Is Boygenius breaking up? Memphis-native Julien Baker's band surprise audience during secret show. What we know.
Boygenius appeared to announced a indefinite hiatus during a surprise concert in Los Angeles Thursday night.
The group boygenius, comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Memphis-native Julien Baker, said they it would be their last performance during a secret acoustic concert at The Smell in Los Angeles. The show was a surprise for fans ahead of the 66th Annual Grammy Awards this upcoming weekend in which the group is nominated for seven different categories.
X user @boygeniussource attended the concert and reported that the group said, "We're going away for the foreseeable future." The user also posted video from the show on Instagram where Dacus said, "This is our last show, and we are feeling it."
A representative for the band confirmed boygenius' hiatus announcement to USA TODAY on Friday.
The trio spoke about their hiatus backstage at the Grammy Awards, where they won three trophies for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "Not Strong Enough," and Best Alternative Music Album.
"This is funny because I guess we just didn’t tell anybody, but we told each other at the beginning of this project that it would have a finite date, like a finite amount of time devoted to it,” Phoebe Bridgers said. “And we completed that time, and now we walk into the sunset.”
“It feels nice to have a cap on what we’ve done,” Julien Baker added. “We put the record into the world and that’s enough. You know?”
Fans on Instagram expressed their feelings about the sudden hiatus announcement. One user panicked saying, "Wait last show? Like last show ever??? Or just of the night?" Another user referenced one of boygenius' songs in a not-so-fun way saying, "I was NOT strong enough."
Baker made sure to clarify during the performance of the last song that it would not be the last time boygenius performed together. The band ended the show with a big group hug on the couch. There has been no official statement made by the group on any social media platform.
?? https://t.co/R8IJPqm89e pic.twitter.com/tXFVesRnWv
— boygenius source (@boygeniussource) February 2, 2024
Boygenius' successful 2023
Even though the band first formed in 2018, they did not release a full album until 2023.
The group started off as individual friends and artists, each with their own acclaimed albums and careers. Both Bridgers and Dacus opened for Baker on separate tours, and then the three ended up collaborating together.
They released an EP in 2018 that had 6 total songs on it. There were several songs and demos released between the EP and the full album, but none took off.
When the debut studio album, "The Record," was released in March, the band was able to gain more widespread recognition. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The group played at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Re:SET Concert Series. In October, the group released its second EP, "The Rest." They then performed on "Saturday Night Live" a month later with host Timothée Chalamet.
The group was recently named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 Music list. The recognition capped a big year for Germantown-born, Bartlett-raised Baker, who launched her career in the Memphis punk scene and later attended Middle Tennessee State University. She left school after the surprise success of her solo debut, “Sprained Ankle," released in 2015.
Boygenius Grammy Nominations
The group is nominated in seven categories at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
Their album "The Record" is nominated for album of the year, best alternative music album, and best engineered album, non classical.
The single "Not Strong Enough" is nominated for record of the year, best rock song, and best rock performance.
The song "Cool About It" is nominated for the best alternative music performance.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Is Boygenius breaking up? What we know after band plays 'last show'
