Photography by Brian Ziff for PAPER MAG
Bishop Briggs is back to honor her late sister with two beautiful yet melancholic tracks – “High Water” and “Art of Survival.”
Bishop Briggs is the definition of a daring artist. After successful releases like “White Flag” and “Champion,” she constantly empowering fans while always embracing a joyous attitude. 2021 took a heartbreaking toll on Briggs – she lost her sister Kate after a tumultuous battle with cancer. To honor Kate, she wrote two heart-wrenching songs about her late sister that encapsulate her grief while actively moving on to a new chapter in her life.
In “High Water,” Briggs powers through nostalgia and memories of Kate using a gospel-like chorus and her compelling vocals. She shows her true emotional state through her lyrics, showing how broken she feels by using the metaphor “I’m in high water without you.” The simplicity of the lyrics in the bridge of the song is what seems to hurt most – she cries “I miss you so much,” which is backed the faint sounds of laughter to what is presumably Sarah and Kate. “High Water” is the perfect ode of remembrance, a message that also takes place in the next track.
“Art of Survival” serves a motivating anthem to fight her inner-demons and defeat a broken heart. The song is full of emotion and newly-found confidence through contrasting vocals in the chorus/verses. The incredible musical arrangement consists an angelic chorus with hymning tones of despair, which creates a profound layer to the track. While some of the lyrics resemble to those of her song “Champion,” Briggs shows that she is capable of breaking through an emotional wall that has kept her from moving on.
“Art of Survival” and “High Water” shows her grieving process through emotive songwriting, undoubtedly making both songs some of her best songs to date. With the release of the songs, Bishop Briggs also announced on PAPER Magazine that she was expecting her first child, in which she strongly feels her baby is a “little present” from her sister. Briggs is also set to perform at Coachella 2022 on April 15th and April 22nd.
I'm a full-time music journalist/photographer from Houston, number one Paramore fan and Husky dog owner. I have a B.S in Radio-Television-Film from UT Austin and a M.A in Mass Communications from the University of Houston, which makes me smart! On top of being an avid concert-goer and movie fanatic, I love bonding with others over the power of local music and media.
