Who are boygenius - your new favourite supergroup for 2023? Listen to their first three singles

2023 already looks like it has a contender for collaboration of the year, as boygenius are set to release their debut album, The Record, through Matador on March 31 worldwide. The group comprises a crop of singer-songwriters that have each made an indelible mark on the music scene recently: Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, and the album follows on from their self-titled EP back in 2018.

In preparation for the release of the album, Matador has released not one but three singles taken from the work: "$20" (see below), "Emily I'm Sorry" and "True Blue" alongside the announcement of the new album. Despite this being the project’s first full-length release, the spirit of collaboration between all three artists continues throughout their individual efforts.

In 2020, the trio worked on Bridger’s album Punisher, teaming up for the track ‘Graceland Too’ while they also provided backing vocals for Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams' solo album on the track ‘Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris’ from 2020’s Petals for Armor.

Baker linked back up with her boygenius bandmates, featuring Bridgers and Dacus on the track ‘Favor’ from her third album, Little Oblivions in 2021 before the trio performed at a charity event in November 2021, with a series of demos released to raise money for Bread and Roses, a non-profit arts organisation with a human services mission that brings hope, healing and joy through live music and the performing arts to children, adults and seniors who are disadvantaged, marginalised, or otherwise isolated in diverse institutional settings.

So who are the musicians that comprise boygenius, ahead of their already highly anticipated full-length debut and performances scheduled for 2023’s iteration of Coachella? Peopleworld dives into the individuals and their successes, culminating in the release of The Record.

Phoebe Bridgers

London fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas might have caught Phoebe Bridgers at the tail end of 2022, as she guested during Danny Elfman's live show performing the vocals for Sally in the seasonal event. But for everyone else, Bridgers has been a star on the rise since her second album Punisher in 2020, which charted in the UK album chart at the sixth position upon its release.

In her early career (high school years), Bridgers was involved in bands such as Einstein's Dirty Secret and Sloppy Jane (featuring performance artist Hayley Dahl), the latter leading to an appearance in an Apple commercial and granting Bridgers some financial independence to record her debut album, Stranger in the Alps. The additional financial freedom also meant that rather than look to get signed to a label, Bridgers could complete the record and then ship it around to labels instead.

One of those label, Dead Oceans, decided the record warranted their time and efforts and in 2017, Stranger in the Alps was released to critical acclaim, with Pitchfork calling the record “a collection of songs about intimacy, documenting how our relationships affect the way we view ourselves and interact with others... Bridgers' voice has a breezy, conversational flutter [that] sounds best when she double-tracks it in layers of light falsetto” in their seven out of 10 review.

It took two years for Bridgers to release her hallowed follow up, Punisher, but it wasn’t down to laziness. Instead, Bridgers became the collaborator du jour for a number of celebrated artists including Taylor Swift (who Bridgers is touring with this year), The 1975, Lorde, Paul McCartney and SZA to name a mere few.

Punisher was finally released in 2020 after a year and a half recording at Sound City Studios, home of Nirvana’s legendary album Nevermind, and received universal acclaim with the NME awarding the album a perfect score, stating “The LA songwriter's ability to paint this lingering feeling of dread so vividly is perhaps the biggest factor in her rapid rise to cultish indie household name; just look at the state of the world right now.”

Julien Baker

Known for her frank explorations of issues including spirituality, addiction, mental illness, and human nature, Julien Baker was born into a Baptist household and struggled with drug addiction throughout her early life - until finding help at local shows around her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee and delving into the straight-edge subculture, with it’s prominent links to the punk scene.

Her debut album, Sprained Ankle, was recorded in her dorm room while studying at Middle Tennessee State University and released in 2015, capturing the attention of one Matador Records, who signed Baker in 2017 after the strength of her debut, her continued touring commitments (that led to Baker dropping out of college only to complete her degree in 2019) and her performances on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.

Much like her bandmate Phoebe Bridger’s most recent album, Baker saw widespread critical acclaim with the release of Little Oblivions in 2021, with The A.V Club summarising that the album “in many ways [...] is a re-introduction to Baker’s music. Both of her previous records focused on a soft, minimalist sound that highlighted Baker’s powerful voice and words. It’s the kind of music that is best listened to alone.”

Lucy Dacus

Born and raised in Mechanicsville just outside of Richmond, Lucy Dacus grew up singing; her mother was a music teacher and she attended concerts and connected with the Richmond music scene throughout high school. After graduating, she tried studying film at Virginia Commonwealth University with a plan to make music on the side, but soon dropped out to concentrate on writing songs

Her debut album, No Burden, quickly received buzz in the indie music press, and the band did an Audiotree Live session in March that was released as a digital EP. That June, the 21-year-old Dacus signed with Matador Records, which reissued No Burden in September 2016. She then toured with acts including the Decemberists, Sylvan Esso, and Car Seat Headrest before returning to the studio with the same team to record her second album.

On Valentine's Day 2019, Dacus released a cover of Édith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose," the first in a series of holiday-themed original songs and covers that coincided with select occasions throughout the year. They were collected on the EP 2019, issued by Matador that November.

During 2020, Dacus started writing and recording her third album, which looked back at her coming-of-age experiences for lyrical inspiration. The resulting Home Video was released in June 2021 and accompanied by opening slots for Bright Eyes and Shakey Graves as well as a headlining tour. The critically acclaimed LP appeared on several charts both at home and abroad.