Birdy

A singer/songwriter with an agile voice capable of both fragile and powerful renderings, Birdy's airy, melancholy pop was a hit from the beginning in Australia and parts of Europe. Following the release of her major-label debut in 2011, she reached the Top Ten in her native U.K. with Fire Within (2013) and Beautiful Lies (2016). In 2021, she released her fourth set, Young Heart, before contributing "Quietly Yours" to the 2022 Netflix film adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Persuasion. Her fifth album, Portraits, arrived in 2023. Born Jasmine van den Bogaerde in 1996 in Lymington, Hampshire, she was precocious from the very start. Raised by a writer and concert pianist, Bogaerde began composing her own songs at the age of seven, and in the coming years frequently posted her music and performances on social media. By the time she was 14, she had signed a publishing contract with Warner/Chappell. In early 2011, she independently released her first single, a cover of American indie rock outfit Bon Iver's "Skinny Love," using the alias Birdy. It peaked at number 17 on the U.K. singles chart. Her self-titled full-length debut, released through Atlantic Records, arrived in November of that year and was a huge success, particularly in Australia, Belgium, Holland, and France, where it shot to number one. Birdy also reached number 17 in the U.K. The collection of stripped-back covers mostly comprised indie artists, such as the Postal Service and Fleet Foxes, whose songs were overhauled by Bogaerde's haunting voice and sparse production. In 2012, she appeared alongside Mumford & Sons on the soundtrack to Pixar's Brave and contributed an original song, "Just a Game," to the soundtrack to The Hunger Games. In contrast to Birdy's first album, her second, 2013's Fire Within, offered 11 original tracks. Written with help from collaborators such as Ryan Tedder (Beyoncé, Leona Lewis), Dan Wilson (Adele, Taylor Swift), and Mumford & Sons pianist Ben Lovett, it climbed to number eight at home and became her biggest hit to date in the States, reaching number 24 on the Billboard 200. Multiple entries on the soundtrack to The Fault in Our Stars followed in 2014. Birdy cracked Britain's Top Five with her third long-player, Beautiful Lies, which reached number four upon its release in 2016. The album's various collaborators included Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys), Steve Mac (Ed Sheeran, Demi Lovato), and RØMANS (John Legend, Mary J. Blige). That year, in addition to the release of a trio of instrumental digital efforts, she also teamed with Passenger ("Beautiful Birds") and Sigma (the chart-topping dance hit "Find Me"). While working on her fourth studio album, she released the four-track EP Piano Sketches in 2020. The following April, Bogaerde issued the stripped-down Young Heart. Inspired by a short hiatus when she spent time in India and California, the effort showcased a nostalgic, '70s singer/songwriter style influenced by Joni Mitchell's Blue. Produced by Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves), Young Heart featured the singles "Second Hand News" and "Surrender." More singles followed, including 2021's "Open Hearts" (with Haevn) and "Quietly Yours," the latter of which arrived in 2022 as part of the soundtrack to the Netflix adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Persuasion. The dramatic Kate Bush-esque single "Raincatchers" appeared in 2023, later appearing on Birdy's fifth full-length, Portraits, which added bright synths to her usual ethereal sound. ~ James Christopher Monger & Marcy Donelson, Rovi