Music Features

Phoebe Bridgers Became a Star in 2020

How did Phoebe Bridgers turn from an indie darling to one of 2020's biggest breakout stars?

Phoebe Bridgers: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

The first time I saw a photo of Phoebe Bridgers, she was standing in a graveyard, glaring at the camera.

It was 2017. The photo had been posted by Julien Baker, one third of the trio she and Bridgers would later form and an artist I was obsessed with at the time. Phoebe was opening for Julien then. She had only one EP out—a collection of acoustic recordings that featured the original version of "Killer," which I still think is one of Bridgers' best tracks.

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New Releases

Phoebe Bridgers Gets Lost Around the World with "Kyoto"

The singer-songwriter's sophomore album, Punisher, is out in June.

Phoebe Bridgers always wanted to go to Japan.

The singer-songwriter released her 2017 debut album, Stranger In the Alps, as a relatively unknown performer. But with the snowball success of the record—as well as ventures with her other bands, boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center—Bridgers has become a staple in current indie folk-rock, so much so that she was able to visit Japan for the first time while on tour.

But playing her music to a Japanese crowd was a bittersweet experience for Bridgers, who wrote her new song, "Kyoto," about the imposter syndrome she felt. It's natural—perhaps a knee-jerk reaction, even—to feel detached from reality during trying times, but what about when good things happen and it makes you feel like you're living somebody else's life? The first song from her upcoming second solo album, Punisher, "Kyoto" luxuriates in that disorienting state when distant dreams finally materialize. It's Bridgers' most upbeat track since her breakout single, "Motion Sickness," though originally written as a ballad. "At that point I was so sick of recording slow songs, it turned into this," she explained in a statement.

Propelled by chugging guitars and an exultant trumpet solo, "Kyoto" feels triumphant, though its lyrics allude to animosity. "I don't forgive you / But please don't hold me to it," Bridgers sings. "I wanted to see the world / Through your eyes until it happened / Then I changed my mind." The video was originally intended to be filmed on location in Japan last month, though that plan didn't work out for obvious reasons. Instead, Bridgers and friends go sightseeing with the help of a green screen.

Listen to "Kyoto" below. Punisher is out June 19.

TV

Green Eggs are In, Marvel's Out, and Women are on the Move: This Week in TV News

While you were getting lost in Batsh*t Valley or preparing to drool over Idris Elba being funny, here's the TV news you may have missed.

Green Eggs and Ham: Season 1 | Teaser [HD] | Netflix

While you were getting lost in Batsh*t Valley or preparing to drool over Idris Elba being funny, here's the TV news you may have missed:

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