BJRNCK IS BACK AT IT

Ilana Bornstein
6 hours ago
4 min read

Article Contributed by Ilana Bornstein Press Photo by 1824 / UMG SoundCheck recently caught up with Grammy-nominated artist, BJRNCK to discuss her highly-anticipated new album, due later this year. After stepping away for a much-needed creative reset, she’s returning with a project that’s both deeply personal and universal, infused with honesty and soul.

Fully immersed in a natural and organic creative process, she’s been spending long stretches in an LA recording studio penning songs that tell stories, jumping into impromptu jam sessions, freestyling hooks on the spot, and vibing with sound engineers in production camps.

The energy of collaboration is at the core of this project, but the heart of it lies in the message: the entire body of work is about learning to love yourself and discovering how you want to be loved.

BE-YOOR-NIK

BJRNCK isn’t just a title, it’s an experience. Born out of word-playing her last name, dropping the vowels, stripping it to its essence and flipping it into something that feels like a riddle, it’s a cipher designed to spark curiosity. Is it an acronym? A code? A hidden meaning? Yes, no, maybe and that’s the whole point.

BJRNCK isn’t just a name, it’s a challenge. A refusal to be boxed in and a rejection of snap judgments. It’s not about being easily defined, it’s about creating something that resists assumptions. It‘s a perpetually wide open door into a clever and chaotic world without expectations.

BJRNCK — both the artist and the alias — represents freedom. The freedom to create without borders, to embody multiple identities, and to exist in mystery, allowing a raw, unfiltered Chicago honesty to collide with a polished, fearless Los Angeles edge. Together, these East Coast/West Coast roots shape a brand that doesn’t just tell a story, it demands one.

LISTENING TO HER OWN VOICE

When BJRNCK talks about her music, one word comes up again and again: vulnerability. For her, it’s not just a theme, it’s the heartbeat of her artistry; her songs aren’t just about the sound, they’re about creating a space where her listeners can grow, evolve, and fall in love with every variant of themselves.

She encourages her listeners — young women especially — never to settle, shrink or change for the sake of love, and instead to embrace the power and duality of tenderness and strength.

For BJRNCK, “…women are the foundation of the music industry; we’re constantly navigating and expressing different versions of ourselves and we can be soft girls still figuring it all out and strong, confident queens at the same time.”

Getting to this place of vulnerability and authenticity wasn’t easy or linear, and she credits an interaction from years ago as a career-defining experience and one that would chart her artistic trajectory. The owner of her previous label once told BJRNCK that she was playing it too safe and she knew he was right. “I was making the kind of music that I thought people wanted to hear, projecting a version of myself that was manufactured and not authentic”, she says.

That realization sparked a shift. She boldly ended a relationship, packed her bags and set off to find herself and her voice. Now signed with Geffen Records, she pours that honesty and evolution into her work, creating music that reflects who she is: real, deeply relatable and unafraid to exist in the balance of soft vs. strong.

CRAFTING HER OWN NICHE

With her forthcoming album, BJRNCK continues to carve out and mold a unique identity within modern R & B.

When asked how she balances honoring the genre’s nostalgic soul with pushing it somewhere new, she tells us: “You can hear so many of my influences in the production and format. I have songs that are inspired by old school Beyoncé and Aliyah, I pay homage to Brandy with my stacked melodies, and a lot of the strong drums and guitars in my music remind me of the power you’d hear in a Mary J. Blige track. Also, ad libs are huge in R & B. When you think of classics like Usher’s ‘Burn’ and Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’, it’s always the main ad libs you’re singing.”

She continues, “I think what sets the tone for my sound now and moving forward is the emotion. That’s how I make it my own. R & B doesn’t always have to be “soft girl music.” I write lyrics conversationally. ‘Club’ is that track about looking for love and meeting someone on a night out, then ‘Crazy’ is the talking stage when you’re getting to know that person, and ‘Safety’ is about me communicating what I need in a relationship to feel safe with my feelings.”

"Music has always been the main relationship in my life." - BJRNCK

WHAT'S NEXT?

As BJRNCK gears up for the release of her new record in the next few months, she also hopes to cross this bucket list dream off her list: “I would love to have a song featured on a Madden video game. Those always have the best soundtracks.”

SoundCheck will be following along, cheering her on and can’t wait for what’s next for this talented, dynamic artist.

“Make a song that nobody can take away from you, that’s some of the best advice I’ve ever received.” — BJRNCK