Bishop Briggs
Briggs in 2019
Briggs in January 2019
Background information
Birth nameSarah Grace McLaughlin
Born (1992-07-18) 18 July 1992 (age 31)
London, United Kingdom
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • keyboards
Years active2015–present
Labels
Spouse(s)Landon Jacobs
Websitebishopbriggs.com

Sarah Grace McLaughlin (born 18 July 1992), known professionally as Bishop Briggs, is a British-American singer and songwriter.[4][1] Her single "River" peaked at number 3 on the US Alternative Chart.[5] and has been streamed more than 485 million times on Spotify. It was included on her debut album, Church of Scars, released on 20 April 2018.[6] Island Records released her second album, Champion, in July 2019, and it was included in The Young Folks Top 50 albums of the year.[7]

Early life

Sarah Grace McLaughlin[8][9] was born in London on 18 July 1992,[10] the daughter of Scottish parents from the town of Bishopbriggs, which later inspired her stage name.[11] 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.[12] She continued to pursue music throughout her youth, participating in a number of school talent shows and performances. After graduating from Hong Kong International School, she moved to Los Angeles and attended college at Musicians Institute.[13]

Career

2015–2017: Debut singles and EP

After moving to Los Angeles, Briggs wrote and played all over the city in any venue she could, eventually recording her first single "Wild Horses" in July 2015. Many listeners found Briggs via Shazam when seeing an Acura commercial which features the song during the Super Bowl. In late 2015, "Wild Horses" began climbing the charts again, entering the top 30 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and top 13 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artist charts.

In January 2016, Briggs released the single "River". The song was a commercial success and reached number 1 on Hype Machine's Popular charts and on Spotify's US Viral 50 and No. 2 on the Global Viral 50,[14] as well as hitting the Top 10 on three difference Billboard charts.[15] It also received an Honorable Mention on Shazam's predicted Songs of the Summer 2016, which was featured in Billboard. "River" climbed into the top 3 on the 'Billboard Alternative Songs chart and top 10 on the Billboard Hot Rock, Rock Airplay and Twitter Emerging Artist charts.[citation needed]

In May 2016, she released her third single, "The Way I Do". She was the opening act for Coldplay in the fall of 2016 on nine of their tour dates,[16] and also opened for Kaleo throughout their fall tour.[17] Briggs made her television debut on 1 August 2016, performing "River" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[18] The video received more than 260 million views on YouTube. She released her fourth single, "Pray (Empty Gun)" on 12 August 2016.[19] The song was featured in the season 2 finale of the MTV show Scream.[20] On 23 September 2016, Briggs released the single "Be Your Love".[21] Her first physical release was a self-titled 12" vinyl EP in a limited-edition run of 1,200 copies, released on Record Store Day Black Friday in 2016.[22]

In December 2016, Briggs released the official video for "Wild Horses" through W Magazine.[23]

Bishop Briggs opened on the main stage at the 2017 Panorama Festival in New York City and played Coachella 2017.[24] Briggs contributed to the soundtrack of xXx: Return of Xander Cage with her song "Mercy". She featured in Cold War Kids' song "So Tied Up", released in March 2017.[25]

Briggs' self-titled EP was re-released digitally on 14 April 2017, featuring four songs released on the vinyl EP and two previously unreleased songs, "Dark Side" and "The Fire". In 2020, "Dark Side" was heard in Avengers (2020 video game).

2018: Church of Scars

Briggs' debut album, Church of Scars, was released on 20 April 2018.[26]

2019: Champion

In October 2019, Briggs released three songs as singles ("Champion", "Tattooed On My Heart" and "Jekyll & Hide") from her second studio album, Champion. In November, Briggs released the song "Someone Else" as part of the album. The album was then released on 8 November.[27] The first single (and title track) received nearly 30 million streams on Spotify and third single "Jekyll & Hide" nearly 20 million.

2020–2023

Briggs released several songs in response to the death of her older sister and manager Kate McLaughlin, who died of ovarian cancer at age 30 in January 2021. These included[28] her songs "High Water" and "Art of Survival."[29] She performed "High Water" on CBS' The Late Show with James Corden.

