Edge Fest: Q&A with musician Bishop Briggs

CHEYENNE — Bishop Briggs was born in London but has traveled all over the world since then.

Briggs defines herself as an “emo kid at heart,” which is reflected in her musical sound. She tries to blend folk, pop and electronic music.

Her first single, “Wild Horses,” came out in 2016, but it wasn’t until her RIAA-certified-platinum song “River” came out later that year that she saw massive, global success.

To date, Briggs has 44 songs, two albums, one EP and an album on the way. “Tell My Therapist I’m Fine” comes out on Oct. 18 and features 10 songs, one of which is her latest single, “Mona Lisa On A Mattress.” This album will be her first since 2019.

Briggs is the headliner for the 10th and final Edge Fest concert on Saturday. The concert will take place at Civic Commons Park, across from the city’s Municipal Building. She’ll be on stage at around 8:30 p.m., after openers The Patti Fiasco, Peter Raffoul and Paul Russell.

Briggs answered some of the WTE’s questions via email, and here’s what she had to say:

WTE: If you could talk to yourself back when you were beginning your career in L.A., what would you say?

Briggs: “I would first hide the fake tanner on my nightstand. It needs to go. Then, I would tell myself to know that it’s OK to assert yourself and say how you really feel. Coming up in this industry before the ‘Me, too’ movement was really jarring, and I found myself in company that did not want me to be an empowered version of myself.”

WTE: Do you see yourself continuing music for the foreseeable future?

Briggs: “Of course! Dream job. My newest album, ‘Tell My Therapist I’m Fine,’ is coming out Oct. 18, and I tried to really do a deep dive into all the lessons I’ve learned so far. It feels like a very detailed diary entry.”

WTE: What’s an underrated song of yours that you feel a lot of people should know the story to or appreciate more?

Briggs: “I just feel so grateful to anyone who has taken time out of their day to listen to my music. A song that I love to sing that a first listener might not have heard (because it came out A FEW DAYS AGO) is ‘Mona Lisa On A Mattress.’ It’s a song about a person and moment in my life that was messy, and fun, and a reminder to be with someone who accepts all versions of you.”

WTE: What was opening for Coldplay like to then later playing Coachella?

Briggs: “It was so surreal. All of it has been. Coldplay was the first tour I ever did, and I even wrote songs to fill up the setlist. We followed them in a small van, and each night I had to keep pinching myself, unsure if any of it was real. A perk of opening for Coldplay is the insanely delicious catering!

“Coachella has been such a magical and crazy experience, too. I recently got to play for the second time while I was 7 months pregnant! I’ll never forget it.”