The Audacious Singer-Songwriter Phoebe Bridgers Who Smashed Her Guitar On Stage

Phoebe Bridgers is recognised for constantly flouting 21st-century stereotypical gender norms and demonstrating a transparent yet complex form of self-healing.

Phoebe Bridgers, a 28-year-old American singer-songwriter from Pasadena, California, was born and raised in the city. She was a member of the American rock band, Sloppy Jane, before venturing out on her own. She's been in the industry for about nine years, but she rose to Indie-rock stardom in a traditional way before the pandemic. She has now grown to achieve mainstream recognition largely from the confines of her home.

From the traditional way of stardom to lockdown fame

Phoebe and her younger brother, Jackson, grew up in a house filled with the sounds of her parents' favourite Southern California rock. Bridgers was a precocious child as she grew older, she drew more attention, both positive and negative. Bridgers met Ryan Adams through a mutual friend when she was 20 years old. He released her first single, "Killer," on his Pax Americana label in 2015. However, something else happened around the same time that changed the course of her career. She got a stint in television commercials, including two Apple commercials, in one of which she featured fronting an all-female band. In February 2016, Bridgers opened for Baker, who was riding high on the success of her debut album.

Suggested Reading: Phoebe Bridgers Kicks Off Spotify Singles Series Saluting Grammy Nominees

Representing the ultimate Feminism

Bridgers' performance on "Saturday Night Live" ended in an intense, unexpected manner. She smashed her guitar, following in the footsteps of other alt-rock artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Helene, and Kurt Cobain, to name a few. She received a lot of backlashes after the SNL episode aired, but she clapped back at the backlash by taking to Instagram. "Got some really great feedback from my performance, I'll just burn it next time, and it'll be more expensive!" she captioned her photo. " Several pointed out that a male rock artist would never be scrutinised to the same level.

Ryan Adams, a popular singer-songwriter and producer known for Whiskeytown, invited Bridgers to the Pax Am studio in 2014. Bridgers, who was only 20 years old and new to the music industry, was captivated by Adams and believed "he had the power to propel people forward."

Ryan's intense flattery and confident enthusiasm quickly turned into flirtatious texts, and weeks into their romantic relationship, Adams reportedly began talking about marriage, and his obsessive attention became abusive. Bridgers recalls Adams bombarding her with texts seeking proof of her whereabouts, and he would force her to leave situations to have phone sex. If Bridgers ignored these calls or texts, Adams would even threaten suicide. Bridgers ended their relationship after recognising his abusive behaviour, but Adams withheld her music and rescinded his offer to open his upcoming concerts.

Several other women, including Adams' ex-wife, Mandy Moore, came forward to describe similar behaviours and instances of abuse.

Grammy nominations

While Bridgers could challenge other conventional ideas by playing down the importance of four Grammy nominations, she best expresses her feelings by quoting a friend. "One of my favourite people called me and said, 'If you hadn't gotten nominated, the Grammys would be a shambles — but the fact that you are is the best thing that has ever happened."

When everyone else was screaming in the middle of the pandemic in April, she wrote a pleasant-random love song, demonstrating how much she dissociates. Also, Bridgers was able to captivate her trauma into her music. She released her song "Motion Sickness," which was inspired by the emotional rollercoaster she experienced during her "whirlwind romance" with Adams. She conveys the indescribable emotions of abuse in the most honest and transparent way possible through her notoriously poetic lyrics.