5 minutes to meet Phoebe Bridgers
His love of darkness and bold sounds are reflected in his music, while his lyrics bring out the beautiful side of sadness.
On November 20, Phoebe Bridgers, an American singer-songwriter originally from Los Angeles, California, was one of the most electrifying (and eclectic) proposals on the Corona Capital billboard. Within the framework of the festival, We talked with the interpreter about her inspirations and desires .
In love with Mexican culture and our country, Phoebe begins by telling us about how much she enjoys spending time on this land. Something that invariably fascinates her: folklore and tradition . Death, skeletons, ghosts. The dark exerts such a fixation on her that it is impossible for her not to recognize the differences between our beliefs and the representation of the macabre in other parts of the world , especially in the United States.
For Mexicans, the death It borders on fun, daring, almost an invitation. As Octavio Paz would say: « Our cult of death is a cult of life ».
"I also gravitate towards that," the interpreter confesses. She loves reading Gabriel García Márquez and Carmen Maria Machado (author of Her Bodies and Other Parties , a collection of macabre and disturbing tales revolving around the body and sexuality); For Phoebe, in American culture, what is scary is seeing a skeleton or a supernatural entity in a horror movie, something obvious; here, on the contrary, the ghost is something accidental, “it is taken for granted because it is part of daily life, it is nothing out of this world. The gloomy thing is in other more mundane details. That is the irony of the Latin American narrative ».
Recently, she became Sally (character in The Nightmare Before Christmas , a Tim Burton film) to interpret the famous theme alongside Danny Elfman. A dream come true, as Phoebe admits that she always dreamed of being Jack Skellington's iconic girlfriend.
That love for darkness moves him to his music and brings out the beautiful side of sadness, contrasts, the true essence of nuances. Always with a hopeful tone , like the moon that he uses on the stage of his most recent show: "it grows and grows until it outshines the sun." And its shine is just as beautiful and powerful.
Her style has several ramifications, including metal (a genre of which she declares herself a follower). "I love him because he's very direct, 'in your face,' and that can be weird too." Like other artists of her generation, such as Jesse Jo Stark , the Californian artist wants to bring to her music the rebellion of youth, both personally and politically.
"Whatever is true for you. I feel very strong about many things , including music . It is important to be yourself. I remember that when I was a girl, my favorite bands criticized the government and the president; it was disruptive, definitely. Now I feel that, in the music scene, the discourse revolves around celebrities and more superfluous things. Somehow, politics became boring for these generations, I suppose because of the inevitability of corruption. And we get used to it. However, Standing up for what's right is a responsible way to make music ."
Although he also likes something more relaxed, "like pop-country," he says with a laugh.
As for music and fashion, both artistic expressions in all their splendor, he says he does not follow one aesthetic determined, he only " knows it when he sees it ". He tells us about the skeleton suit he wore to the Grammys: " I saw it earlier at the Met Gala and I thought ' That's amazing '. I only choose what for me is fun and exciting ».
The composer also ends this interview by confessing that she is curious to know what her next production will sound like.
We thank Sofitel México for the facilities provided to conduct the interview with Phoebe Bridgers.