In May 2022 she performed at Coachella while in her third trimester of pregnancy,[30] and in August she announced the birth of her first child.[31] The single "superhuman," released in October 2022,[32] was a love letter to her son.

Also in 2022, her track "Revolution" was included as the second track on EA Games' NHL 23 soundtrack;[33] for the holiday season she released the single "Cheer"; and her track "Lessons of the Fire" was the lead track to the Netflix series "Devil In Ohio."[34]

On 21 October 2022 "superhuman" was featured in Times Square as part of the "Rise To" campaign "inviting brilliant young minds to continue to turn opportunities into action as they ‘Rise To’ face the world’s most pressing issues."[35]

In May 2023, a fall Bishop Briggs/MisterWives co-headlining tour billed as "Don't Look Down" was announced.[36] Briggs also competed in season nine of The Masked Singer as "Medusa". After besting Dick Van Dyke as "Gnome" and Sara Evans as "Mustang" in the first episode, Howie Mandel as "Rock Lobster" and Debbie Gibson as "Night Owl" on "ABBA Night", she was defeated on "New York Night" by Pentatonix as “California Roll”, but was saved by Nicole Scherzinger ringing the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell. Briggs as "Medusa" won the "Battle of the Saved" against Lou Diamond Phillips as "Mantis" and Keenan Allen as "Gargoyle" where she proceeded to win the season making her the first British and international singer to win and the youngest winner in the show's history at the age of 30 beating out the record held by Teyana Taylor as "Firefly" in season seven. As an encore following her unmasking, Briggs performed "River".[37]

Her EP When Everything Went Dark was released in June 2023 on Arista Records, including the single “Baggage”.[38]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[39] 		CAN
[40] 		SWI
[41] 		US
[42] 		US
Alt.
[43] 		US
Rock
[44]
Church of Scars 91 56 90 29 5 5
Champion
  • Released: 8 November 2019[45]
  • Label: Island
  • Format: CD, cassette, digital download, streaming, vinyl
 — — — — — —

Extended plays

Title Extended play details Peak chart positions
AUS
Hit.
[46] 		US
Rock
[44] 		US
Heat.
[47]
Bishop Briggs
  • Released: 25 November 2016[48]
  • Label: Island
  • Format: Vinyl
 — — —
Bishop Briggs – EP
  • Released: 14 April 2017[49]
  • Label: Island
  • Format: Digital download, CD, cassette
 11 46 5
When Everything Went Dark
  • Released: 23 June 2023
  • Label: Arista
  • Format: Digital download, CD, cassette
 — — —

Singles

List of singles by Bishop Briggs
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
DL
[50] 		AUS
Hit.
[51] 		CAN
Rock
[52] 		CHN
[53] 		SCO
[54] 		US
Alt.
[55] 		US
Rock
[56]
"Wild Horses" 2015 — — — — — —[A] —[B] Bishop Briggs and Church of Scars
"River" 2016 74 — 12 — 76 3 10
"The Way I Do" — — — — — — — Bishop Briggs
"Pray (Empty Gun)" — — — — — — — Non-album singles
"Be Your Love" — — — — — — 39
"Wild Horses" (re-release) — — 38 — — 17 21 Church of Scars
"The Way I Do" (re-release) 2017 — — — — — — — Bishop Briggs
"Hi-Lo (Hollow)" — — — — — — — Church of Scars
"Dream" — — 45 — — 25 30
"Never Tear Us Apart" 2018 92 16 — — 78 —[C] 18 Fifty Shades Freed OST
"White Flag" 79 — — — 88 16 25 Church of Scars
"Baby" — — — — — 29 — Non-album single
"Champion" 2019 — — 39 16 — 22 20 Champion
"Tattoed on My Heart" — — — — — — —
"Jekyll & Hide" — — — — — —[D] 47
"We Will Rock You" 2020 — — — — — — — Non-album singles
"Higher" — — — — — —[E] —
"Walk You Home" — — — — — — —
"Someone Else" (featuring Jacob Banks) 2021 — — — — — — —
"High Water" 2022 — — — — — — — When Everything Went Dark
"Art of Survival" — — — — — — — Non-album singles
"Revolution" — — — — — — —
"Superhuman" — — — — — — — When Everything Went Dark
"Cheer" — — — — — — — Non-album single
"Baggage" 2023 — — 49 — — — — When Everything Went Dark
"—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released

