Catch up with Bif Naked ahead of her Kelowna return

Canadian pop-punk legend, Bif Naked, is a household name across the nation and will take the stage at Rock the Lake on Saturday, Aug. 6.

Ahead of her appearance, Sarah Nick, from 104.7 The Lizard, caught up with Bif to chat about what she's missed about performing, her upcoming documentary, and ties to Winnipeg.

The questions and answers have been edited for clarity.

Sarah: Tell me about your upcoming documentary?

With this documentary, I’m not the artist making the film, I’m the subject. It’s humbling obviously. I think everybody’s story is worth a documentary, but for me, part of it is my survival story. Not just cancer of course, or bad boys, or any of these types of things. I used to run away when I was a teenager, but I was also adopted. It’s also my story of India and my birth. It’s called Bif Naked: One of a Kind. We’re hoping it will come out in 2023, or 2024.

Sarah: You do have Winnipeg ties, which is really cool, because I was born in Winnipeg, and I actually spent the last five years doing radio there. You also studied at the University of Winnipeg, what did you study there?

I took theatre at U of W, I wanted to be an actor. I had no vocal training, obviously, it’s easy to hear (haha). I just really wanted to go into theatre. There’s something called Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg that I was trying to be a part of. Basically, met a bunch of punks my first semester and started skipping class to go skateboarding. Never told my parents I was skipping class and went on tour opening for The Wongs for my first tour across Canada. I’ve never stopped touring except for when I had cancer.

Sarah: You’ve been literally on the road forever?

Ya. You know, I learned as a really young performer that I literally couldn’t drink alcohol and do my job. So, I stopped drinking alcohol, I’m pretty sure I was 24. I kept losing my voice, I’m chatty, I’m quite chatty on a beer. Luckily for me, I had made those lifestyle choices just for my work, just so I could work hard, and then that’s all I did, was work.

Sarah: You’ve played at so many venues over your career. Is there one that stands out and you just love?

Obviously, the beach in Kelowna is a standout memory! We have played so many times in the area, in the Okanagan specifically, and it’s always a great time. You guys know because you live there, you live it, you know what it’s like. How the population swells in the community every summer and winter. We take advantage of that too and we just love it. The energy is so great, and there’s no better people in the world.

Sarah: Coming out of the pandemic, what have you missed the most?

I recorded a new record during the pandemic because we had the time. It’s coming out this year finally, I keep putting it off because of the world events that keep unfolding. It just seems like those things are more important. I’ve missed performing because I missed the audiences and that connection with people. A live performance, there’s nothing like it in the whole world.