As Phoebe Bridgers’ third solo album Lost Weekend is released, Secretly Group co-owner and chief marketing officer Phil Waldorf has emphasised the role the UK will play in the campaign.
“The UK is immensely important for Phoebe,” Waldorf told Music Week. “It was so quick to embrace her early in her career, and she’s such a fan of so much music from the UK.”
The New York-based executive, who founded the Dead Oceans label, sounded a jubilant tone about the campaign, which has already taken in listening parties at planetariums in the USA, Canada, the UK and Ireland, across Europe and Australia and New Zealand, as well as midnight on-sales at independent retailers.
Bridgers, who is playing ‘phone-free’ live dates, headlines London’s Union Chapel next week in partnership with Rough Trade, while her December UK tour takes in a date at The O2, marking her first appearance at the venue.
A Grammy-winner and member of chart-topping group Boygenius, Bridgers’ star has continued to rise since her last solo effort Punisher hit No.6 in the UK after its release in the summer of 2020.
Waldorf revealed his high hopes for its successor and talked up the significance of notable chart placements as “important recognition” and “incredibly validating”.
To look ahead to what’s to come for the Californian artist, Music Week quizzed Waldorf on the work going on behind the scenes of Lost Weekend and what it’s like to work with the singer, who also runs her own Saddest Factory imprint in partnership with Secretly...
Phoebe Bridgers' last album hit No.6 in the UK and is soon to hit 200,000 sales here – how do you reflect on that campaign and what lessons have you taken from it into the new one?
“The Punisher campaign was in such a strange time. She delivered the album before the Covid-19 pandemic started and we had to navigate changing everything, while keeping the presentation of the album in line with Phoebe’s vision. I look back at all of the creative solutions, the late night “TV” performances recorded from home, the greenscreen music video, the “world tour” of her house - it was such an amazing creative outpouring from Phoebe, it’s no wonder she’s achieved such commercial heights. The lesson we learned not just from Punisher, but from the first day we worked with Phoebe is pretty simple. Trust her vision.”
How are you growing the fanbase in the UK and what are your ambitions for the new record? Does chart performance matter?
“Our ambitions in the UK are similar to our ambitions everywhere: support Phoebe to cement her as one of the most important artists in the world, but do it on her terms. Chart performance matters – it’s an important recognition. To see the artists who we work with who’ve had chart successes in the UK such as Phoebe, Mitski, Bon Iver and Slowdive who are pushing artistic boundaries and still attaining commercial success is incredibly validating that we’re doing something right.”
Great songs continue to resonate, and luckily we’ve got an album with 16 of them
Phil Waldorf, Secretly Group
Can you talk about the way in which you strike a balance between physical formats, streaming, and cutting through on social media, too?
“The amount of care and attention to detail in the vinyl packaging is why her fans crave the physical product. These LPs are some of the most beautiful we’ve ever released. I don’t think it’s about striking a balance as much as it is just servicing all of it. I don’t want to decide how fans consume music, but making sure the experience is high quality wherever they consume it is very important.”
What kind of musical landscape is she returning to? It's been a significant gap between records...
“Although many things about the landscape are changing, one thing remains the same. Great songs continue to resonate, and luckily we’ve got an album with 16 of them. Obviously there have been industry-wide changes in the six years, whether that’s tied to the Covid-era circumstances we were faced with in 2020, or just the general evolution of the ways in which discovery happens in 2026. But, it isn’t like Phoebe has completely disappeared in that time - she supported Punisher for the years that followed, and then had a wildly successful run with Boygenius. Clearly she stepped back after that, to make this record, but it is less about the landscape she’s returning to, and more about the landscape she’s creating for herself.”
What are the biggest challenges for an independent release such as this in 2026?
“I don’t think there are any challenges that we’re faced with that are uniquely challenging for us as an independent label. Our label is built to service the best independent artists in the world. We have the benefit of having a deep, sophisticated team that works tirelessly on releases at the highest levels in territories across the globe, while also being able to remain boutique and specialised. We’re not on to the next priority the week after a release, we have the luxury of still being boutique while operating at scale. Of course record labels are faced with many challenges in the current landscape, but I don’t think those have much to do with us being an independent label versus a major.”
This is not about a ‘campaign’ or ‘marketing’ – the most important thing is that we have an album that can change culture forever
Phil Waldorf, Secretly Group
When we spoke to Phoebe Bridgers after Punisher came out she told us "I don't really think that Secretly has a glass ceiling as far as being an indie goes". How has your relationship with her developed over time?
“I think it remains one of mutual respect and trust. Every decision we make is guided by the principles laid out by Phoebe. She is such a fan of music – I love how immersed she is in it. I know it sounds obvious, but she is truly one of the deepest listeners, her taste stretches across decades and genres, and partnering with her on a label made so much sense because of how aligned we were. I’m immensely grateful that Phoebe had the foresight to see Muna’s next chapter, to show me music by Jasmine 4.t and Sloppy Jane. Both Claud and Danielle Ponder were artists we were huge fans of already, before we partnered with Phoebe to work on their releases. We do not pick favourites at Secretly, but I can say with the utmost confidence that the artists Phoebe’s brought are ones that would be in our staff’s playlists and collections whether we worked with them or not.”
What aspect of this release are you most excited about?
“In some ways, it’s just letting the music speak for itself. Obviously I’m immensely proud of the creative and the marketing around the record. The tiny phone-free underplays to kick things off, followed by an acoustic show for $1 at Madison Square Garden, through to the listening experiences at planetariums and the midnight sales at independent retail. It feels like we’ve been very selective in what we’ve done, a true version of prioritising a quality fan experience over flooding the internet with content for the sake of it. But, this is not about a ‘campaign’ or ‘marketing’ – the most important thing is that we have an album that can change culture forever, and that’s easily the biggest motivating force for me.”
Live remains a big part of the picture, with phone-free shows now, too. What does that say about her artistry, and how much of a challenge has it been to actually pull off?
“The phone-free show is a beautiful experience. It feels so immersive and will create memories for fans they won’t ever forget. The logistical challenge is worth it in every way.”
What are your ambitions looking into the future? How do you see your partnership evolving?
“I genuinely believe this is a generational album and I cannot wait for everyone to experience it. I think it sets Phoebe up to do whatever she wants, and I cannot wait to hear whatever that is. I’m sure it’ll break all the rules once again.”
PHOTOS: Anna Powell Denton, Olof Grind
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