Phoebe Bridgers Reflects On 'Kyoto' And Its Impact: 'Forgiveness Is A Gift To Yourself'

As much as Phoebe Bridgers's brand is being sad online, two of her biggest songs delve directly into the red, venting anger and aggravation. On 2017's "Motion Sickness," a track that helped establish her as a foremost singer-songwriter who can wring your heart with nimble voice and also a couple of guitar chords, it was about reflecting on bitterness. "'Motion Sickness' is essentially ironically upset Bridgers tells MTV News correspondent Dometi Pongo. "I'm furious and I'm attempting to get through it, or something, and it's a lot about resentment."


On last year's "Kyoto," though, the musical mood feels lighter, led by a bright trumpet melody and an an almost fizzy travelogue she recalls by means of the the lyrics. However the tale itself is darker, drawing from Bridgers's own unresolved relationship with her father, as she explains on the latest episode of the MTV News documentary series "The Method." "'Kyoto' is sort of like that sequel feeling, where I'm upset at my dad," she laughs, although then, sort of realizing that I'm also sort of over it. Forgiveness is a gift to yourself, and I completely feel like that. It sucks to walk around furious all of the time."


The power of "Kyoto" is palpable. It landed Bridgers her first-ever Grammy nominations — for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Efficiency — along with netted her second LP, Punisher, a nod for Best Option Music Album. It also helped opened the lines of communication back up between her and her father "for the initial time in a really long time," while in the past year, because the pandemic raged on. "Songs are excellent. They just sort of help you work through shit, like, sort of even before I feel it." They spoken about "Kyoto" a little bit, also, though not up front. It took the song's Grammy success to prompt that portion of the conversation, Bridgers says. "He was like, 'Hey... That song that's about me is nominated for a Grammy,' and that's the opening time we spoken about it. However yeah, I'm glad it was lighthearted of a conversation."


Even as anger and sadness can be catalysts for Bridgers's songwriting process, and even as her in general sound has come to be defined by an affinity for downbeat, atmospheric, and emo-adjacent confessional music, her aims have routinely been much loftier than making sad sound for its own sake. "Honestly, it's like trauma representation," she explains. "It's like any time Once I read a book that's super dark, or something, there's like a weight lifted because it's just someone that you look up laying all this out that you relate to."


Watch Bridgers dive into her career beginnings, what makes her excited to keep writing and pushing forward, and how she's aligned her visual aesthetic with ghosts and skeletons in the entire episode of "The Method" below. (And then, visualize previous episodes with Patientce Foster and Tayla Parx.)