than one might think.
“That’s the interesting thing about My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco and the sort of figures of that time,” she explained. “I think the reason that they transcended into global phenomenon area was a soulfulness to the songs they were singing, whether it was their lyrics or even the melodies that they chose. There’s a specific part that I’m thinking of in ‘[Welcome To] The Black Parade.’"
“I feel goosebumps every time I sing it, and it really reminds me of when I would sing Janis Joplin," Briggs continued. "There’s just this ache, and there is this cry for help through the music. I think that’s what really drew me to Motown music. That’s why as I got older and I started listening to alternative music, it felt like an easy transition because I feel like the cornerstones were all still there.”
Speaking of ache, the singer-songwriter also opened up about how she's grieved the death of her sister Kate through writing music.
"I recorded some vocals with this amazing mixer, producer and writer Zakk [Cervini], and we looked at each other in the studio, and my entire face was soaking wet from crying while recording the song," she recalled. "I looked up, and his entire face was wet. I came into the room, and we just hugged, and we cried. I was honest with him, and I said I would really, really rather have my sister here than have this. He understood. Kate was my biggest fan, and he was telling me that she would just be so honored. We just sat in silence.”
“When I have gone into the studio before, even if I was coming in fresh off of the heartbreak, it doesn’t compare,” Briggs continued. “This is really the love of my life. I’ve never loved someone as much as I love her. It’s just a different scale. Even in my past albums, there was a sense of polish when I would write. I knew what the feelings were, and I was writing about them. I was living my life, and I was continuing on my path.
“Whereas with this, I’m really stuck in the trauma of it, and I fear writing about it, and I dread writing about it. Just from a writing perspective, it has felt very, very, very different, and I’ve just been waiting on the right time to release this music. It has been a mix of timing, but it’s also been to do with my mental health and I guess seeing if I will be able to survive the idea of it being released.”