Bridget Barkan

BRIDGET BARKAN is a vibrant young artist born and raised in New York City, a storyteller with an urban yet earth child, raw sense of truth, vision and a message to deliver. She resonates a provocative sound in the spirit of classic soul diva’s Etta James, Janis Joplin, Minnie Ripperton and contemporary artists, Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, and Lauryn Hill. The jazzy melodic content of her music is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and the passion of the 70’s love revolution. Her lyrics are poetic, unique, uplifting, at times tragic and even humorous. It’s her old school, bluesy sarcasm that fills the room with laughter and her search for meaning and wisdom that brings the crowd to tears. Bridget Barkan’s music dances on the middle ground with lessons learned from joy and pain. She illustrates her evolution through relationships, as in her song “Jump Off” where she states, “Always the mistress/never the wife/always the bridesmaid never the bride/always the friend with benefits/never the girlfriend who meets the parents” to her self-discovery in “Alright Alone,” where she realizes, “There was a hole before you got here/and you or nothing’s gonna fill it up/I better get lost before I get found/I better shut up before I make another sound.” Bridget’s music is not only the voice for the broken hearted, but a social commentary, as in her song “For What,” she questions the war and state of the world, “For what/For who/Not for me/Not for you,” and answers, “For them who want to keep their bellies full/for them who rather build jails than schools.” Her music is honest and hopeful, telling tales of love lost, love found, love for the world, but most of all loving ourselves.
This red haired siren began her career as a child actress, but her musical skills were also apparent, when cassette tapes were filled with story songs at the age of 3. Her father Mark Barkan, an accomplished songwriter, who has written for Cissy Houston, Luther Vandross, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole and Rod Stewart, was a great influence and supporter of her creativity.
Bridget’s success ranges from the stage to the big screen, some of her accomplishments include; the HBO original film "Everyday People" in which she was nominated for a Gotham Film award, along with her cast for Best Breakthrough Performance, was screened at Sundance 2004; co-starring with Golden Globe nominee Maggie Gyllenhall in "SherryBaby' also in Sundance 2006; "Stateside" with Rachel Leigh Cook, Tribeca 2005, various guest starring roles on Law and Order and other series; and the controversial war film “Redacted” directed by Brian DePalma. She appeared in rock musicals such as the Broadway hit "Spring Awakening,” in one of its first Off-Broadway productions; "Princesses" with music by pop songwriter Mathew Wilder; and the original production of "Dog Sees God" the Off-Broadway hit. Bridget has worked with various different producers/artists, including Hip-Hop legend Q-tip, Chris Sholar, Gary Gunn, The Beatnuts, The Burrell Brothers, Mark Wilson, House DJ legend Todd Terry, and Melvin Van Peebles. She had a 10 piece hip-hop, jazz, funk fusion band called “Addictive Mama,” with Beyonce’s saxophonist Katty Rodriguez-Harold and Keyon Harold, rising producer powerhouse and trumpet player who has worked with 50 Cent, Mos Def, Erykah Badu and others. Bridget Barkan is currently producing and recording her own acoustic solo album entitled, “The Green Room.” Bridget is also a music therapist and works with autistic and special needs children. Music is healing for all of us.