Bad news for sad lesbians: Boygenius is taking a break. The three-piece supergroup comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus confirmed the hiatus to Billboard via a representative on Friday, after reportedly announcing the pause at a secret show in Los Angeles on Thursday night. “We’re going away for the foreseeable future,” they reportedly told the crowd.
The announcement comes on the eve of the 2024 Grammy Awards, where Boygenius is nominated in six categories for their debut studio album The Record. Several of those nods for the folk-inspired track “Not Strong Enough,” which could take home the trophy for best rock song on Sunday night.
While the band’s representative didn’t offer any details to Billboard beyond the mere fact of the hiatus, it’s not surprising that three artists with flourishing solo careers would not continue to collaborate indefinitely.
Still, for a time and a season, it felt like Boygenius was the Beatles for tortured bisexuals: There was the iconic recreation of Nirvana’s Rolling Stone cover, an SNL performance, and an international tour for The Record. They even became fashion icons, noted for their playful use of menswear, turning suit jackets into something of a signature look. But while Boygenius may have broken out in 2023, the group has been collaborating since 2018 — and five years in the music industry is a good run.
While the trio has not yet commented on social media as of this writing, leaked video of the secret concert from a fan account shows Dacus saying, “This is our last show and we’re feeling it.” Still, if that same fan account is to be believed, Boygenius left open the possibility of more music in the future, with Dacus reportedly saying, “This is the last song,” and Baker clarifying, “Not ever.”
That’s the tiny glimmer of hope we’ll hold onto. Right now, we’re not strong enough to process the possibility of Boygenius breaking up forever.
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