Q&A: Chatting with Ber Ahead of New Single “Good, Real,” Touring, and More

I saw Ber for the first time in June 2022, when she opened for English then-trio New Rules at Subterranean in Chicago. I had no idea who New Rules were, I don’t think I even fit their demographic, but I still commuted for an hour to the Wicker Park venue because, on the other hand, I had been listening to Ber nonstop for months by then. (Fun fact: another Minnesota indie darling, Landon Conrath, was there as her guitarist, and I had—unbeknownst to me—also been listening to him regularly that year!)

Naturally, she had a short amount of time to showcase her talent and charisma to the crowd, and she did just that—pretty effortlessly. About four months later, I was lucky enough to see her again at a venue that more than doubled their capacity (this time to see both her and my beloved Norwegian star Sigrid), and once again was amazed by her ability to charm the crowd, and by how happy it made me to hear her songs.

Ahead of the release of her single “Good, Real”—her first since signing with Nettwerk Music Group—the Minnesota native is currently on the road with British indie-folk band Tors, before embarking on another tour as SYML’s opener in Europe. And although I won’t be fortunate to see her live this time around, I did get the chance to ask her a few questions about life on tour, her songwriting process and inspirations, and the TikTokfication of music artistry.

SH: How is touring with Tors going so far? And what do you enjoy the most about being on the road and what do you miss the most about home?

Ber: It’s been amazing! The boys and their whole crew are so lovely, and with that comes the loveliest fans. It’s been really fun and daunting, almost all of these shows sold out before I was listed on the bill, so it’s been a great opportunity to get in front of some new people but also really intimidating!

I love touring. It’s so fun to have off days in different cities and explore, and meeting new people at the shows is unarguably the most special part. It’s not been very glamorous, but we have managed to eat well!

The thing I feel like I’m missing though is that Minnesota autumn. It’s my favorite time of year there, so beautiful and colorful and the weather is perfect. We’re seeing glimpses of that now in the midwest but I’m missing it!

SH: Is there any city in particular that you are looking forward to playing in?

Ber: Nashville was the first stop on tour, and I’ve always dreamed of playing a show [there.] It was a great show, I loved the venue and the people were so nice. A great spot to kick off the tour! I’m also really excited to be back in Toronto and Vancouver, those shows are always really special.

SH: I’ve seen you as an opener for a few artists (New Rules, Sigrid) and have always enjoyed your sets a lot because you give the audience background on your songs. Do you feel more or less comfortable performing to crowds that might not know your music? Does it help you see which songs work best on people?

Ber: Oh gosh. I love both, but they are different experiences! You’re right in that performing for people who don’t know the music feels like a social experiment. But I like to really talk to the crowd in these intimate venues and get them singing along, make them feel comfortable so they can enjoy it too! And so you can expect a lot of oversharing. But I’ve been trying lots of new music on this run because of it, and it’s been such a treat. People are listening, and talking to me about these songs after the shows. It’s been so nice getting to sing these songs I’ve been listening to on my phone for a year. It makes them feel real. 

SH: What was your favorite part of the songwriting process?

Ber: Genuinely the two hour yap session before you even start writing. I love the gossip, the catch-up,  the relating with people on something niche. Those things are usually what the songs end up being about, and it makes me feel really connected to the people I’m writing them with, which to me is the whole point. 

SH: What is something that you’ve written a song about that you were surprised people resonated with? Like an experience that you maybe thought was too specific to you but ended up connecting you to fans. 

Ber: Hitting a deer with my car. This one always gets me. Like what on earth people? That one felt niche. But it’s become a fan favorite at my shows, my Minnesota shows especially as you can imagine!

In all reality though, masked behind the silly lyrics, [“Dead Dear (Deer)”] is a song about letting things go, about ripping the band-aid off and moving through it rather than avoiding it. In Minnesota, when we learn how to drive, we are taught that if you see a deer in the road and can’t brake fast enough, it’s safer to hit the deer than it is to swerve, because cars are designed for that impact. Now I’m not ever wishing this scenario on anyone ever, nor am I telling you to hit a deer with your car, but I was telling two of my British friends about this once and they thought it was so absurd (understandably), so we spent a day writing about it and it’s one of my favorite songs. It’s just so absurd, it’s fun. 

SH: I know you used to be a musical theatre kid, do you think you’ll pivot into writing or maybe even performing in musical theatre one day?

Ber: I’d love to write a musical, absolutely. I really hope I get the chance to do that someday. I do miss theatre so much! I’m full force on Ber-mode at the moment but just know that it’s a dream of mine. 

SH: A lot of artists find their audience on social media (and particularly TikTok) nowadays, and I know that to a certain extent you did too. Do you think that TikTok and other platforms are mostly a positive tool for artists to promote themselves and find their people, or is there a part of you that wishes that wasn’t a part of it all?

I think it’s a tool, absolutely. It’s free marketing! And the algorithm is crazy! But, I’m not sure it fosters the most healthy community and it has truly offset the music industry. Everyone is scrambling.

I’m entering into an echo chamber here, but some of my favorite artists I wouldn’t say are natural content creators, and vice versa. There is a world of opportunity on that app. I’ve gotten some of my biggest opportunities and reached massive audiences on there, but it also is very detrimental to artists’ mental health and it’s not designed for the music industry anymore. So much of an artist’s worth to the labels and the fans is based on this algorithm, and going viral, and how you find your audience, so it’s tipped the scales a bit.

I think it’s an incredible tool, but I wish it were more obvious that one viral moment isn’t your ticket to a massive fanbase and selling out a tour and your dreams coming true. It’s about taking it off the app and converting it into real life, and I think I’m aching for music to exist outside of TikTok as well. I’m happy it’s there, for all of the good parts, but I’m sad that it’s impossible to reach my audience 98% of the time. Though some of my favorite artists and friendships have come from scrolling on my For You page! It’s a tricky one. 

SH: Who are your favorite new and upcoming artists at the moment?

Ber: Geese! Matilda Mann, Olivia Dean (is she still up and coming? I’ve been a fan for years and listen to her every day). I think Remi Wolf is the biggest star on the planet. Erin Lecount! A genius and the world she has built is mesmerizing. Asha Banks, Elle Coves, Jake Minch, Chris Lanzon. The list goes on but I’ll leave you to explore these for now!

“Good, Real” is out now – check out Ber’s entire list of upcoming tour dates HERE.