When we last spoke with Ber in April of 2023, the local indie-pop artist was fresh off a new EP release and her first headline tour, which concluded with a sold-out hometown show at Minneapolis’ 7th St. Entry. “I’m lucky to be busy as hell this year,” she said at the time—but in the year and a half since, Ber still has yet to lose her momentum.
2024 was a whirlwind of new music, new listeners, and more shows. She released the six-song EP “Room For You” in May (after the titular single earned a spot on The Current’s Chart Show Hall of Fame in April), and headed out on the road for an opening tour slot with UK duo Good Neighbours in September.
Unsurprisingly, Ber is gearing up for yet another busy year. But she’s kicking off 2025 right here at home, with a show at First Avenue on Jan. 11—her first time headlining the venue. Earlier this month, we chatted with Ber about playing Minnesota’s most famous stage, last year in review, and where she’s heading next.
Photo by Tom Thornton
2023 felt huge for you, but it seems like 2024 was even bigger, and you haven’t really slowed down in the meantime.
It’s so funny to think about. It has been so busy, but it’s felt so slow and long. It feels like that stuff happened a lifetime ago. There have been periods of time where I’ve felt so overwhelmed, like okay, we’re touring, we’re doing all these things, this is going so well, music is amazing, wow. And then it’s been like, the dead of winter.
I feel like a lot of the songs on “Room For You” came out of the slow, winter period in the beginning of this year. What was the difference between making this EP and making “Halfway” before we first spoke?
I think you’re spot on. I was definitely leaning into my surroundings, and we made the whole EP in the basement that Brad [Hale] and KC [Rae] and I live in, and it was really cool, but it was super cold. With the “Halfway” EP, there were a lot of different co-writes that were involved and there was a lot of energy. It felt very like, I need to break out and dance a little bit, and have some fun after [my] first project. And so we kind of got a little sarcastic with it and had so much fun. When the “Room For You” EP came around, it was really cold and the dead of winter. We had space heaters going, and the power would keep cutting out, because the space heaters would blow the fuse. I was definitely back in that more nostalgic space.
I think it feels a lot more like it came from that colder, wintery, Minnesota landscape. And I think that’s honestly kept going. We found a really beautiful, comfortable spot there, so I think we’re leaning into it a little bit sonically and thematically, going into this album I’ve been working on.
You touched on those collaborative sessions in our last interview, saying you felt like they were a snapshot of your friendships with these people. Do you feel that this project was sort of a time capsule, in the same way?
Oh, totally. I think that’s just gonna stand true. I also have read a lot of interviews and listened to people talk about the process of creating since we last spoke, because I’ve been a lot more curious about it. But it really is just like, a song you hear and stream is just a recording. That’s all it is. That’s why we record them, to capture something, so I think the song itself transcends whatever the recording actually is. That concept really hones in the idea that it is a time capsule for whatever it is you’re talking about in those seven hours that you’re working on something.
Your Spotify Wrapped reported that you gained 2.7 million new listeners in 2024. What is it about “Room For You” and your recent singles that you think new listeners resonated with this year?
I genuinely will never have any idea why. I think something that I’ve felt really proud of is that I think I’ve really sat into myself, and not chased necessarily writing songs that sound like this thing that’s really popular right now. I’ve really just decided to follow my gut a little bit. We wrote this EP and I just wanted it to feel like how I felt, and that was all that mattered.
We also did it completely independently, there wasn’t a team of people at a label approving of stuff or [getting] involved. I have an amazing manager, and he knows me better than I know myself, so that was a catalyst, him being like, ‘This sounds like you. This sounds like the version of you that I know.’ So I think me leaning into the “Who is Ber?” kind of thing has brought in a lot of people that feel like they can maybe relate.
“Whatever Forever” and “Better Man” are really fun songs that sound like a more mature version of my sense of humor and my take on pop music, which I think is really exciting. The other songs all come from really internalized spaces, and they all came together so quickly because I was just being honest.
You were out on tour opening for Good Neighbours in the fall. How was getting back to life on the road, and any hints about where you’re headed in 2025?
The whole “Ber loves tour” thing stands. It’s just so fun, and it is the thing that makes it feel very real, and I really love getting to know the people who are actually listening. The fun thing for me on this last tour, I’ve been friends with Good Neighbours for a long time and watching them explode over the past year has been such a treat. I think they’re brilliant. It was a really good lesson in like, if you just keep going with it and trust your instincts, good things will happen. And I really needed to hear that this year.
When I got the text from them [asking if I wanted to come on tour], I just started crying, because it was exciting to be going back out on the road again, but doing it with friends was just really cool and exciting. It ended up being one of my favorite tours ever. I love a support slot, I think it’s so fun. It’s so kind of artists to extend their world to you.
Photo by Tom Thornton
Speaking of shows, the next thing on your calendar is your Jan. 11 headline show at First Avenue. That’s a huge accomplishment for any musician, but Minnesotans know just how special this venue is. How are you feeling about the show?
I might cry, genuinely. First Avenue is like my Madison Square Garden. When I was a kid, growing up in Bemidji, we would come down to the Twin Cities and I’d be like, ‘Wow, this is New York.’ And we would go to Lake Superior and I’d be like, ‘Wow, this is the ocean.’ I had never been to a show at First Avenue, but I knew that’s where people played. So I remember being like, ‘Wow, that’s the room. If I’m ever gonna do this thing, that’s where I want to play.’ So to be in this position where I’ve been putting music out for four years and I’ve played four shows in Minneapolis, and my fourth one is the First Avenue main room itself… I don’t think I’ve even given myself an opportunity to process it.
Climbing up that ladder is something that I respect. I see how artists in this city grind for that. So it’s a really amazing thing, and I feel really fortunate. It’s one of those things where it feels a little sacred. I’d never be like, ‘When I headline First Avenue…’, because I didn’t want to ever jinx it. It’s something that I hope I get to do many times. I think it’s gonna be a really special show, I’m working really hard to make sure that it’s a step up for me.
Tell me more about what fans can expect from your set.
It’s not circled around a release or anything, it’s just a hometown show. But I’m really excited to have a few special guests. There’s a whole new line of merch that we’re making for the show. I am going to be playing some new songs, because it’s been a dream of mine to debut a few songs on the stage of First Avenue. And we have an entirely new and elevated band and live performance aspect, so I feel like I’m moving into a space where I’m trying to do less on track and more in a live setting. I’m really looking forward to it. My friends in Chutes are going to be opening for me, which is gonna be so fun. I hope people are ready to bop their heads and dance.
Kicking off a new year at home with local fans feels very full circle for you.
That’s really it. I got a chance to do some really fun shows this summer that were quite big and outdoors, and it was a hometown crowd, and it was so much fun. But I think this show’s gonna be really special, and one I won’t forget for a long time.
What else are you hoping to accomplish in 2025?
I’m gonna start putting out an album, and I think that’s gonna feel really insane. That’s something that scared me for a long time, so that’s really exciting. I’m hoping to get over and tour Europe and the UK, and potentially Australia. I’ve done a lot of touring in America and I’ve loved it, but it would be really fun to go overseas with it. And who knows, maybe there’s another First Avenue headline in the books, or maybe I’ll get to do a tour of my own around the album. I would love to do a headline run. Again, I feel like I can’t jinx anything, but those are on my manifestation list for 2025.
