The Night Owl EditionExtra
Bishop Briggs
English singer and songwriter (born 1992)
Sarah Grace McLaughlin, known professionally as Bishop Briggs, is an English singer and songwriter. Her single "River" peaked at number 3 on the US Alternative Chart, and has been streamed more than 485 million times on Spotify.
It was included on her debut album, Church of Scars, released in April 2018. Island Records released her second album, Champion, in July 2019, which was included in The Young Folks Top 50 albums of the year.
File card: Bishop Briggs
real name: Sarah Grace McLaughlin
labels: Island Records
genres: indie pop, dance music
plays: voice
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
The Airwaves CourierExtra
Early life
Sarah Grace McLaughlin was born in London on 18 July 1992, the daughter of Scottish parents from the town of Bishopbriggs, which later inspired her stage name. At the age of four, she moved to Tokyo with her family. She sang in public for the first time at a Tokyo karaoke bar, and realised she wanted to be a performer. Growing up with the city's karaoke bar traditions and hearing music ranging from Motown musicians to The Beatles at home also inspired her to pursue music. She started writing her own songs at the age of seven, and would perform them for her family. She moved to Hong Kong at the age of 10, where she lived until she was 18. She continued to pursue music throughout her youth, training with vocal coach Christine Samson in Hong...
Singer and songwriter, born 18th July 1992 in London, UK.
Her artist name is a reference to the Scottish town of Bishopbriggs, on the edge of the city of Glasgow, where her parents come from.
Also known as: Bishop
From Discogs (free to use). Their entryThe Night Owl Edition2016
River
2016 single by Bishop Briggs
"River" is a song by English singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs, released on 22 January 2016 through Teleport Records and Island Records. Initially, it was released on the artist's SoundCloud.
It is the second single released on Briggs's debut album Church of Scars. In May 2016, it was incorporated into the official soundtrack album for MTV's Scream Season 2, appearing throughout the season, and re-released with Scream: Music from Season Two on July 29, 2016, under Island Records.
Background
The song is about a strained relationship that is on the edge of failure. Bishop Briggs stated that the lyrics of the song “was all about the tension…My hope with that song is it makes people feel empowered [to] take things into their own hands. I always have the visual, especially when I was writing it, to go up to someone's face and egg them on, and ask them to push you to your limits. I think there is something strong and exciting about that."
Composition
The song starts with "a whipping percussion", before it "transitions into an explosive chorus highlighting Briggs's fierce, soulful-rocker vocals". Vice felt that the song was "seemingly birthed by witches off the Bayou, bearing handclaps like reddening thigh slaps and boasting a topline that allows Bishop to truly exercise her range."
Music video
The music video was directed by Jungle George. Bishop Briggs stated the video was "about embracing my inner demons and setting them loose." It begins with an opening shot of Bishop Briggs sinking in water. In the video, there is a scene where she convulses and another where she is wearing a bag over her head.
Critical reception
Brooklyn Magazine wrote it is “an explosive track with the potential to be a massive radio hit. It will leave you feeling empowered with surging bass and skyward vocals.” Antonio Beliveau in Life & News wrote, “Simple. Space. Repetition. Straight to the point… It’s not a song that goes into my iTunes after hearing it even for the third time. But there’s a lot to appreciate about this cut.” Hooligan Magazine wrote, “Parts of this track suck the air right out of the room, but Briggs never fails to throw us right back into the mix with her smooth guitar playing and slick voice. “River” has something for everybody.”
