Bridget Barkan Emerges From Grief With "GOOD THINGS"
On May 21st, NYC native and based art pop singer/songwriter powerhouse Bridget Barkan released her 80s and grief inspired new single and music video for Good Things. You may recognize her for being a very vital part of the pop glam group Scissor Sisters. The message behind her new single is about experiences she’s had in the last handful of years from losing her father during COVID, a miscarriage after a very painful break up, and the events following October 7th which caused a still going on war in Gaza which had all nearly torn her apart, but instead of allowing all of this to break her; she had chosen to channel all her emotions into something more positive. Anyone can write a poppy dance song, but not everyone can imbue the song with their grief in a way that results in something so up-lifting. This song is for anyone who has experienced the same tragedies and need to hear “all good things are possible” during our darkest times.
"My intention writing this song was to get myself out of deep, heavy, painful feelings and move towards the light,” she says about the dancey anthem. Sonically glam/pop meets Grizzly Bear meets Pat Benatar, this “actress of music” and former Scissor Sisters backup singer says, “theatrical performance is always there for music videos, and my dance background always finds its way back in, as well.”
Emotionally weighted by personal tragedies, loss, and challenges exacerbated by the events of October 7, 2023 and the ongoing war in Gaza, Bridget was mired deep in a dark place:
“I was going through a lot emotionally and personally that October, as were a lot of people in the world with the attack on October 7th and the impending war. All that I was going through personally exploded out of me, and I found connections between a lot of the experiences: the duality of sorrow and relief, as well as the heart’s true compassion… No matter the perspective, you can see that many truths exist at the same time.”
- she explains
Losing her father (the celebrated songwriter/producer Marcus Barkan who wrote for Nat King Cole, Lesley Gore and even wrote the Banana Splits theme song “Tra La La”, among many others) during the pandemic meant she had to struggle with the loss in isolation due to the quarantine. Bridget also suffered a great deal of personal trauma in the last year from a miscarriage and a difficult breakup. “Good Things” finds her emerging from the grief to celebrate life and overcome all this hardship. The accompanying video is an incredibly beautifully shot and dramatized expression of the song, really showcasing her artistry and vision, capturing the beauty and wonder in life while also grappling with the inevitable pain– reminding everyone they are not alone.
New York City born-and-raised pop musician Bridget Barkan is an “actress of music,” a chameleon artist who shape-shifts through genre and style, with a thread of raw truth and soul woven into every melody and lyric. Today, she is a working artist, singer, and performer based in NYC, where she is currently the “Mistress of Ceremonies” at one of NYC’s most famous burlesque clubs, Duane Park.
Starring in LGBTQ romantic classic Walk with Me, as a singer/songwriter, Bridget was featured on the original album, as well. As a singer, she toured the world with pop/glam band Scissor Sisters opening for Lady Gaga, and has shared the stage with Drag legends Joey Arias, Murray Hill and more. She worked closely with Baz Luhrmann as the voice of Misty Holloway on the Netflix show The Get Down. Bridget has released singles with the House DJ/producer legend Todd Terry as well as numerous of her own singles.
While juggling her music career, Bridget has been a Teaching Artist with Music Connections at Carnegie Hall for the last six plus years. She has worked with The Lullaby Project, writing songs with mothers for their children in homeless shelters, prisons and high schools. Bridget has led songwriting workshops with incarcerated youth in detention centers in Brooklyn and the Bronx. She also designed a 5 Step Online Songwriting Workshop offered to all NYC Public Schools during the pandemic. It was using these 5 steps that she wrote her most recent single, “Good Things.” Bridget continues to work with companies to create original music, as well as maintaining her own healing and songwriting journey.
As a multi-hyphenate, Bridget created 4 original one-woman musicals as an Artist in Residence at Joe's Pub of the Public theater. The shows traveled around the U.S with a feature at the A.R.T of Harvard, MATCH in Texas, and Afterglow in Provincetown. Her musical comedy The Love Junkie won the New York Musical Theatre Festival which led to a successful run of her show Dear Stranger I love You at The People’s Improv Theatre in NYC. All of her productions include different forms of audience participation and musical improvisation.
