Words by Grace Franklin | Photos by Abigail Scoggin and Delyla Carline

Photo by Abigail Scoggin

SOUND STAGE: Who is Bershy?

BERSHY: Bershy is really an extension of myself. I was originally going by Brea Shay, which is just my name, and I kept thinking, ‘How can I make this feel a little cooler?’ So I ended up smushing the two together, and somehow that helped. It’s not super fierce or anything, like Beyoncé, but it still feels like me.

SOUND STAGE: Can you tell us a little bit about your music journey and how you got started?

BERSHY: I feel like I’ve been doing it forever. I first started going into studios around my senior year of high school. Before that, I was playing in little bands, mostly acoustic duos. I was really into writing throughout high school and would play bars and things like that, sometimes sneaking in to perform. During my senior year, I saved up about $200 and went to a studio in downtown Cincinnati and basically asked, “What can this get me?” I brought in my demos, and from there I just kept going, recording and playing shows. The Bershy project as it exists now really started around 2018. That’s when I decided, “Okay, this is going to be a pop music thing.”

SOUND STAGE: I love hearing about artists who first got started in high school bands that’s my favorite.

BERSHY: You kind of just have that thing in you when you're that young that tells you to go for it. You have so much confidence as a teenager, I don’t think I could just start doing this now.

SOUND STAGE: I totally understand that. How has the music scene felt different, going from starting out in the Midwest in Ohio to being in LA now?

BERSHY: Honestly, I’m really grateful I started in the Cincinnati scene. It fostered such a strong sense of community, my band, my management, and many dear friends all came from there. It gave me so much room to experiment and really find my sound. Coming to LA, it’s a different energy, more focused on the business side of music. Cincinnati just gave me the creative space to play, mess around, and grow as an artist.

SOUND STAGE: Your song “Radio” took off after its feature in the choose your own adventure game, Dispatch. What was it like gaining so much traction for that song and did it influence how you approach your music or career moving forward?

BERSHY: It has literally changed my life in every aspect. All I knew at first was that it was a sync deal and that my song was going to be in a party scene of a video game. It was in the works for almost a year, and while I never fully forgot about it, I kept thinking, “Okay, maybe this will fall through.” At the time, I was working full-time and in massage therapy school, and I really wasn’t making music at all. Then the episode came out, and it just… happened. After that, it was like bam, bam, bam. Suddenly all of these opportunities opened up. It completely shifted things for me. I wasn’t really able to make music before, and now I am.

SOUND STAGE: That is incredible!

Photos by Delyla Carline

BERSHY: It’s been amazing. To go from thinking I’m done with music, having that detachment from it, to suddenly realizing, “Oh, okay, maybe people are actually interested in the art I make.” And then thinking, maybe we can release these demos, maybe we can keep pouring into it. It really puts the wind in your sails.

SOUND STAGE: How do you think your relationship with music has evolved since then?

BERSHY: Yeah, I’ve gone through a lot of phases with it. There were times when I wanted it really badly, more than anything, and I worked really hard for it. That can be a good way to be, but it can also burn you out. I’m 27 now, and I spent pretty much all of my twenties trying for this. This past year, I was really working on detaching from music. I was telling myself, it’s okay. Maybe music will come back in some form one day, maybe not. I went from wanting it more than anything to feeling like I would be fine without it, that I would be okay. And then suddenly it started happening, in a way that was far more than I ever could have imagined. I’m also really grateful that I got to step back and live as a person, to realize that I’m more than just music. I learned that I can be happy without it. So now that it’s here, I feel ready for it.

SOUND STAGE: It sounds like this came at the perfect phase in your life.

BERSHY: Yes! It almost feels like a relationship, We went our separate ways, we grew, and now we are coming back together.

SOUND STAGE: Right career, wrong time!

BERSHY: Oh my gosh yes! That’s exactly it.

SOUND STAGE: What emotions or themes are you most interested in exploring through your music right now?

BERSHY: I’m excited to bring a more grown-up, mature perspective into my music. A lot of the songs, even “Radio,” were written around 2020 or maybe even earlier, so sometimes they feel young to me when I listen back. Maybe I’m just being hard on myself, but a lot has happened since then. My writing has changed, my perspective has changed on so many things, and I’m really excited for all of that to come through in this new project.

SOUND STAGE: I’m really excited to see where it goes! I can’t wait to hear how that growth shows up in the new music. Are there any specific artists, albums, or sonic influences that shaped your most recent work?

BERSHY: Totally. Yeah, I love Kate Bush. The Hounds of Love is one of my all-time favorite records. I love a lot of 90s female artists. Sinead O’Connor, Fiona Apple, Liz Phair, these are my gods, you know? So I feel like I’m mixing in that kind of style with my own pop elements. There will always be a little synth in there, but just bringing in some grunge and my own edge.

SOUND STAGE: If someone hasn’t heard your music before, what song from your discography should they listen to first to prepare for your upcoming releases?

BERSHY: I mean, you have to start with “Radio,” that one is my pride and joy. Another one that I really love is the most recent one we put out called “For You.” I feel like that one is really where we started experimenting with more live instruments. I would also say “60 Seconds” and “Provider.” Those at least will set you up for the live shows. If you’ve got those, then you’re good!

SOUND STAGE: What can fans expect for the future?

BERSHY: I’ve got a nice little batch of songs that I’m really excited to finish tweaking. I think the next one is going to come out pretty soon. We want to ride the ‘Radio’ wave and keep putting stuff out there. Over the years, there has been a decent collection of songs that I just didn’t have the time or money to give life to, but now we have that opportunity, so I’m really stoked. There is so much coming!

SOUND STAGE: We are so excited to hear it! Thanks so much for talking with us today, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Bershy!