Bishop Briggs: Award winning singer-songwriter on creative transformation after loss

Dec 4, 2024

Bishop Briggs, an award-winning singer-songwriter known for her heartfelt music, dives deep into her transformative journey after the loss of her sister. She shares how grief reshaped her creative process and led to her recent success on The Masked Singer. Bishop also explores the cultural influences that sparked her early passion for music, from Tokyo's karaoke bars to her Scottish roots. She opens up about the joys and challenges of motherhood, noting how it has redefined her artistic standards and priorities. Generative AI finds a surprising place in her creative experiments.

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ANECDOTE

Karaoke Beginnings

Bishop Briggs's introduction to music began in Japanese karaoke bars at age four.
Her father's Frank Sinatra performances inspired her initial passion.

ANECDOTE

Hong Kong Inspiration

Teenage years in Hong Kong fueled Bishop Briggs' songwriting as an emotional outlet.
Writing became an escape and developed into a significant aspect of her life.

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Childlike Wonder

Bishop Briggs recounts her early karaoke experiences, emphasizing the joy of performing, not technical skill.
She highlights the importance of nurturing childlike wonder and pursuing passions.

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Sometimes, a creative transformation occurs after a painful experience in our lives. This certainly happened for our guest today, Bishop Briggs, who lost her sister at a young age in 2021. After a period of intense grieving, and struggling with depression, her son was born in 2022, and she went on to win The Masked Singer in 2023.

Find the full episode on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/bishop-briggs

We spoke with Bishop about how her creative process evolved during these life-changing events, as well as how she approaches creating with consistency, connects with her audience, and the surprising results of her experiments with generative AI.

Also, a quick note for anyone who might be sensitive about the topics of depression and suicidal thoughts, Bishop does discuss these topics during the course of our interview, most notably around the 10 minute mark of the episode.

Bio

Bishop Briggs, born in London to Scottish parents, discovered her passion for music early, performing for the first time at a Tokyo karaoke bar at age four after her family relocated there. Immersed in Tokyo's karaoke culture and influenced by Motown and The Beatles at home, she began writing songs at seven. After moving to Hong Kong at 10, where she lived until 18, she pursued her dream of a music career by relocating to Los Angeles to attend the Musician’s Institute.

In Los Angeles, Bishop released her debut single, "Wild Horses," in 2015 and rose to prominence with her 2018 debut album, Church of Scars, and her 2019 follow-up, Champion. Her music has since reflected her personal journey, including profound loss, motherhood, and resilience. In 2023, she won The Masked Singer as "Medusa" and released her EP When Everything Went Dark. Her latest album, Tell My Therapist I'm Fine, debuted in October 2024, and she is currently on tour through Spring 2025.

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