Bishop Briggs

Bishop Briggs is a Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter of dark, rock-influenced pop. Following the release of a pair of EPs in the late 2010s, she issued her official studio debut, the Billboard 200-charting Church of Scars, in 2018. The breakup album Champion followed a year later and included a title track with Tom Morello. Among the ensuing stand-alone singles were a 2020 cover of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and 2021′s “Someone Else” featuring Jacob Banks. Briggs gained wider attention in 2023 winning season nine of The Masked Singer and releasing her third EP, When Everything Went Dark.
Briggs was born Sarah Grace McLaughlin in 1992 in London to Scottish parents, but attended school in Tokyo and Hong Kong before settling in Los Angeles after secondary school. There, she was heard performing in a local bar, which led to the recording of her first single, “Wild Horses,” with the producing team of Mark Jackson and Ian Scott, who also helped launch the indie rock band DOROTHY. The song was licensed for an Acura TV commercial and became an Internet hit. Exhibiting shades of trip-hop with acoustic guitar, electronic beats, and a strong dose of soul, “River” followed in early 2016 and hit multiple streaming and social networking charts.
The success of her early singles brought widespread exposure for Briggs, and by the fall of that year she was opening shows for Coldplay and Kaleo and had made her television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The re-release of her “Wild Horses” single fared well on U.S. charts and was later included on her self-titled debut EP in early 2017. March 2018 saw the release of the single “White Flag.” All of these singles were featured on her debut full-length studio album, Church of Scars, which arrived in April 2018; it peaked in the Top 30 of the Billboard 200 and hit number five on the Top Rock and Alternative Albums charts.
Briggs quickly moved on to a new album cycle following a difficult breakup, which resulted in 2019′s Champion, an empowering set of angst-filled anthems that included the singles “Champion” with Tom Morello and “Jekyll & Hide.” The following year saw Briggs issue the anthemic single “Higher,” as well as a cover of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” She also paired with Jacob Banks for the 2021 single “Someone Else.” In May 2023, she embarked on a co-headlining tour with Mister Wives. She also competed on and ultimately won season nine of The Masked Singer as “Medusa.” On the heels of her success, she released the EP When Everything Went Dark, which included the singles “Baggage” and “Superhuman.” ~ Marcy Donelson