Bridget motivates conversations and promotes healing through her unique humor, depth of character building, and musical shape-shifting. On this journey for community, Bridget’s love of children and living in the magic of imagination led her to work at the Central Park Early Learning Center (CPELC), a school for children with autism and special needs. At CPELC, she developed a music therapy curriculum and wrote original songs for the children’s graduations.
A native New Yorker (which speaks to her genre-bending storytelling skills and eclectic artistry), Bridget is a consummate professional and has been working since birth, literally. Her first job was posing as Baby Jesus for decorative wall plates and she has spent her entire life creating projects honoring the teachings of loving thy neighbor. You can still find her childhood smile on the cover of Blue Bell Ice Cream sandwiches. Barkan has been a professional actress all her life, appearing in TV, Commercial, Film and Theatre with over 4 films at Sundance festival, guest starring in Law and Order SVU, The Knick, Blue Bloods and more.
The breadth of Bridget’s work spans many genres and her generosity with her art, her voice, and her care has touched many. Today, she is releasing music again for the first time in two years, beginning with her new single and music video “Good Things.”
Written from a 5-step songwriting process Bridget invented as a songwriting workshop instructor at Carnegie Hall where, for the last seven plus years, she has taught incarcerated youth and NYC teachers, “Good Things” holds onto the glimmer of light in a dark and hardened world.
Bridget explains about a line from the song (I used to love October changing leaves on Halloween, but this is the month I was almost a mother, now little pumpkins mean something different to me): “This lyric is probably the hardest to sing, but it came without effort and it rhymed without thinking. It’s such an honest feeling, and describes all of the fun things you imagine doing with your children on Halloween (putting your baby in a pumpkin costume, taking them trick-or-treating)… a deep sense of longing through a very simplistic description.” While expressing a very poignant take, the song remains upbeat and encouraging.
A regular in the NYC artsy pop underground that includes Bright Light Bright Light, Xavier Smith, and John Cameron Mitchell among many others, Bridget is a “Jill of All Trades” on a one woman journey through love and loss. She also formerly toured the world with Scissor Sisters and can be seen in their earth-shattering “Let’s Have A Kiki” video as one of Ana Matronic’s crew. Having inherited her father’s knack for songwriting, Bridget’s intrinsic artistry and talent is a legacy she proudly carries.
More About “Good Things”:
The video, directed and edited by Bridget, herself, and co-edited by Isabel Del Rosal and co-starring “twin-dancer” Casey Urban, shows Bridget using “dance to move energy and emotion through me. I feel it's healing, so I consider this video a ritual to release the sadness,” she expresses. “The Boom Box Room was a perfect location. It has so many different light options, so I just went with it. There were some unplanned, organic things that happened with one rainbow light set up, which showed a more expressive and fun side of the song. My co-director Isabel said she could see me outdoors in part of the video, and I realized, ‘Of course! Rain makes things grow, and sadness can make things grow!’ So, we went to the botanical gardens and stole some shots of the blooming flowers before we got kicked out.”
More About Bridget:
Bridget Barkan is a chameleon artist who shape-shifts through genre and style with a thread of raw truth and soul, woven into every melody and lyric. A native New Yorker, she has toured the world with pop/glam band Scissor Sisters, opened for Lady Gaga with them, and has performed with Bright Light Bright Light and Slow Knights. Starring in LGBTQ romantic classic “Walk with Me,” as a singer/songwriter, Bridget was featured on the original album, as well. As a singer, she has shared the stage with Drag legends Joey Arias, Murray Hill and more and has released singles with the House DJ/producer legend Todd Terry, as well as numerous of her own singles. She worked closely with Baz Luhrmann as the voice of Misty Holloway on the Netflix show “The Get Down.” As a child actress, she has appeared in countless commercials and Sesame Street. She has starred in HBO’s Everyday People, Sherrybaby, Redacted, God’s Pocket, Steven Soderbergh’s The Knick and had a recurring role as a one-legged “hooker” on Law & Order: SVU. On stage, Barkan has appeared in numerous productions including Dog Sees God and alongside Lea Michelle in a workshop of Spring Awakening.