Guest appearances

List of guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Alt
[55] 		US
Rock
[56] 		CAN
Rock
[52]
"So Tied Up"
(Cold War Kids feat. Bishop Briggs) 		2017 12 28 48 L.A. Divine
"friends*"
(Moby Rich & Bishop Briggs) 		2020 — — — Non-album singles

Notes

  1. ^ "Wild Horses" did not enter the Alternative Airplay chart, but peaked at number 18 on the Alternative Digital Songs chart.[57]
  2. ^ "Wild Horses" did not enter the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, but peaked at number 22 on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart.[58]
  3. ^ "Never Tear Us Apart" did not enter the Alternative Airplay chart, but peaked at number 5 on the Alternative Digital Songs chart.[57]
  4. ^ "Jekyll & Hide" did not enter the Alternative Airplay chart, but peaked at number 18 on the Alternative Digital Songs chart.[57]
  5. ^ "Higher" did not enter the Alternative Airplay chart, but peaked at number 12 on the Alternative Digital Songs chart.[57]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2018 MTV Europe Music Awards Best Push Nominated [62]
2019 Music Moves Europe Awards Best Pop Artist Won [63]

References

  1. ^ a b Donelson, Marcy. "Bishop Briggs". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  2. ^ Mohammed, Jenna (20 April 2018). "Bishop Briggs: Church of Scars". Exclaim!. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  3. ^ "River (King Kavalier Remix) – Single by Bishop Briggs on Apple Music". United States: Apple Music. 27 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Bishop Briggs' musical journey started in childhood". San Francisco Chronicle. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  5. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (10 June 2016). "Bishop Briggs' 'River' Rises on the Rock Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  6. ^ Sterlin, Scott (23 February 2018). "Bishop Briggs details debut album 'Church of Scars,' shares tour dates". Radio.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  7. ^ "TYF's Top 50 Albums of 2019". The Young Folks. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  8. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (17 May 2016). "Bishop Briggs Reaches For You On "The Way I Do"". The Fader. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  9. ^ "ASCAP Ace Search – Sarah Grace McLaughlin". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Bishop Briggs on Twitter". Bishop Briggs. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  11. ^ Stewart, Allison (26 June 2018). "Bishop Briggs came about, broadly, because of Sarah McLachlan". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  12. ^ Cusumano, Katherine (10 April 2017). "Bishop Briggs, Alt-Pop's Enigmatic Rising Star, Finally Opens Up". wmagazine. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Bishop Briggs: iHeartRadio On The Verge Artist | iHeartRadio On The Verge | iHeartRadio". iHeartRadio. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  14. ^ Budd, Chris (11 May 2016). "VIDEO: "River" by Bishop Briggs – Indie Music Filter". Indie Music Filter. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  15. ^ Budd, Chris (2 May 2018). "Meet Bishop Briggs: The Rising Alternative Star Behind 'River'". forbes. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  16. ^ King, Patrick. "Bishop Briggs – The Way I Do | All Things Go". www.allthingsgomusic.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  17. ^ Shetler, Scott (29 July 2016). "Emerging artist: Bishop Briggs scores first rock radio hit, opens for Coldplay". AXS. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  18. ^ Craddock, Lauren. "Bishop Briggs Brings Breakthrough Song 'River' to 'The Tonight Show': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  19. ^ Sonis, Rachel (12 August 2016). "Bishop Briggs Releases Raw New Single "Pray (Empty Gun)": Listen | Idolator". Idolator. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  20. ^ "Music from Scream: Season 2 FINALE". MTV.com. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  21. ^ "Be Your Love – Single by Bishop Briggs on Apple Music". iTunes. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  22. ^ Record Store Day announces list of 2016 Black Friday exclusive releases. Brooklyn Vegan, 25 October 2016
