Phoebe Bridgers pumps out exemplary new lyrics all the time, but some of the best can come from unconventional places. In a recent British Vogue interview, Bridgers was asked where she looks for “creative inspiration” and she answered, “Misheard lyrics. I heard a song on the radio that I thought said, ‘I’m gonna kill you,’ so I wrote [‘Kyoto’] with that as the chorus.”
The song’s first chorus goes, “I’m gonna kill you / If you don’t beat me to it / Dreaming through Tokyo skies / I wanted to see the world / Then I flew over the ocean / And I changed my mind.”
Elsewhere in the Q&A, she noted that she spent last Christmas with boyfriend Paul Mescal’s family in Ireland and it was “a full rom-com.” Her best songwriting tip was, “Tell the truth, even if it sounds funny. Try to put the actual, literal truth – it’s fun.” Speaking of advice, she also noted, “Don’t fall into the modesty trap. Believe that what you’re making is great.”
As for the album that gets her through tough times: “Muna’s self-titled album. If I want to make myself cry, I’ll listen to ‘Home By Now.'” She also cited Sloppy Jane as an up-and-coming artist people should listen to, saying, “They made their record in a cave. I’m obsessed with albums that are an album — I sound like Harry Styles… records that aren’t single-based but a whole adventure.”
Check out the full piece here.
