“Bryony exudes a PJ Harvey-esque epic which is enthralling” – Indie Midlands
Following the success of her debut EP ‘Wanderlust’, alt-pop singer Bryony Williams has returned with her brand new second EP ‘Conscious’. We sat down with her to talk LGBTQ+ representation in music, the new generation of queer musicians and find out the plans for her imminent tour…
Your new EP Conscious has just been released, are you happy with the response so far?
Totally! A lot of people have compared it to my debut EP ‘Wanderlust’ (2016) and have expressed how much ‘Conscious’ still manages to authentically capture me as an artist and person all while giving listeners that extra ear candy by infiltrating the pool of indie-pop.
The response proves to me that my artist development has progressed massively and how by exposing myself to new sounds, my music can only continue to evolve.
You say you ‘want to make audiences think twice about the female artists they’re listening to’, can you explain what you mean by this?
I probably ought to re-phrase that as it does seem a little obscure and broad. But ideally, I think what I mean to say is that females and in this case, female artists can be just as intricate, sexual, mysterious and strong as any artist. So, take myself as an example, on the surface I probably showcase youth and innocence, whereas my lyrics harness quite cold and confrontational perceptions. I think I just want the average listener to go beyond surface value and to truly analyse what an artist can be experiencing.
You sing about relationships in your music, how important do you think it is to represent the LGBTQ+ community in you work?
I think talking about female sexuality in general which in my opinion equals empowerment is a huge topic of importance and needs to continue to be tested and shaped, take PJ Harvey for example with 50ft Queenie. And things are changing in the music world towards this, for example Hayley Kiyoko’s hot-ass music videos. It’s incredibly important to open up a discourse around LGBTQ+ representation across the music landscape and to 1) make it less of a taboo in popular music culture and 2) to represent all types of love and to break down the typical stereotypes of what gay men and women may traditionally fall under.
When did you come out?
Okay we have two stories to tell here…
I was 14 when my high school found out and it spread like wildfire! It was a forced ‘coming out’ which wasn’t ideal… But I wouldn’t have had it any other way looking back on it. There were mixed reactions… I personally didn’t even know what homosexuality really was – not like they taught it in sex education – and this is something that angers me soooo much! And so in future, I aim to become an activist, arguing the importance of LGBTQ+ education and also consent, sexual harassment/assault, the do’s and don’ts, not just how a sperm meets the egg and how to put a condom on…
But yeah, I just knew I liked a girl and that was that… the boys would high-five me down the corridor at lunch and some girls in the P.E changing rooms may happen to have an ‘issue’ in case I would, in their minds, come onto them. By year 10/11, some of those girls had changed their tunes if you know what I mean haha.
Then I was 17 when I came out to my parents. Again, completely by accident! A friend of mine had literally wrote ‘lesbian lesbian lesbian’ line after line in a birthday card of mine. I returned home one day and my mom confronted me about it… We had a nice discussion over a cuppa tea while the Olympics played on the TV in the background… She convinced herself it was a phase until about a year later when she finally accepted that my college girlfriend at the time wasn’t going anywhere for the next 8 months.
Do you think that it is important for young artists such as yourself to be open about their sexuality, so that in years to come the previous question won’t even be necessary?
Certainly. When I was growing up, I was even prejudiced against other LGBTQ+ people for embracing their sexuality or recognising it and that’s purely because of society at that point and what I was/wasn’t exposed to (despite recognising my own sexuality at the time too..?? Like that makes sense!)
So I think the more people who shout about it and embrace it as a norm, then the less risk it has of being seen as a negative, as an excuse to bully, and the less pressure it has on people to find it necessary to validate themselves. Plus, to expose young kids to the idea of sexuality, because as we all know, it’s a terribly confusing stage of your life, that by having that openness and by being exposed to the idea of homosexuality and everything between, it would contribute to an accepting and supportive society within popular culture.
Loving the new video for Narrative form, how much say do you get in artistic direction and what were the influences behind it?
Thank you! I in fact had 100% artistic direction. The video is quite avant-garde and I can only actually think of two visual influencers for this video: the film ‘Neon Demon’ and Jenn Hval’s music video for her track ‘Conceptual Romance’.
It was around the time of the heavy snowfall in March and I knew I had to use the white, isolating landscape somehow, I then became set on juxtaposing those scenes with something odd and almost narcissistic which is where the bath scenes came in. I experimented on my own first, setting up a camera on a tripod and grabbing extension cables so I could use lamps to light up a blackened-out bathroom. I then proceeded to nearly setting the place on fire by attaching paper to the walls and setting them alight… that part of the vision soon came to an end.
