Beth Torbert (born June 15, 1971) is a Canadian singer-songwriter best known by her stage name Bif Naked. Between 1996 and 2016, she was among the top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada.[1]
Bif Naked was born in New Delhi, India, to teenage parents attending private school. She was subsequently adopted by American missionaries.[2] She spent part of her childhood in Lexington, Kentucky, where her father was a professor at the University of Kentucky. She went to Kelsey Elementary School in The Pas, Manitoba for a couple of years. After living for a time in Dauphin, Manitoba, her family eventually settled in Winnipeg.[3][4] She graduated from John Taylor Collegiate and studied theatre at the University of Winnipeg. After University, she began pursuing a career as a stand-up comic.
The name “Bif” started as a nickname based on the mispronunciation of her real name, Beth.[5]
After spending several years singing with several underground bands, Bif Naked independently released a self-titled solo album, Bif Naked, in 1994, and I Bificus in 1998. In 1999 she toured across Canada.[6]
Another solo album, Purge was released in 2001.[7] She also released a spoken word album called Okenspay Ordway: Things I Forgot To Tell Mommy. In 2005, after narrowing it down from over fifty songs, she released Superbeautifulmonster, which featured thirteen tracks. The Promise, which was recorded while Bif was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, was released in 2009 and was dedicated to her fans. The album featured tracks mixed by Juno Award winner Mike Fraser. In 2011, after doing acoustic sets on tour, Bif released an acoustic record on Her Royal Majesty’s Records late-2013, featuring acoustic versions of her past songs as well as four previously unreleased tracks. The album is entitled BIF NAKED FOREVER: Acoustic Hits and Other Delights. Bif has also been involved on a side project, Jakkarta.
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