As an Elementary Education major and Spanish minor at Winona State University, music is a favorite past time to talented student, Robert “Bobby” Briggs. He decided not to pursue a study in music because he wanted it to remain a hobby. He simply did not want music to become “homework”. Although music a hobby of his, he thinks of it as something that could potentially to grow into something bigger, and it has!
Now with thousands of views on one of his duet covers, “Forever Like That” featuring Sarah Sperber, and over a thousand views on other videos he’s posted, Robert Briggs basically became a campus celebrity overnight. Briggs started posting videos of covers to his Facebook page everyday including the hashtag “#ACoverADay” Each week he incorporates a different theme, this way his fans are unlikely to get bored. He uses his cover series as a way to practice his music skills (guitar and singing). He explains,
“I needed an excuse to practice more. I wasn’t expecting the number of views that I’ve gotten on my videos, I knew that my duet with Sarah would blow up to some extent, but because people are watching them, it gives me motivation to practice and keep posting.”
Robert Briggs performing original song, “Can’t Stop the Beat”
Briggs first became interested in music at a young age, he grew up with older siblings that inspired him. His obsession with boy bands also played a part in his love for music. Believe it or not, he attended a Backstreet Boys concert at age seven! When he was twelve years old, Briggs received his first guitar and began teaching himself how to play. The first song he learned was “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin because his dad told him he couldn’t be a guitar player unless he knew how to play this song. He continues to learn songs from online sources of tablature and chords as well as other resources.
Duet with Sarah Sperber, “Forever Like That”, a Ben Rector cover.
After he started posting his covers to Facebook, he quickly became recognized for his talent and people started to reach out to collaborate with him. Because he is one of Winona State’s Resident Assistants (RA), Briggs’ residents often approach him. From people he previously knew to complete strangers, people have continuously shown interest in his music, and he will always say yes to any of these collaboration opportunities. His favorite covers so far include, “Here I Go” an original song written by and performed with Michael Pelly, the oh-so-fabulous Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” cover which he does with a group of people and “No Diggity” with Colin Adams. He was also quite surprised with Tyler Mohr’s voice when they did a duet together to the song “Hey Ya” by,Outkast.
“People will message me on Facebook wanting to collab with me, it’s been a really cool experience and a cool way to meet new and interesting people”, Briggs says,
“I will always say yes to anyone who asks to work with me.”
Not only does Briggs post awesome covers of popular songs, he surprises his viewers with original pieces as a part of “#ACoverADay.”
“I write my best work when it’s not forced, I can’t just decide I want to write a song, it has to come to me,” Briggs explained.
Briggs has been in the process of writing some songs for as long as two years, and this just goes to show that music writing can be an enduring process. A tip our campus celebrity has for people who want to start writing music is to “start out by not setting the bar too high. You can’t compare yourself to artists that are already out there. Write down everything that comes to mind, you’re likely to be inspired somehow by this and you can always go back. Don’t force it”.
You may have seen Robert Briggs perform at different campus club events for fairs and fundraisers, or maybe you had the chance to see him perform at Mugshots on West Campus. He has also performed at Acoustic Café. He has also performed at larger venues in the Lacrosse and Twin Cities areas. He explained that he no longer gets nervous for performing live, he said, “My nerves have turned into excitement. Before performances, I try to keep it light and not think about it too much before I get on stage. If I can, I’ll talk to people or if I’m driving, I’ll jam out to the radio as a way to warm up my vocals”.
Group cover of Taylor Swift’s “Shake it off”
If you enjoy watching his videos, chances are you’d like listening to him in person. Be on the look out for his live local performances, you may be able to catch one! All in all, Robert Briggs is a great performer. If you haven’t had the chance to watch any of his “ACoverADay” videos, the best way to see them is through his Facebook page.