With a name dangerously similar to Helen Fielding's ironically clumsy character of the "Bridget Jones Diary" novels, one could think that this Berlin-based band is sugar, spice, and everything nice, with a pinch of comedy. But the three protagonists of Birgit Jones have more in common with a cool, raw, and heavy whiskey sour than they do with the chocolate-addicted character of Fielding's novels: our artists of the week deliver the roughest post-glam doom the city of Berlin has to offer.
There's a little bit of Birgit Jones in all of us, undoubtedly. This particular one, however, was born in 2018, when the three Berlin-based musicians Kristin (bass), Rike (vocals), and Nathalie (drums) met while rehearsing at the same location. The trio bonded over their shared vision of creating their very own version of drum and bass - and finding a shared inner voice. That voice, unapologetically demanding to be treated like a queen and cussing at the patriarchy, turned out to be Birgit Jones. Upon discovering more and more like-minded women with a similar inner voices, they decided to make theirs heard through a new musical project.
"Birgit Jones is not a band name in the conventional sense.The three of us are just the musicians who are allowed to spread her message"
Kristin
After the phenomenal release of Birgit Jones' very first fiery music video earlier this week, we now serve you a whole lot more Birgit. Enjoy a deep dive into her empowering queendom with this exclusive interview!
How do you define good music? What does music mean to you?
Birgit: "There is no definition for good music, it varies per each individual situation. A song that is played at the right moment at the right time will always become connected to personal memory and make you reminisce about special moments. That is completely unrelated to a specific genre or type of song. We, for example, have a shared playlist (BJ Allstars on Spotify), on which you can find real Rock Classics right next to tunes by artists we wouldn't call our musical idols, but who can make us really happy for 3 minutes on a long car drive."
When did you decide to dedicate your life to making music?
Birgit: "There was never a real turning point in our lives that took us on this path. In life, you should do what fulfils you. In our case that is making music."
"We see ourselves as people responsible for standing up for equality and equal rights, in every area of life, not only in art."
To what extent do you feel your role in the post-glam-doom genre is different - or not different - from that of your male colleagues?
Birgit: "Given that this genre was invented by us, there are currently no male colleagues in this field as far as we know. In general, we try not to compare ourselves to other bands. But we are always happy to see new members of the post-glam-doom family."
Where do you find musical inspiration? Are there any musical role models that you orientate yourself by?
Birgit: "Since we couldn't find a suitable guitarist for Birgit Jones, we were inspired by Royal Bloodwork, and chose to work only with bass and various sound effects. For individual songs, we are mostly inspired by shared experiences or things we all relate to. If we laugh ourselves to bits while writing the lyrics, we can be sure to be on the right track."
What was your experience in the music industry so far - have you ever been treated differently because of your gender?
Birgit: "Yes, actually at each of our gigs. As an all-female band, we are basically the opening act, no matter if it makes sense, musically or not. You quickly get the impression that organizers assume that a women's band makes soft music or you don't want to offend the purely male acts by opening for a women's band. Comments like "Sex Sells" or "Give me more bass and your phone number", are a standard, anyway. However, not all experiences are negative. After a gig, people from the audience frequently come up to us and have proven to be very open and nice towards us. Of course, we are very happy about that."
What does equality mean to you?
Birgit: "A big step towards equality would be for us not to have to prove first that
we do not only carry our instruments as decoration but from the beginning as musicians
to be taken seriously. It is also important for us to be seen simply as a rock band.
"When we play at the stage before a performance, the phrase'Now it's gonna get sexy' has often been heard. Unfortunately also from women."
Do you see yourselves as artists responsible for equal rights and equality to stand up?
Birgit: "We see ourselves as people responsible for standing up for equality and equal rights, in every aspect of life, not only through art. It is shameful that at this point in
of our enlightened and modern society has not yet been reached, and every single person
should work to change that."
What do you wish for the future of the music industry?
Birgit: "On an economic level, we naturally hope that art and culture will be able to survive the Corona crisis and that we can soon experience events together again. On an emotional level, we hope that people will realize to what extent art and culture can contribute to the
quality of life. We wish for the entire industry and all people involved to be more appreciated."
What tips would you give to upcoming artists?
Birgit: "There is actually only one tip that we would give to anyone who has anything
would like to achieve: Not give up!"