I simply put a call out on Facebook to anyone who would be interested in shooting a DIY video and well with being a Media student at the time, somebody was bound to pop up, and thankfully they did! Shannon Lockett. She patiently stood by my experimental vision and did a brilliant job.
The drone scenes were from a short film idea I had from over a year ago… and since this was going to be quite abstract and with a female lead, I figured why not use that idea for this? I knew a guy with a drone and we headed to Cannock Chase – a crazy big woodland area. In my original vision, the female lead was naked, covered with dirt only. But considering this was 1) an open space and 2) questioning how the music video would have been received online… I decided to keep my clothes on but to have my jeans and shirt buttons undone to subtly signify whatever it is I was trying to portray… So far I have the answer of sexual objectification crossed with female empowerment.
As well as being a musician, we hear that you run a female collective AND zine called GRRL GROANNN!!! (busy woman!) What does this involve?
So GRRRL GROANNN!!! Is the name of the female collective I came up with a business plan for as part of a university module in late 2017. But around the same time I began to develop more of an understanding of feminism and what it means to me (late-bloomer here) that I desperately wanted to officially found a collective - so I did.
GRRRL GROANNN!!! is a collective that aims to help circulate and celebrate female creatives within music, the arts, and culture, and ultimately, to become an independent record label for aspiring female artists who are unsure of where or how to start. Or artists who want to be working with a team of females, something which is pretty rare in the music industries since it is so male-dominated. It holds a DIY aesthetic and if it wasn’t obvious, is inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement. So naturally, it is all about helping to support females within the creative industries, with a key focus on music. The collective also has ambitions to branch out into monthly podcasts, music/art events, and generally a space where women and girls can contribute their artistic endeavours and to have some creative fun.
GRRRL GROANNN!!! is a collective that aims to help circulate and celebrate female creatives within music, the arts, and culture, and ultimately, to become an independent record label for aspiring female artists who are unsure of where or how to start. Or artists who want to be working with a team of females, something which is pretty rare in the music industries since it is so male-dominated. It holds a DIY aesthetic and if it wasn’t obvious, is inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement. So naturally, it is all about helping to support females within the creative industries, with a key focus on music. The collective also has ambitions to branch out into monthly podcasts, music/art events, and generally a space where women and girls can contribute their artistic endeavours and to have some creative fun.
I feel like this resonates with me strongly as I didn’t have any kind of female support network when climbing up the ranks in the local music scene and it’s just something that is swept under the carpet. I want females to recognise their abilities and to utilize them with confidence in a scene that arguably doesn’t represent that.
Who were your musical influences growing up?
I’ve just had a rummage through my childhood CD collection because honestly, my memory of childhood is so poor! Just name a few, we have: [early] Black Eyed Peas, Jet, Paramore, Anastacia, The Ting Tingz, The Chemical Brothers, Gwen Stefani, Missy Elliot, Bombay Bicycle Club, Lucy Rose and Florence and the Machine. These albums I can totally vouch for!
Also, my dad played a huge influencer into my childhood musical journey. He would spoon-feed me The Beatles, Empire of the Sun, Nirvana, Blur… He took me to my first concert – Paul McCartney – I was five.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Right now I’m totally rocking off U.S Girls new album ‘In a Poem Unlimited’ after seeing them at The Hare & Hounds, Birmingham. Though my current Spotify history tells me that Beach House, Stella Donnelley, Fazerdaze, Chastity Belt, St. Vincent, Blondie and Waxahatchee have been my streaming faves in recent weeks.
If you could collaborate with one artist, who would it be?
Oh wow this is a tough one…
I’m going to have to say Grimes.
You just wouldn’t know what to expect, would you?
When you are not making music, or working with the collective or on the zine what do you do to have fun and relax?
You can usually find me somewhere in Birmingham, either at a gig/art galleries or having a few too many drinks with friends… or catch me watching true crime documentaries.
Will you be at London or Brighton Pride this year?
I will be in London during the Pride weekend but I am unsure whether I will be able to attend much of it since I’ll be at the BST Hyde Park Festival and then I’ll be continuing my UK tour on the 8th at Good Neighbour, London. Though saying this, I’m sure I could squeeze some Pride action in.
And finally…Will you be taking this album on a tour?
I will be indeed!
You can catch me touring the album on the road at any one of these dates:
5th July - House Show, Cardiff
AMY RIDLER
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