❝ before we even get into the bag. . . i've got little mimi on the side. she's a plushie . . . chibi ? i forgot what the girl described it — but she's a dolphin, and i've had her since my show in the netherlands. she's been to, like, 30 shows with me so far and uh, it shows. ❞ [ boisterous laughter as she shakes her head, grabbing the plush and presenting its slightly torn seam with a pout, twirling it in the lens's view. ] ❝ def seen better days. but in my head, she's me. tour is roughhh, and i know i'm more than just fuzzy stuffing, but i've had a day or two where i was close to bursting at the seams. . . which brings me to our first item. ❞ [ fishing out a pink and orange colored owala tumbler that's lisa frank, rick & morty, & sanrio stickered. said stickers seem to have seen better days. ]

❝ so this one's random. kinda — not really . . . she's my emotional support water bottle. ❞ [ subtle giggles ] ❝ there's been some mistakenly putting her in the dishwasher and her decorations are NOT vinyl. well, not all of them. she has been to every tour stop; kinda like my first ever roadie ! but yeah, it shows. i have so many little fidgets with it now; it's always in my hand during rehearsals, or like somewhere nearby. i've grown an attachment to her — but i know you're supposed to replace your water bottle so i'm dreading breaking the news. ❞

[ she continues to raid the bag; retrieving a yellow digital camera w/ batz-maru & kuromi stickers, a mini journal, sunscreen, and a hairbrush whose bristles are falling apart. a shrill gasp falls from her lips and she chuckles while shaking her head. ] ❝ no, because ... we as a society need to normalize not fixing what's not broken. this brush has been with me since.. ❞ [ a quick look of ponderance, shifting pursed lips back forth. ] ❝ —since the venusian era. and you see these curls ? courtesy of this brush. she works, i dunno. everyone needs an ol' reliable like this. ❞ [ she acts as if she's opening a blind box when she reaches into the bag the next time, biting on her lip and then gasping in pleasant surprise when she pulls out a sparkly pink fedora. ]

❝ so first of all ... ❞ [ covering her mouth as she snickers. ] ❝ this isn't mine. — i swear ! a friend of mine was going to a bachelorette party and she wanted to tease the bride to be with this. i thought it was so cute and she was looking at me like glinda when she gave elphaba the hat. like ' you silly little fool ' ❞ [ doubling over with laughter, nose crinkling as the smile meets her eyes. then she puts it on her head, tilting it to the side and making a quick pump of her chest. ] ❝ annie, are you okay ? ah, ah — no ? no ??? like barbie's version of smooth criminal. ❞

[ now pulling out a pack of pin opalescent rhinestones, an eager smile on her face while flapping the clear paper in front of the camera. ] ❝ as everybody knows, i love glitter and rhinestones and sparkles. . . ugh ! anyway, my beloved makeup artist 𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑎 is always finding fun, new ways to do my makeup and give me all the sparkle. so i may have stolen these from her kit. you never know when you'll need to do some on-the-go stoning. seriously ! ❞ [ lightly shakes the sheet again, eyes bucking with a faux pout to gain the audience's sympathy for her argument. ] ❝ but seriously, the gems have become a staple in my whole look, and it's been so fun seeing people be inspired by my makeup and my outfits and creating their own versions. it's honestly one of my favorite things about experimenting — giving people the courage to do the same and be free ! ❞

❝ and honestly it's how i feel about this whole album. it was an homage to my home in sweden, of course. but it's also about the freedom of having the sunlight last forever. metaphorical kinda — the sun within you is the midnight sun, type of thing. it's allowed me to be my true self and play with colors and designs and just ... ugh ! and the women who helped make this new project ? that's exactly how they make me feel: free, untamed, and really happy. you know ? ❞

[ reaching deep into the bag and grabbing something that's obviously huge. ] ❝ right after tour, i'm going on a really fun girls trip with my friends. and like, i've never quite been good with directions . . . when i was little, my dad told me always travel with . . ❞ [ finally pulling the massive yellow & pink toned map out — cheesy grin on her face as she unfolds it and positions it up to show the camera. ] ❝ yep. a map. and even though gps is a thing now, i kept his advice in my heart ! so i am ... here. aaand ❞ [ her finger traces random places along the sheet ] ❝ i wanna go here, here, aaaaand all around these places. not super sure how to get there, but winging it is, like, my middle name. kidding — i'm honestly a little neurotic, it's concerning. ❞

"definitely a fun song. honestly the whole album has a fun sound—it's not bubblegum pop and not completely dance either. it's theatrical in its own way and feels a little bit like a coming of age story."

