"Actually, music is maybe my one

un-self-conscious, unselfish act. I

just know what I want all the time

in a way that I don't ever in any other

context."

It’s been a weird year: after dropping

her globally acclaimed second album, 

Punisher, last summer, Bridgers

rocketed into a new echelon of our

collective cultural consciousness that

includes four Grammy nominations

and her own label, Saddest Factory

Records (an imprint of Dead Oceans.)

But debuting a major album during

an international pandemic meant that

until this fall’s upcoming tour, this

shift has meant little more than numbers

on a screen and some extra PR packages.

It was just her birthday—Phoebe’s a Leo,

duh—and we’re trying to figure out which

present would make for the best unboxing.

There’s a tower of mystery boxes and a

stroller for her pug, Maxine, which is

actually really thoughtful. 

Covering our Autumn 2021 issue,

singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers

sits down with Aiden Arata to chat

noughties culture, the struggles of

procrastination and what making music

means to her.