Singer-songwriter BJRNCK prepares for homecoming show: ‘What would Beyonce do if she performed at Schubas?’

There’s a new generation of songstresses emerging from the rich R&B tradition built by Black Chicagoans like Minnie Riperton and Chaka Khan. Singer-songwriter BJRNCK is a part of this new era, embarking on her first headlining tour back home to Chicago at Schubas on Feb. 25, bringing to life her debut album, “A Girl Like Me.”

The show will be a dramatic, immersive experience that brings fans into her decade-long journey. BJRNCK (pronounced byo͝or’nik), born Gennae Bewernick, aims to illustrate a relatable story of navigating womanhood and her journey as a singer. The hourlong performance will be narrated through music and skits that draw inspiration from her favorite film, the 1996 comedy-thriller “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate,” and the album itself.

“I broke it down into sections. My album is like ‘Girl, I’ve been there too,’ but we’re learning. It’s like therapy albums. I want the show to feel like that. What would Beyonce do if she performed at Schubas?” she said.

The sultry offering, “A Girl Like Me,” released in October, was years in the making. A part of the local music scene since she was 16, she spent two years recording the album after signing with Geffen/Interscope Records. After years of releasing singles and collaborating with stars like Saba, HappyBirthdayCalvin, Chloe, Omarion and Babyface (who was nominated for a Grammy in 2024 for “Girls Night Out,” which featured an extended version bonus track with BJRNCK), she approached her breakout debut as a way to introduce herself.

“I’m still a new artist to the world. How can I fit all the pieces of me that people have missed into this album, like who I am and what I’ve been through?” she said.

The struggle of the beginning of her career is encapsulated in the album’s title track. The song samples an old video she recorded of herself documenting the grueling realities of being a singer on the come-up. Her mother sent her that video, and it inspired her to use it as the album’s intro.

“I was in my basement in Chicago, sitting on my bed, I looked so sad. And I’m like, ‘it’s OK because one day, I’m going to be rich as f—, and I’m going to make a lot of money,” she said.

Born in Los Angeles, where she is based now, BJRNCK and her family moved to the South Side when she was a 6-year-old girl. She grew up in the Altgeld Gardens housing projects and later moved to 81st Street and King Drive in Chatham. She attended Roseland Middle School with fellow singer Ravyn Lenae and rapper Adamn Killa, long before he was rapping, in fifth grade. She and Lenae would share a kinship, claiming each other as sisters.

She recalls Lenae sharing videos of her singing and being reluctant to upload them on YouTube. BJRNCK would encourage Lenae to post them anyway, believing in her singing talent.

“I’m so proud of her. And it’s just inspiring because it’s like, I know my time is coming. We were all in the same area, we’re cut from the same cloth. Everybody gets their time. … Adamn wasn’t even doing music when we were in middle school, so even going viral and doing what he’s doing now is so fire,” she said of the rapper who went viral late last year for his “arrest me, daddy” videos.

In the spirit of her predecessors, Tink, Dreezy, and icons like Jennifer Hudson and Shawnna, BJRNCK’s music epitomizes the fiery, bold, yet misunderstood spirit of authentic Black Chicago women — loving, honest, yet shaped into warriors by the harsh, patriarchal environments around them. For her, it’s about showcasing that duality between softness and assertiveness, especially to the younger generation of girls who listen to her music.

“I think that it’s important for me, coming from the city and young girls listening to my music, to show, yeah, I’m aggressive, but there’s that sweet side too. It’s OK to be a girl and OK to be soft,” she said.

For BJRNCK, her homecoming show and the album are a victory lap after being behind the scenes. And with her forthcoming deluxe edition of “A Girl Like Me” arriving this summer, she is working harder than ever to blaze her own trail to superstardom.

“Some people think that I just got everything, I got all the resources, and it’s like, no, I’ve been grinding for 10 years trying to make it to this moment. But I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” she said.