<p>When Phoebe Bridgers’ phone started “going crazy” on Tuesday afternoon, at first she feared the worst. “I was like, ‘Who died?’” she said.</p>.<p>But the news, of course, was much happier: The 26-year-old singer and songwriter from Los Angeles had earned her first four Grammy nominations, including a nod in one of the four big categories, best new artist. (The others are best alternative music album for <em>Punisher </em>and best rock performance and song for <em>Kyoto</em>.”)</p>.<p><em>Punisher</em>, Bridgers’ second studio album, features bleak ballads suffused with a 20-something’s candor. The LP is “a showcase of Bridgers’ great strength as a songwriter,” Lindsay Zoladz wrote, reviewing the album in The New York Times, “weaving tiny, specific, time-stamped details (chemtrails, Saltines, serotonin) into durable big-tent tapestries of feeling.” Bridgers brings another side of herself to Twitter, where she’s a funny and irreverent voice guaranteed to liven up your lockdown.</p>.<p>On Wednesday afternoon, Bridgers talked about women nominees dominating best rock performance, how that “Iris” cover with Maggie Rogers came about and how she knows a song is complete.</p>.<p>These are edited excerpts from the conversation.</p>.<p> <strong>How did you find out you were nominated?</strong></p>.<p>I was in bed with a migraine — these things give me a lot of anxiety. Then I saw all these messages from my mom — she was crying and sent a picture of a bottle of Champagne she bought two days ago that she hadn’t wanted me to know about, just in case nothing happened</p>.<p><strong>Did you watch the Grammys growing up?</strong></p>.<p>My mom and I watched pretty much every award show, but this one was always more fun because I actually give a [expletive] and pay attention to music.</p>.<p> <strong>Do you have any plans for the ceremony? Have you been asked to perform?</strong></p>.<p>No, but I hope we get to do some semblance of something fun, whether it’s from this apartment or elsewhere.</p>.<p><strong>This is the first time the rock performance category has all women nominees. Do you think the Grammys are pandering after being criticised for poor gender representation?</strong></p>.<p>Maybe. But it’s also funny and shocking because it’s probably been all men for every award ceremony at some point. But who gives a [expletive], they’re great choices. I’m honored to be nominated with those people.</p>.<p><strong>You scored your first Billboard Hot 100 single this week for a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ <em>Iris </em>you recorded with Maggie Rogers. How did that come about?</strong></p>.<p>It started as just a riff. I’d rediscovered that song after watching the movie <em>Treasure Planet</em>, and then I just made a joke on Twitter that if Donald Trump loses, I’ll cover <em>Iris</em>. And I let the tide of the internet take me wherever it would. I wanted to do it for charity, and Maggie suggested Fair Fight, which was such a good idea.</p>.<p><strong>How long have you been politically engaged</strong>?</p>.<p> I saw Obama’s inauguration, which was this huge moment. And I thought that white privilege and racism were over, and that everything was good now that Obama was president. Then I took part in SlutWalk in high school, which is this anti victim-blaming march, and we had a feminism club. I just slowly realized that just because we had a Black president didn’t mean that every problem was over in America.</p>.<p><strong>Where are you finding songwriting inspiration right now?</strong></p>.<p>A: I’m doing a new type of therapy and lots of memories are resurfacing, so I don’t need to look for it. I’m processing a lot of [expletive] because time is so stagnant, and I feel like I have songs just building up inside me. I’m like, “How will I write every song about everything?”</p>.<p><strong>How are you a different person than you were a year ago?</strong></p>.<p>I hope I’ve experienced some sort of ego death with not being cheered for every night. I’ve been forced to come into my own and self-soothe, in a way. If the worst that happens to me all year is that I’ve been bored, I will have had a great year.</p>.<p><strong>Is the candor and stinging honesty in your music something you’ve had to work up to, or have you always had that confidence?</strong></p>.<p> I maybe still am working up to it. I wrote more songs before where I wanted to portray emotion and darkness, but I was shielding myself a bit and my lyrics weren’t as good. And I think “Motion Sickness,” from my first record, was where that really shifted. I was like, “What if I wrote like this instead of doing more frilly songs?”</p>.<p><strong>How do you know a song is finished?</strong></p>.<p> When every line brings me sort of joy, which is weird in the context of my music, but I don’t want there to be any parts that people skip to get to better lyrics.</p>.<p><strong>The Grammys love to bring together artists from different generations for performances. In general, who would be your dream collaborator?</strong></p>.<p>If I could conquer Bob Dylan, I feel like life would be pretty complete.</p>
