Phoebe Bridgers Likes Joni Mitchell, Astrology and Working on Her Issues
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PHOEBE Phoebe Bridgers likes Joni Mitchell, astrology and working on her issues. Eve Barlow meets the California singer remaking emo in her own image. Photography by Emman Montalvan & Stling by Jesse Arifien 67 Left: Bridgers wears a shirt by COS. Previous: She wears a trench coat by Jac + Jack. “All I ever do on tour is save recipes on my phone.” On February 29, 2016, Phoebe stage with a box of tissues. Bridg- Bridgers made a list of goals she ers was promoting her second wanted to achieve by the next leap solo album, Punisher, made over year. They included: tour the world, the past year with Tony Berg and see Ireland, make three albums. Ethan Gruska, the producers who She’d never lef the US. She’d never worked on her debut, Stranger in made a record. She was 21 and un- the Alps. Although this time Bridg- signed. Now she’s 25. She’s toured ers donned a producer’s hat, too. the world, including Ireland, and Talking about the album has released three albums: one solo, meant wrapping her head around one as boygenius with Lucy Da- her personal songs. “I don’t know cus and Julien Baker, and one as what I’m thinking when I’m writ- Beter Oblivion Community Cen- ing. It’s meta—it just happens,” ter with Conor Oberst—her hero. she says. “The perspective doesn’t “Dude!” she says, of revisiting come for years. I can write a cra- the list on February 29, 2020. “It’s zy fucked-up emotional lyric, then happened. They all became real I’m onstage singing it for the 80th in ways I couldn’t have imag- time in a row and I see some- ined.” It’s mid-morning in LA, one singing the lyric and think, and Bridgers is calling while do- ‘Oh my God! I know what that’s ing a lap of the local Silver Lake about now.’” Reservoir. She’s California born It was back in 2017 that Bridg- and bred. She “ums” with every re- ers was dubbed a leading lyricist sponse, employs “later” for good- of her generation. Stranger in the bye and admits to spending “$11 Alps set her up for late-night TV, on smoothies on average per day.” critical praise and a tour that last- She talks up astrology: She blames ed far too long. “All I ever do on Mercury being in retrograde for tour is save recipes on my phone,” feeling sick during a press week in she offers. “I fantasize about being New York City. “I was convinced at home.” Her final stint in 2019 I had coronavirus,” she says. She with Beter Oblivion Communi- played Carnegie Hall and her ty Center was exhausting. “I was manager stood on the side of the on tour with my best friends, in a Cosmetics Nicole Wittman using MAC Hair and Makeup: 68 FEATURES Left: Bridgers wears a suit by COS and her own shoes. Overleaf: She wears a shirt by COS and earrings by Broken English. “Songs are proof that I'm getting progressively better over my life.” van with one of my heroes, crush- someone’s more positive than reputation. She took her to shows. of Warpaint, Lucy Dacus, Julien ing shows. But when the show was me then I don’t know how to deal Her first was Neil Young at Sta- Baker, Grammy Award–winning over, I would get in my bunk and with that.” ples Center: “Rad.” Bridgers’ par- producer Blake Mills and Oberst. stare into darkness. I needed a Bridgers grew up in Pasade- ents remained together until she (Afer listening through her re- break, you know?” na, just north of LA, listening to was 19. She’s alluded to her father cord, he called her with his review: The music she wrote in the the family’s vinyl collection: Joni being abusive and having drug “Crazy.”) wake of that was reactive. There Mitchell, Hank Williams, The problems. On her new song “Kyo- Her album is named after was a crash, and a depression. Pretenders. Her family wasn’t as to” she seems to address him: “You the millennial slang term “pun- Bridgers says she dissociated—she wealthy as those of her school- called me from a payphone… To tell isher”: someone who talks too would find herself writing lyrics friends. “I didn’t grow up with me you’re getting sober and you much. Bridgers offers an example: almost absentmindedly, not re- money at all,” says Bridgers. “My wrote me a leter / But I don’t have to “Your aunt has a new boyfriend. alizing their meaning until