Deep Breaths with Bishop Briggs

*Content warning* This entry includes discussion of suicide and grief which may be triggering to some readers. Please text HOME to 741-741.

Vocal powerhouse and mental health advocate Bishop Briggs stops by More or Less to express pure transparency about her mental health, the struggles she’s faced as a woman in the music industry, and her grief after losing her sister. The discussion, while heavy, is enlightening for those who are struggling to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Ahead of her women-empowerment tour with Misterwives, Briggs is preparing by prioritizing her family life and mental health (they go hand in hand). As a new mom, she's still getting used to the ups and downs, but is incredibly thankful for how her son has brought light into her life after her darkest point. However, even amidst the joys of motherhood, Briggs faces her share of daily struggles.

Photo credit: Yising Kao

Motherhood

“My doula said to me, ‘You birth the baby. Then you birth mum guilt.’” Bishop expresses how she needs “more” breathing to release the guilt from being a woman, a mother, and a professional. “The main way that it manifests is by not breathing… I think that’s something that I want to prioritize more.”

Despite the “mum guilt,” Briggs credits her son for giving her a brand new perspective on life. Navigating life after her sister’s passing, she couldn’t see a future or any reason to keep going. After the birth of her child, she is seeing life through brand new, fresh eyes. “The biggest shift has been the motivation to continue living. Even when I became pregnant, I realized I have something bigger going on. I’m not really a religious person, so having something like this really alters your sense of self.” Glowing, she continues raving about how excited she is to be alive at the same time as her son and begin to witness important milestones in his life.

Photo credit: Superhuman album artwork

The Concept of Balance

Being a rockstar on stage and at home with a kid sounds almost unmanageable, but somehow Bishop is able to do it all with such grace and positivity - even taking on the Coachella stage while pregnant! When talking about the topic of work/life/mom balance, she states that she doesn’t believe that true balance exists, rather its a concept to make someone at some point feel bad about where they’re at. While balance may not exist in Brigg’s eyes, we think she’s doing a killer job at being an outstanding performer on stage and an outstanding mom off stage. When asked if she would do Coachella while pregnant (and not drinking a single drop of water) again, the answer was a hard NO.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Enforcing Boundaries

Aside from her struggles with guilt, Briggs highlights how difficult it was for her to realize that strong boundaries are extremely necessary as a woman in the music industry. Men have found it too easy to step all over Bishop and her other industry friends in the workplace, and she never realized that this was an issue until the Me Too movement. “(In the beginning) I would do a lot of, ‘keep your head down and work. This is just how men are.’” Even if this was “normal” in the music industry, it does not mean that we have to accept this behavior. Bishop, like most women, had pure tunnel vision when it came to her dreams and didn’t want any issues with men to get in the way. “I didn’t know that I was the boss.” However, she soon realized that she was in control of her own environment since she is the one singing and recording the songs. “I’m really grateful for the Me Too movement. It really opened my eyes to what was going on.” Now, sitting on our More or Less couch, she radiates pure stability and confidence in who she is and what she deserves. It may have taken some time to get to this point, but it proves that we are constantly growing into the person that we are meant to be. 

Dealing with Grief

Bishop raves about the importance of our voice at More or Less, talking about how imperative it is that mental health is spoken about more in the music industry. Looking back at just two years ago when her sister passed away, she hit her lowest point and needed resources to make her feel less alone. “I remember Googling: What do I do if I can’t stop thinking about suicide?” there’s a pause and stillness in the room. All that she needed was for any website, blog, or media outlet to just say, “Its gonna be ok.” The first article to come up on Google mentioned that you just need to push through for another hour.

“Can you give it another day?”

“Another week?”

And that’s what she did - took it day by day until she felt ok again. Grief is a powerful emotion that takes over our every thought and feeling - how can anyone not feel the effects of it? Bishop’s experience of losing her sister took over her entire being, including her music. Her insanely powerful song, “High Water,” expresses that feeling of grief and guilt so strongly that you can feel it through your headphones.

As the days go on, dealing with loss doesn’t get easier. But through everything, the sun continues to rise and we will always try again. When asked what she thinks every kid should know (and what she wants her son to know), Bishop states, “Its ok to share your feelings, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

In the words of Bishop, feel those feelings and share them with the world.

To hear more from Bishop, you can listen to the full episode of the podcast below or watch the whole conversation on our YouTube channel. Be sure to say hello when she hits the road with Misterwives this fall and stream her new EP, “When Everything Went Dark.”