Bishop Briggs proved how multi-talented she is by hitting us hard with her debut album ‘Church Of Scars’ back in 2018, a fusion of Trap, Alternative Pop and Folk-influenced songs. Earlier singles ‘Wild Horses,’ ‘White Flag,’ and ‘River’. Since emerging in 2017, Bishop Briggs has one and a half billion cumulative streams and earned a platinum certification for her breakthrough single ‘River.’
Now, the girl from Barking has hit us even harder with her emotional, break-up record ‘Champion’ that fearlessly delves into the stages of post-relationship trauma.
I, not only got to see Bishop Briggs take advantage of the stage at Islington Assembly Hall,(the same way that Alanis Morissette did back in the ’90s with her iconic Jagged Little Pill tour, whilst delivering a similar swag to Pop artist Jessie J and a similar, witty sense of humour to Taylor Swift), but we also got to have a frank chat with the down-to-earth LA-based singer and songwriter about love, life, and all things “music” just before Christmas last year, whilst she was on her European tour.
Kicking off with an intro entitled ‘I Still Love You’ which will instantly bring you to tears, ‘Champion’ the album delivers the lead single, of the same name, in which Briggs brings out her “inner-Adele” vocally, on a song which could easily have been written by critically acclaimed songwriter SIA, simply for its empowering message of strength and fearlessness and let’s not forget that memorable, closed, acoustic guitar strumming. ‘Can You Hear Me Now?’ is Bishop’s ‘You Oughta Know’-moment, as she unleashes the devil inside of her, overall delivering a more edgy version of Christina Aguilera’s 2003 hit single ‘Fighter,’ due to that throwback,
early noughties Pop Rock production we all love.
‘Tattooed On My Heart’ is the most unforgettable moment from the ‘Champion’ album and one of the biggest highlights of 2019, as Bishop expresses her Gospel side over music production not too dissimilar to that heard on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s LGBTQ+ anthem ‘Same Love.’ It is one of the best songs Briggs has written to date, in which her voice alone tells the saddest love story through her emotive vocal technique.
Escapism becomes a profound topic on the track ‘Someone Else,’ a piano-driven Ballad for the anxious and broken-hearted, and a song that could easily stand alongside other notable tearjerkers. Unpredictably, Briggs presents us with her demonic persona on ‘Jekyll and Hyde’……Bishop’s rock-out moment, where the experimental musician performs whispery, edgy vocals over, what would seem to be, a heavy, industrial-sounding version of Britney’s 2009 Electro Pop single ‘If You Seek Amy.’ It is at this point in the album where we fall in love with Bishop Briggs….the new face of musical diversity.
The song ‘Lonely’ is as gothic as Bishop has ever been, further to the music’s tribute to classic, Trip-Hop bands such as Portishead, while ‘Wild’ and ‘My Shine’ leaves us in a state of limbo and reminding us all that it’s ok sometimes to say “f*ck-you” to the ex, lyrically explored on the latter.
Bishop Briggs is someone who everyone needs to take the time out to explore because she is quite frankly one of the most underrated music artists which we have ever come across.
You would be foolish not to check out Bishop Briggs’ new album ‘Champion’ which is out now on all online stores.
You can see Bishop Briggs live at Coachella on 12th and 19th April.