lat- friends’ parents were directors. read it.” “Everybody deals with It’s Thanksgiving. He’s talking er. She was adjusting to normal- They would have organic-y food addiction and fucking weird about how he switched from ity afer her dreams came true. in their lunches. It made me feel family dynamics,” she says. “It Verizon to AT&T for a half hour. “Making this record was a breath like shit,” she says. For high school, speaks to that.” For all of Bridg- You’re the direct person he’s of fresh air: going to sleep in the Bridgers decided to go to the Los ers’ earnestness, her online per- talking to. You’re being punished. same bed, waking up in the same Angeles County High School for sona is humor-centric. Her Twit- He’s a punisher.” Has there been place,” she says. “I’ve grown up a the Arts, LACHSA, a publicly fund- ter name is a play on the grocery a moment when she thought she lot.” The songs she wrote are a cat- ed performing arts school whose chain Trader Joe’s (Traitor Joe) might have been a punisher? alog of her early 20s. “I make so alumni include HAIM, Zoey and her Instagram handle is @_ “Maybe with Joni Mitchell,” she many resolutions, so many plans. Deutch and Josh Groban. There fake_nudes_. She almost shares a says. “I may or may not have pun- Songs are proof that I’m geting she joined punk band Sloppy Jane, name with another leading wom- ished Joni Mitchell.” Bridgers met progressively beter over my life.” fronted by her best friend, Haley an in the zeitgeist: Fleabag creator Mitchell at a Mavis Staples concert Punisher is an album about Dahl. “The cool kids at LACH- Phoebe Waller-Bridge. “I want to in LA. “There’s nothing I can say to rootlessness, homesickness, soli- SA were cooler than any other marry her,” she says. “We would this woman that hasn’t been said tude. She doesn’t paint herself fa- kids. There were different scenes: end up with the same name if we four trillion times. Joni Mitch- vorably or hold back from inflict- dancers, people who wore fucking hyphenated it.” Phoebe Bridgers- ell doesn’t need to hear anybody ing hurt (“I hate your mom / I hate clown makeup every day. I don’t Waller-Bridge has a good ring to it. say that she changed their life. it when she opens her mouth,” is one know if I fit with any of them,” Bridgers says she is relieved to be Ever again.” of the harshest lines). “I can’t lie in she says. confused with someone she’s a fan As Bridgers gets ready to em- my music,” she says. “Every time Sloppy Jane set Bridgers up. of. “Imagine if it was a contestant bark upon a new journey, has she when I’ve thought, ‘I should blur When the band was invited to on Te Bachelor and I was having made a list for the next leap year: the lines. That might hurt some- star in an iPhone commercial in to deal with that every day.” 2024? “I did!” she says. It’s more es- body’s feelings,’ I can’t do it.” Songs 2014, Dahl was against it, so Bridg- Bridgers is in constant demand oteric. “I want meaningful friend- are Bridgers’ way of understand- ers stepped in as frontwoman. as a collaborator. Her backing ships. I want to love my therapist.” ing her paterns, of holding her- She funded her first foray into re- vocals appear on the forthcom- She laughs. Bridgers has a thera- self accountable. For example, cord-making with the earnings. “I ing album from The 1975, and pist, but they haven’t clicked yet. she explains why she prefers fix- didn’t have a job—it was right out she’s supporting them on tour. “I wanna be one of those people ing others—in both romance and of high school. I kinda signed my- “It’s gonna be like summer camp,” who’s like: I love my therapist.” As friendship—at the expense of fix- self.” At home, Bridgers’ mother she says. She’s also on Perfume she puts in the time and does the ing herself: “It’s intoxicating; if I’m was her champion. She drove her Genius’ forthcoming album. Her work, it will be a result that says the one arguing for light and love, through the night (“So I could play own LP is an embarrassment of more about Bridgers than it does I don’t have to be the dark one. If in fucking Riverside”) to build her riches featuring Jenny Lee Lindberg the therapist. 72 FEATURES KINFOLK 73 Above: Bridgers wears a dress by Perfect Number and slides by Bassike. Right: She wears a denim jacket and jeans by AJE..