  23. ^ Cusumano, Katherine (19 December 2016). "Music Video Premiere: Bishop Briggs Enters a Lynchian Fever Dream With "Wild Horses"". W Magazine. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  24. ^ "'Home | Coachella 2017'". Coachella. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  25. ^ "Cold War Kids recruit Bishop Briggs for new track, "So Tied Up" – Music News – ABC News Radio". ABC News Radio. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  26. ^ "Bishop Briggs releases new single, "Dream"; dbut album due in spring 2018". ABC News Radio Online. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  27. ^ Eloise T15:38:51Z, Marianne (8 November 2019). "Bishop Briggs' new album Champion: an artist laid bare but refusing to tone down". loudersound. Retrieved 29 January 2020.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ Nattress, Katrina (8 February 2023). "Bishop Briggs Reflects On Second Anniversary Of Her Sister's Death". iheart. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  29. ^ Briggs, Bishop (7 July 2022). "BISHOP BRIGGS ON LOSING HER SISTER AND SURVIVING GRIEF: "THERE WAS PLENTY OF SELF-DESTRUCTION'"". nylon. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  30. ^ Song, Sandra (8 April 2022). "Bishop Briggs Is Reborn". Paper. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  31. ^ Tate, Sarah (5 August 2022). "Bishop Briggs Welcomes First Child: 'Worth The Wait'". iheart. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  32. ^ Baltin, Steve (1 November 2022). "Q&A: Bishop Briggs On What It Means To Be 'Superhuman,' Lizzo, Taylor Swift And More". forbes. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  33. ^ "NHL 23 SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE NOW". ea.com. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  34. ^ Major, Michael (4 November 2022). "Bishop Briggs Spread Holiday 'Cheer' on New Track". broadwayworld. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  35. ^ Bowling, Suzanna (21 October 2022). "Multi-Platinum Artist Bishop Briggs Takes Over Times Square". t2conline. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  36. ^ LaPierre, Megan (2 May 2023). "Bishop Briggs and MisterWives Announce Co-Headlining Fall Tour". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  37. ^ "'The Masked Singer' Finale Reveals Identities of Medusa and Macaw: Here's Who Won Season 9". 18 May 2023.
  38. ^ Li, Simon (13 May 2023). "Bishop Briggs Releases New Single "Baggage", Announces New EP, Fall Tour Dates". mwdwn.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  39. ^ Ryan, Gavin (28 April 2018). "Australian Charts: J Cole 'KOD' Debuts At No 1". Noise11. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  40. ^ "Bishop Briggs Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  41. ^ "Discographie Bishop Briggs". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  42. ^ "Bishop Briggs Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  43. ^ "Bishop Briggs Chart History: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  44. ^ a b "Bishop Briggs Chart History: Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  45. ^ "CHAMPION by Bishop Briggs". Apple Music. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  46. ^ "ARIA Report: Issue 1417" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  47. ^ "Bishop Briggs Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  48. ^ Bishop Briggs – Bishop Briggs. Recordstoreday.com. Accessed 2 April 2017.
  49. ^ "Bishop Briggs – EP by Bishop Briggs on Apple Music". iTunes. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  50. ^
  51. ^ "ARIA Report: Issue 1459" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  52. ^ a b "Bishop Briggs Chart History – Canada Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  53. ^ "China Airplay Chart/Foreign Language - 29/07/2019". Billboard China (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  54. ^ Scottish Singles Chart positions for Bishop Briggs:
  55. ^ a b "Bishop Briggs Chart History – Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  56. ^ a b "Bishop Briggs Chart History – Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  57. ^ a b c d "Bishop Briggs – Chart History: Alternative Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  58. ^ "Bishop Briggs – Chart History: Rock Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  59. ^ "American certifications – Bishop Briggs – River". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  60. ^ "British certifications – Bishop Briggs – River". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  61. ^ "Canadian certifications – Bishop Briggs – River". Music Canada. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  62. ^ "Camila Cabello, Ariana Grande, Post Malone Lead 2018 MTV EMA Nominees". Billboard. 4 October 2018.
  63. ^ "Bishop Briggs, Blackwave Among Winners of Inaugural Music Moves Europe Awards". Variety. 19 January 2019.

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