Bri Carter is your next queer artist making waves with her hyperpop sound and unapologetic attitude. I discovered the New York-based artist on my TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) and she seems well aware of her strong social media presence coming in full force as an independent artist.
Having just had her first headline show in NYC, Bri Carter shows no signs of slowing down. Even though the title of her latest single “ur gf listens to my music” says it all, I had a conversation with Bri to explore the story behind the music and uncover its layers.
Miriam Boulos: Let’s just get right into it! Bri, tell us about the meaning behind this one?
Bri Carter: This song was the first song that I ever fully produced myself so that was really cool. Usually, for my other songs, I either work with producers or I just got beats from people I didn't really know. Then, I was like, “you know what, let me try to do it myself.” Because I feel like I know the sound that I want better. So yeah, I produced it and I actually got on an editorial on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Pop last week which was amazing. I’m super proud of that.
But as far as the song goes, I like to write break up songs. I'm really not good at writing love songs. So this song was kinda like a revenge song, like a fuck you song. Our relationship might be over but my music’s still here so you’re gonna be hearing that for the rest of time. Like the relationship can die but my music can’t, something that was ironic in a way. Because the song in itself is saying you’re gonna be listening to my music and it’s a song in itself. You know what I mean? I thought It was kinda funny, it was a joke kinda song in a way, not actually but…. And you know, especially in the gay community it’s so small, everyone knows each other. So I thought it was funny to be like “oh your new girl knows me, she’s a fan of me, how’s that make you feel?” Like, “You can’t escape I’ll always be here”. So that’s kinda just the basics of it.
MB: Yeah, it is a really playful one. Now, besides you taking us through the song’s revengeful nature where you flex about how she listens to your music, is there another meaning to it you’d like to convey?
BC: I guess, it kinda also shows the growth in my career, I guess. Because when I first started making music and was dating this person, I didn’t have any fans and I was making shitty music on Soundcloud. It kinda just shows that now I can brag about it because I put the work in, and I produced the song. So it has that deeper element too. I'm not singing about nothing. The lyrics in the song do hold a meaning. The song has some truth behind it. It just shows the growth that I've had in my career and also in my relationships. I've grown as a person and my music has gotten better so it's a way to haunt you a little bit. The song was originally called “Haunted” but I changed it!
MB: As you said the song has some truth behind it, so is it a real-life story behind this single that you’d like to share? Is the song based on real life events, do you usually do that?
BC: My songs usually are based on real life events. I do exaggerate it a little bit. In this song I’m like “your girlfriend just bought tickets to my show”, she didn’t. But I know of instances where your girlfriend listens to my music so yeah it does hold some truth not to the fullest extent of the song, not yet, maybe one day! But as right now yeah this is where the line ends.
MB: Can you share any specific moments or experiences that influenced the songwriting process for this one?
BC: Not really. There’s no bad blood, I'm just a petty person, I'm a Scorpio like that’s in my blood you know. There are no bad intentions with the song. I'm just so much better at writing breakup anthems than love songs. I’m not like mad about anything *laughs* It’s just the way it went. It is inspired by the instances where I’ve heard that the new girl that someone I was involved with, is a fan of me. They brought on my name like “You know Bri Carter?” and they were like “UH YEAH”. *laughs* There’s not as much anger driven behind it as it sounds.
MB: Cause it sounds pretty angry let me tell you that! Do you have a favorite lyric or line from that one in particular?
BC: I like the verses! My favorite must be the verses where I'm like “My ex’s the girl in your bed, listens to my song and says she’s up next. And you’re like ‘oh my god can I please get a rest’. No, you can rest when I'm dead, whatever.”
And I like the one that’s like “I won’t see you later, but you’ll see me on your phone”.
Cause I’ve popped up on so many people’s TikToks and they're like “OMG Bri is on my TikTok”, that’s kinda what that line means. I won’t see you, but you will see me. There’s also one that’s like “Out of sight and out of insight”. I’m just present on social media, you’re gonna see me even if you don’t wanna see me, you’re gonna see me. It’s one of my favorite songs I've ever made, I’m proud of the lyrics, I’m proud of the beat, I’m proud of the production.
MB: Love the line “I won’t see you later, but you’ll see me on your phone”, there’s no going back, your FYP is gonna hunt you down! To dive a little deeper into the production process, I know you’ve created a lot of music at your desk with a mic and a laptop, was this one also a home creation from your room?
BC: Yes - it sure was! I’ve never been in a studio. I’ve yet to make music in a studio. It all comes from my room, on my desk and my laptop. I feel like that‘s where I work best because I have to work alone. I feel like when I'm with other people I let myself not be fully free cause I'm worried about what they're gonna think and if they're gonna judge me. When I'm alone I feel like I’m able to just focus on what I want to do and experiment with that. I’m kinda shy, you know. Recently with the music stuff, I've come out of my shell because I kinda like had to. But when I was younger I didn't talk to anybody, I was shy, you know. Even doing shows and stuff it's crazy that I could do that. Because when I was in school I never even once could do a two minute presentation in class, I got so scared and everything. Now I have my upcoming show, my first headline show in NYC. My parents are coming to see that. I’m excited but I'm kinda nervous! It’s my 9th or 10th show but it's the first show that I felt was worth it for my parents to come see. I feel like this one is my first headline show which is big in itself, so I feel like I’m at that point I gotta show them what I've been doing for the past 3 years!
MB: So, what’s next for you, is this single the beginning of a new era for Bri?
BC: Yes it is! I’m working on some more songs and I'm working on an album so that’s the end goal. Maybe early-mid next year I’ll have everything ready for the album. I’ll probably be dropping singles. Basically, I want to have a fully self-produced album where all the songs are just made by me. So I’ve been working on that, I've got some good songs in the works so I'm excited for those to come out. Nothing set in stone yet on what I’m dropping but I’ve got a lot of stuff in the works!
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