The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2023 - Issue 34

bitemusicceleb Whitney Houston's ‘Greatest Love of All’ was the main song she belted out. “Going to karaoke bars was the thing to do if it was someone’s birthday,” she said. “‘Greatest Love of All’ by Whitney Houston is a [huge] song for a small person, but for some reason, I sang it every occasion I could.” She also grew up listening to a lot of Motown music. “I was lucky my par- ents were interested in that. They are both Scottish and love the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and Otis Redding - that was hugely impactful.” Sarah started writing songs at seven, then moved to Los Ange- les at 18 to study vocals at the Musicians Institute. Perhaps her first heartbreak song, about a guy she was seeing who was also seeing someone else, was ‘You Ruined the Innocence of Us’. “I wasn’t aware of that, and it was this weird feeling. You ruined it; you ruined the innocence and the purity of those beginning feelings,” she revealed. “The song began with a 20-page poem I wrote that I read to him. I wanted him to feel the wrath.” Despite her surname being different to Canadian singer-song- writer Sarah McLachlan’s, Sarah felt it wise to use a distinctive stage name. “I’m a ‘90s baby, and Sarah McLachlan is queen. I knew from a young age I could never compete with her,” she admitted. “I wanted a fresh start and to be reminded of my hometown. It felt like this grounding to have that as my name every time I introduced myself.” So she chose Bishop Briggs in honour of Bishopbriggs in Scotland, where her parents were raised. In Los Angeles, she performed at various venues for several years before being discovered by former A&R rep George Rob- inson. Bishop Briggs' first single ‘Wild Horses’ written when she didn't know whether she could be in a relationship and happy, wasn't initially included on her debut album, Church of Scars. “This [song] was written during a dark time in my life and was the first song I released. Having this on the album felt important to show 'Baby Me' how much I've grown.” She followed with smash hit ‘River’, which reached the top 10 on three different Billboard charts, #1 on the Spotify US Viral 50 and later rendered an opening slot on a Coldplay tour. Also love-related, the song is about a strained relationship on the edge of failure. “My hope with [this] song is that it empowers people to take things into their hands. I always have the visual, especially when writing it, to go up to someone's face, egg them on, and ask them to push you to your limits.” She admitted writing dark poetry has always been her escape, an outlet and therapeutic relief. “The lyrics you hear in the EP, along those lines, are looking at things with a darker perspec- tive and having a darker take on the situation,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “It’s just the more real side of humans. It’s the person we