excited, tiny applause from her. ❝ crazy you say that because the album marks like, a huge shift in my life. it was the first time i fully trusted myself musically, and i feel like the public response just confirmed for me that i made the right decision in doing so. ❞ azures go up as she thinks it over, small smile across her glossy pout. ❝ and yes, a couple of these songs were written a couple years ago, bridging them with more recent additions like saturn's return & the ambition just makes it a . . . full story. everyone thinks of coming of age as something that happens when you're a teenager, but i'm still learning so much at just 25. i'll actually be 26 next weekend ! ❞

"oh, happy early birthday ! now, the other song you performed today [ one last time by ariana grande ] has a different vibe, obviously. it's a bit more romantic—stays with the dance pop feel but still, very different song from your album's title track. what made you wanna sing that for spotify live?"

❝ so first of all, i love ariana ! she's an icon, i would've been happy singing any of her songs. one last time just reminds me of, like, summer 2016—which i know everyone always says this, but it was such a big year for music. for me especially; that was the year i made the decision to take my music seriously. or what i thought was serious at the time, you know ? also i thought it'd be so pretty for the band to try and recreate the little twinkle piano keys in the beat. ❞

"it's probably a fine line to walk for you — wanting to be authentic and how you talk about on the ambition . . . wanting to be loved and adored with all the accolades. how do you grapple with wanting both at the same time?"

❝ it is ! a fine line, you know ? writing and helping to produce this album taught me that the most important part of all this music business — as much as it may be a business — is to be true to yourself. the right people will always find you. someone said it recently the key to being successful in any industry is being yourself, as corny as it sounds. when you're the product, and we are as musicians and performers and artists, the one thing nobody can outdo you in . . . is being yourself. ❞

"obviously this album has gotten global attention and the title track is continually moving up on the billboard charts. how do you plan to top this record — do you think your next one will ?"

suddenly a pensive expression casts over her visage, but bryana has always been quick on her feet in interviews. ❝ so my immediate answer is 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦. as i'm becoming more confident in my songwriting, more involved in production. . . the music will only get better. ❞ waves her hands out and shakes her head — a quiet hiss falling from her lips. ❝ but what are we talking about ?! summer isn't over yet, and neither is the midnight sun era ! far from it, actually. i still have so much coming. in fact, i've been working on something very special with some very special people to extend the universe even further. ❞

"ohhhh, so we're getting a deluxe. is that the real reason you and 𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐚 were in the studio that night? you said she showed you her album but—"

❝ oop— i didn't know spotify live was so messy ! ❞ doubling over with laughter after holding the freeze frame for a bit, small shrug and then she continues. ❝ nooo, she really did play her album for me. we're friends before business associates, you know ? i mean, it's not off the table to work on something together. but no, that photo was just her showing me a*pop—which is an amazing record, by the way. ❞ taps her chin, deciding exactly how much she wants to give. ❝ as for a deluxe, there's definitely more coming to add to the midnight sun . . . world. if you get what i mean. i promise, i'm keeping my fans fed. and if that means seven new versions of midnight sun for breakfast ? i know they'll be right there with me. ❞

"can we expect any other collaborations ? you're close with quite a few girls in the industry — people have been begging for another pink x bryana track since stateside dropped. . . have you ever heard of a feature run ?"

❝ as someone who was trying to get in on the house music hype of 2015 / 2016, yes ! i'm familiar. ummm, yes there are some really fun collabs on the way. all with women ! i've made the creative choice for these next few things — and probably most of my future endeavors, honestly — to work with mostly women and champion all the different femme voices in music. because i feel like all their perspectives are so powerful. . . and i have so much to learn from all of them. so in short, yes. expect a collab or two. ❞

"so, your first global headlining tour kicks off the north american leg next month! how has this string of performances felt different than what you did for venusian ? which is another great album. do you plan to play those older songs for this . . . kinda new crowd?"

a beaming expression, eyes widening as she considers what it'll be like to perform in the states. ❝ thank you so much ! this is my first time with this many dates in the us, and it's honestly unnerving. i've toured america as an opener twice now — and i've done lalapalooza once. but never 20+ consecutive shows like i am now. ❞ pointing toward herself, leaning forward. ❝ personally, i think the american leg might be the most fun. just to explore new cities and meet all the fans. i toured the album in eurasia back in march when the album dropped; obviously, i'm from sweden so i like to think my core fanbase is in europe. it felt like home — something i'm used to even though i swear they cheered louder this time around. so yeah, i'm excited to see what the final leg brings. ❞

"ugh, this was so fun ! thank you for making the time to be here today. before you go i just have to ask . . . do you actually have a swedish boyfriend ?"