Today we’d like to introduce you to BIGJOY. Them and their team share their story with us below:
BIGJOY splashed into the LA music scene May 2022 with his driving debut single Bandwidth. The song is an alt / indie-pop journey that draws comparisons to Porches, Dominic Fike, and Mura Masa. It was released on BIGJOY’s 30th birthday and represents a cathartic moment of embracing a new chapter while desperately trying to reconnect with his inner child and prioritizing self-love, joy, and emotional bandwidth.
Capitalizing on his well-received first release, BIGJOY produced an intimate music video of himself manically cutting and dying his hair, embodying the messy process of shedding his old skin (which after bleaching his head twice in one day became less of a metaphor).
Although BIGJOY is fresh to the LA music scene, he’s no stranger to the community. BIGJOY is the debut artist project of producer / songwriter Kyle Berzle who was behind much of Broods’ most recent album “Space Island” and James Supercave’s titular track M.O.W.O., amongst other indie pop favorites. Beyond his work in the studio, he’s toured the world with artists like Broods, Gallant, Marian Hill, Cults, Cold War Kids, etc. and spent years as a front-of-house engineer at mainstay LA venues like The Troubadour, Echoplex, and Regent Theater. Now focusing his energy into his artist project BIGJOY, Berzle aims to get loud in the LA music scene moving through 2022. Using his road-worn skills from working with other artists and operating fully independent, BIGJOY’s coming debut album is fully self-produced, mixed, and mastered, and the Bandwidth music video was fully self produced, as well. If one thing’s for sure, Berzle has big plans for BIGJOY.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
“Bandwidth” was one of the last songs I wrote for my upcoming debut album and it represents a catharsis moment, which the rest of the album was unknowingly leading to. The album was created over the last two years throughout the pandemic and coming off 5+ years of touring as a front-of-house engineer and tour manager. Touring was fulfilling in a lot of ways. I got to travel the world with people and artists who I really respected, and helping translate beautiful moments to big crowds is something I will never lose my love for. That period of my life felt fast-paced and surreal. Then in 2020 when the pandemic hit, the whole touring industry stopped dead in its tracks. At first it felt like a huge blow to my career and community, but it simultaneously created space to slow down and reflect.
I began to realize that since 2018 – 2019 I had hit an emotional wall that I couldn’t put into words. I felt like internally I was trying to avoid a certain darkness and depression and out of that avoidance came this extremely limited expression of what I allowed myself to feel. In dodging low-lows, I restricted the high-highs, and existed in a muted anxiousness that oscillated up and down but wouldn’t break. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I had the time and space to be quiet with myself (and a solid dose of therapy – shout out Claudia!) to realize the state I had come to. So a lot of the songs on the forthcoming album are written from a place of loneliness, dissociation, and depression, feeling stuck in the cage I had boxed my emotions into. There came a time in that journey where I learned to identify the patterns I was falling into but felt stuck with them which was frustrating. Come March 2022, I wrote “Bandwidth”, and it seemed to sum it all up.
The struggle I had been living with had in fact been the seeds to grow into a new chapter and I felt a levity knowing that through difficult times (and therapy) comes breakthroughs and peace. So “Bandwidth” poured out as a sort of, “I embrace the shit. I know where I’m headed and it’s a better place than here.” It re-establishes a love for the past by reconnecting with my inner child and the things that once brought me joy but got lost in the muck, professes a contentedness in the now, and a faith in the future. So when my 30th birthday was quickly approaching and disappointment looming over not releasing music before 30, I decided “Bandwidth” was the perfect signpost for my new lease on identity and widening emotional bandwidth. Now there’s no going back. I’m so excited to continue to share myself through my music and art. Just be prepared to weather some darkness that precedes “Bandwidth”. Sending lots of love to anyone who relates to these feelings. I see you. <3
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Beyond working on my own music and art, I also spend a lot of time producing and writing with other artists in LA. I operate a recording studio and art studio in Downtown LA by the name of BIGJOY’s Cloudhouse where I produce, write, and mix music, as well as doing photography and video shoots. I’m aiming to release a video and photography collection along with each song. One thing that’s really exciting is having BIGJOY as a single roof that I can release music, photography, and videos under, each of which can uniquely add depth to the story. I’m really proud of the work I’ve produced so far including what’s to come for BIGJOY.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
One of my favorite books of the year is An Abolitionist’s Handbook by Patrisse Cullors. It has such inspiring guidance on organizing and building community for a better future, while feeling equally relevant to interpersonal relationships, cultivating emotional fortitude and building self-love. The themes of the book have greatly informed my core values, impacting both the way I hope to move through the world and how I create art.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.withbigjoy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withbigjoy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withbigjoy
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/withbigjoy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BIGJOYYY
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-55447438
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@withbigjoy
Image Credits
Photos shot by Alexandre Souêtre and styled by Marly Hall
