Bif Naked thrives on regimen: The Vancouver-based rocker is up at dawn to exercise and maintains a straightedge lifestyle.
But after her diagnosis for breast cancer in January 2008 and subsequent treatment, that all changed.
“I’m a raw food vegan — I’ve been doing that a long time — but one month all I wanted was yam rolls, and they’re definitely not raw,” Naked said, laughing. “To this day, I can barely look at beets. I used to devour beet juice, and ate grated beets on salad every day, but now I can’t stand the smell.”
Despite these challenges, Naked (real name Beth Torbert) powered through writing and recording a new album. Titled The Promise, the disc is the culmination of months spent with producer, guitarist and “taskmaster” Jason Darr.
Reached a day before the album’s release, Naked was recovering from ovarian surgery. But despite a long run of media interviews, the singer was gregarious and upbeat, joking if she hadn’t been in the hospital, she would have hit the gym.
Speaking about chemotherapy, she said the physiological setbacks impacted the recording process, as did ever-changing scheduling.
“Every chemo (treatment) is different — you can’t find any consistency,” she said. “At one point I was in the hospital for 20 days straight. My larynx gland was so swollen I couldn’t swallow … I was incapacitated for almost a month. Sometimes it seemed like the album would never come to light, but it did, thanks in part to (Jason) Darr, my taskmaster.”
The resulting disc features Naked’s raw singing, layered over guitar-heavy pop punk. Images of hair falling out (on Amazon Motel) and a song titled Sick may cause fans to automatically reach to recent events for interpretation.
But Naked said the songs are just as rooted in the emotion that powers her creativity: Love. Along with the support of her husband, family, friends and fans, she found love while healing alongside other patients, who became good friends.
“A lot of people will always assume if it’s is a sad song, it must be about chemo: ‘Oh, here’s another sad song, it must be about chemo.’ No!” she said. “(Cancer) can be very isolating … There are a million and one books on cancer, but I think the number one thing as a friend and family member, is to go with that person to chemo, keep them company if they want it, and check up with them every day.”
Bif Naked plays
• Toronto: Mod Club on June 13.