<p>When Phoebe Bridgers’ phone started “going crazy” on Tuesday afternoon, at first she feared the worst. “I was like, ‘Who died?’” she said.</p>.<p>But the news, of course, was much happier: The 26-year-old singer and songwriter from Los Angeles had earned her first four Grammy nominations, including a nod in one of the four big categories, best new artist. (The others are best alternative music album for <em>Punisher </em>and best rock performance and song for <em>Kyoto</em>.”)</p>.<p><em>Punisher</em>, Bridgers’ second studio album, features bleak ballads suffused with a 20-something’s candor. The LP is “a showcase of Bridgers’ great strength as a songwriter,” Lindsay Zoladz wrote, reviewing the album in The New York Times, “weaving tiny, specific, time-stamped details (chemtrails, Saltines, serotonin) into durable big-tent tapestries of feeling.” Bridgers brings another side of herself to Twitter, where she’s a funny and irreverent voice guaranteed to liven up your lockdown.</p>.<p>On Wednesday afternoon, Bridgers talked about women nominees dominating best rock performance, how that “Iris” cover with Maggie Rogers came about and how she knows a song is complete.</p>.<p>These are edited excerpts from the conversation.</p>.<p> <strong>How did you find out you were nominated?</strong></p>.<p>I was in bed with a migraine — these things give me a lot of anxiety. Then I saw all these messages from my mom — she was crying and sent a picture of a bottle of Champagne she bought two days ago that she hadn’t wanted me to know about, just in case nothing happened</p>.<p><strong>Did you watch the Grammys growing up?</strong></p>.<p>My mom and I watched pretty much every award show, but this one was always more fun because I actually give a [expletive] and pay attention to music.</p>.<p> <strong>Do you have any plans for the ceremony? Have you been asked to perform?</strong></p>.<p>No, but I hope we get to do some semblance of something fun, whether it’s from this apartment or elsewhere.</p>.<p><strong>This is the first time the rock performance category has all women nominees. Do you think the Grammys are pandering after being criticised for poor gender representation?</strong></p>.<p>Maybe. But it’s also funny and shocking because it’s probably been all men for every award ceremony at some point. But who gives a [expletive], they’re great choices. I’m honored to be nominated with those people.</p>.<p><strong>You scored your first Billboard Hot 100 single this week for a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ <em>Iris </em>you recorded with Maggie Rogers. How did that come about?</strong></p>.<p>It started as just a riff. I’d rediscovered that song after watching the movie <em>Treasure Planet</em>, and then I just made a joke on Twitter that if Donald Trump loses, I’ll cover <em>Iris</em>. And I let the tide of the internet take me wherever it would. I wanted to do it for charity, and Maggie suggested Fair Fight, which was such a good idea.</p>.<p><strong>How long have you been politically engaged</strong>?</p>.<p> I saw Obama’s inauguration, which was this huge moment. And I thought that white privilege and racism were over, and that everything was good now that Obama was president. Then I took part in SlutWalk in high school, which is this anti victim-blaming march, and we had a feminism club. I just slowly realized that just because we had a Black president didn’t mean that every problem was over in America.</p>.<p><strong>Where are you finding songwriting inspiration right now?</strong></p>.<p>A: I’m doing a new type of therapy and lots of memories are resurfacing, so I don’t need to look for it. I’m processing a lot of [expletive] because time is so stagnant, and I feel like I have songs just building up inside me. I’m like, “How will I write every song about everything?”</p>.<p><strong>How are you a different person than you were a year ago?</strong></p>.<p>I hope I’ve experienced some sort of ego death with not being cheered for every night. I’ve been forced to come into my own and self-soothe, in a way. If the worst that happens to me all year is that I’ve been bored, I will have had a great year.</p>.<p><strong>Is the candor and stinging honesty in your music something you’ve had to work up to, or have you always had that confidence?</strong></p>.<p> I maybe still am working up to it. I wrote more songs before where I wanted to portray emotion and darkness, but I was shielding myself a bit and my lyrics weren’t as good. And I think “Motion Sickness,” from my first record, was where that really shifted. I was like, “What if I wrote like this instead of doing more frilly songs?”</p>.<p><strong>How do you know a song is finished?</strong></p>.<p> When every line brings me sort of joy, which is weird in the context of my music, but I don’t want there to be any parts that people skip to get to better lyrics.</p>.<p><strong>The Grammys love to bring together artists from different generations for performances. In general, who would be your dream collaborator?</strong></p>.<p>If I could conquer Bob Dylan, I feel like life would be pretty complete.</p>