Multi-talented, singer and songwriter, briskin delivers highly anticipated EP “The Circus”, a Hyper-pop cover of, 80’s hair metal band, Poison’s “Talk Dirty 2 Me”.
Reimagined and remastered by the artist, briskin celebrates the bubble-gum thrash of the original EDM banger, influenced by the drum and bass revival and hyper pop.
In the artists own words, “I was actually introduced to the song from playing Guitar Hero 3 as a kid. “Talk Dirty 2 Me” is the riskiest thing I’ve ever done. When I made “Forever was a Feeling” in 2021, at the time I kind of thought “this is a bit weird and a bit left” and now, with this I’m kind of sitting here going it’s not even a bit left, it’s a lot!”
This EP is a true statement; bold, striking and adventurous in its essence. Through different musical styles and an all-consuming narrative, briskin has mastered something wonderfully unique.
Composed of 9 tracks, the first 8 follow a fluid narrative structure, partially inspired by his own life experiences, and partially by the 19th century Italian Opera, ‘Pagliacci’.
Delving into the title both literally and metaphorically, the artist’s intent is to amplify the connotations of the traditional circus clown, “by the traditional sense I mean being an actual clown with the makeup and the costume and everything. And then also in the way that clown is used in a modern context being like, you’re a clown, you’re a fool!”
Through playful synths and electric rhythms, briskin has taken the pop world by storm, injecting immense passion and innovative lyricism into the industry. With the artist stellar in his growth, we are sure he will dominate the pop scene in 2023.
We sat down with the artist to chat early inspirations, creative processes and exciting future plans…
Listen to “Talk Dirty 2 Me” now…
We sat down with the artist to chat early inspirations, creative processes and exciting future plans…
Who and what inspires you to create?
Anything and everything, from wholly real experiences to movies and art. There are no rules in my opinion when it comes to inspiration, some of my favourite songs I’ve written have materialised out of next to nothing and some I have slaved over obsessing over a specific idea.
How did you first find your love for music and creation?
I was always singing, and to be honest when I was younger I reckon it was an attention thing. As I grew up though I just started to become obsessed to the point where it was my hobby and my career.
From discovering this passion, how did you begin to shape your sound?
I’ve been experimenting with so many different sounds for so long and I think that’s evident on The circus. I feel like during the process of writing these songs I was constantly changing and moving/gravitating towards different things. I do however feel a much stronger sense of who I am nowadays and I think that it’s starting play into the music.
Was there a moment when you knew that you wanted to pursue music as a career?
I would love to say there was a moment where I knew it was what I wanted to do, but in all honesty, it’s always been the case. I can 100% tell you though that walking onto that Ally Pally stage opening for Tom Grennan, and getting that rush I knew I definitely couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
How would you define the essence of your sound?
I think it’s a question I’ve been struggling with for a while, but I think that people have been connecting to the music due to the empathy that I try to convey and put across. So I think at the core of it all it’s (as cringy as it sounds) relatability
As an artist, how do you stand out from the rest of the industry?
I think that it’s hard for anyone to stand out in the industry nowadays and it’s hard to pinpoint why someone does, so all I can do is carry on trying to connect with the people who connect with the music, and keep trying to make the best music it can be.
Your cover of Poison’s “Talk Dirty 2 Me” is incredible! Why did you choose to recreate that track and how did you go about doing so?
I used to play guitar hero 3 when I was younger and the song had just been stuck in my head for years. It had always been a super nostalgic song that just reminds me of a simpler time when me and my friends or my brother were all just glued to the screen trying to make it all the way through “through the fire and flames”. I started out by just getting the chords and drums down then when I recorded I thought it’d be interesting to try pitching my vocals up just to hear it in a different context and that’s how it stayed.
We love the new EP, The Circus! What was the creative process of the project?
It’s a project with songs spanning back years now, but in order to finish all of them I locked myself away for 2 and a half weeks and tried to create the best body of work I could.
What are you conveying across the tape?
The tape follows the idea of the clown in its colloquial context of being a fool and pairs it up with the clown in the traditional sense. The idea was that narrative wise the main character makes a fool of themselves (to the point where it’s pathetic) to win over a love interest all culminating in Pagliacci which is based on an opera of the same name.
What do you want listeners to take away from the EP?
I think there’s a lot of fun songs on this project, so if I’m being completely honest I just want people to have fun listening!
Where do you want to take your artistry?
Hard to say exactly, but more of the same! I love making projects and putting added meaning and external subtexts into things that already exist on their own. I think it’s hard but I like to try and look at things as objectively as I can (though that may be hard).
What’s to come from you this year?
I just came off doing the Young Forever tour with Nessa Barrett in Europe which was so fun so hopefully more shows! And definitely more music towards the end of the year.