Birdy (singer)

Birdy

Birdy at the SWR3 New Pop Festival in Baden-Baden, 2013
Background information
Birth name Jasmine Lucilla Elizabeth Jennifer van den Bogaerde
Born (1996-05-15) 15 May 1996
Lymington, Hampshire, United Kingdom[1]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active 2008–present
Labels
Website officialbirdy.com

Jasmine Lucilla Elizabeth Jennifer van den Bogaerde[4] (born 15 May 1996),[5] better known by her stage name Birdy, is an English musician, singer and songwriter. She won the music competition Open Mic UK in 2008, at the age of 12. Her debut single, a version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love", was her breakthrough, charting all across Europe and earning platinum certification six times in Australia. Her self-titled debut album, Birdy, was released on 7 November 2011 to similar success, peaking at number 1 in Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands. Her second studio album, Fire Within, was released 23 September 2013 in the UK and other surrounding countries. Beautiful Lies, her third studio album, was released on 25 March 2016 through Atlantic Records.

Early life and education

Birdy was born on 15 May 1996, in Lymington, Hampshire, UK. Her father is Rupert Oliver Benjamin van den Bogaerde; her mother, the Hon. Sophie Patricia (née Roper-Curzon)[4] is a concert pianist. Birdy learned to play the piano at the age of seven, and began writing her own music at the age of eight.[6] Her parents were married in 1995 and have two other children: Jake, born in 1997, and Caitlin in 1999. Birdy studied at Brockenhurst College in Brockenhurst, a sixth form college in the New Forest, as of 2013. She sings and plays the piano. Her grandfather is Captain John Christopher Ingram Roper-Curzon, the 20th Baron Teynham and a member of the Peerage of England, and she grew up on the family estate near Lymington.[7] Her great-uncle was the actor Sir Dirk Bogarde. Her great-great-great grandfather was Belgian, the rest of her ancestors were English and Scottish.[8]

Career

2008–12: Career beginnings, and Birdy

Her stage name comes from the nickname her parents gave her as a baby, because she opened her mouth like a little bird when fed.[9] Her family and friends call her Birdy, while only teachers called her Jasmine, her given name. In 2008, as a 12-year-old, Birdy won the UK talent contest Open Mic UK, a spinoff of the Live and Unsigned competition. She won both the under-18s category and the Grand Prize, against 10,000 other competitors.[10][11] She performed her own song, called "So Be Free", at the competition in front of 2,000 people.[12]

In 2009, Birdy performed live on piano for BBC Radio 3's Pianothon in London.[13] In January 2011, at the age of 14, Birdy released a cover version of Bon Iver's song "Skinny Love".[14] The song became her first hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at 17. The single was chosen as "Record of the Week"[15] by UK radio DJ Fearne Cotton,[12] resulting in it being added to BBC Radio 1's B‑list playlist[2] as soon as it was released in March 2011.[3] The official music video for the song was directed by Sophie Muller.[16] The song was also featured on The Vampire Diaries episode "The Sun Also Rises", which aired on 5 May 2011. "Skinny Love" peaked at number 1 in the Netherlands. It also featured in an episode of Being Human, and was sung by Birdy on The Ellen DeGeneres Show; the episode aired on 20 March 2012.

Since then, Birdy has covered a number of songs, including "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran and The xx's "Shelter". On 19 July 2011, Birdy performed in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. In the session, she performed both "Shelter" and "The A Team". Her cover of "Shelter" was also featured on The Vampire Diaries episode "The End of the Affair", which aired on 29 September 2011.[17] Her eponymous debut album of cover versions (plus one original track) was released on 7 November 2011; the album peaked at No. 13 in the UK, No. 40 in Ireland and number 1 in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Australia. On 21 December 2011, Birdy received a Golden Single from 3FM during Serious Request in the Netherlands for selling more than 25,000 copies from her debut album. She promptly donated it to be auctioned online. A day later, Birdy received a Golden Single from Studio Brussel during Music for Life in Belgium for selling more than 15,000 copies from her debut album. She also donated it to be auctioned online, it was sold for €1,980. In August 2012 her debut album peaked at number one in Australia, while the singles "Skinny Love" and "People Help the People" peaked at numbers 2 and 10 respectively. 7 August 2012, Birdy released her "Live in London" EP, which contains 8 songs. This includes her cover of Ed Sheeran's "The A Team" and her song from The Hunger Games soundtrack, "Just a Game". On 29 August 2012 Birdy performed Antony Hegarty's song "Bird Gerhl" (from Antony and the Johnsons' I Am a Bird Now album), in the opening ceremony of the London Paralympic Games. On 16 February 2013 Birdy sang at Sanremo Music Festival 2013, the most popular Italian music festival broadcast by RAI.

2013–15: Fire Within and other activities

Birdy at the New Pop Festival in Baden Baden, September 2013

Birdy announced the release of her second studio album, entitled Fire Within, via a YouTube video on 10 July 2013. The video included footage of Birdy in the studio along with a preview of two songs, "Wings" and "No Angel", which are both featured on the album. The first official single, "Wings", was released on 22 July 2013 and a second song, "All You Never Say", was sent to subscribers of Birdy's mailing list and posted on YouTube on 15 August 2013. The song Wings was also featured on The Vampire Diaries episode "Home", which aired on 15 May 2014. The album was released in the UK and other surrounding countries on 23 September 2013 and has so far achieved mostly positive reviews.[18] In North America, the album was released on 3 June 2014. A subsequent EP titled Breathe was released on 16 October in its place.

Birdy contributed three songs to the soundtrack for the movie The Fault in Our Stars: "Tee Shirt", "Best Shot" (with Jaymes Young) and "Not About Angels".[19] Videos for both have been officially released.[20] In March 2012, Birdy was one of the artists who contributed to The Hunger Games film soundtrack with her single "Just a Game".[21] In June 2012, Birdy contributed the song "Learn Me Right" with Mumford & Sons to the Pixar film Brave for which she received her first Grammy Award nomination.[22] Birdy appears on the 2014 David Guetta album Listen, featured on the song "I'll Keep Loving You". "Wings" has been used as the soundtrack to the Lloyds 250-year anniversary Horse Story advertisements as of 30 June 2015.

In August 2015, Birdy co-wrote "Let It All Go" with Rhodes.[23] The single was released on 11 September 2015 via digital download in the UK.[24]

2016–present: Beautiful Lies

In January 2016, Birdy released "Keeping Your Head Up",[25] the first single from her third album, Beautiful Lies, with a release date of 25 March 2016.[26] "Beautiful Lies", the second single from the album was released in February.[27] "Wild Horses", the third single from the album was released in March.[28]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result
2012 Satellite Awards Best Original Song (Learn Me Right) - with Mumford & Sons Nominated
Critics' Choice Awards Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song (Learn Me Right) - with Mumford & Sons Nominated
2014 Brit Awards British Female Solo Artist Nominated
Echo Music Prize Female Solo Artist International Won
Los 40 Principales Best International New Artist Won
Best International Album (Fire Within) Nominated

Discography

Main article: Birdy discography
Studio albums

References

  1. ↑ Indy Almroth-Wright Twelve year-old 'Birdy' wins UK talent contest. BBC News. December 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 Radio 1 playlist shows 14th Floor as Birdy's record label. BBC.co.uk (24 February 2007). Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  3. 1 2 Birdy makes Radio 1 sing. Musicweek.com (9 March 2011). Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  4. 1 2 Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, Kelly's Directories, 2000 pg. 1629
  5. ↑ "712kKv9+9uL._SL1200_.jpg (1200x1023, rear cover art)". Warner Music. Amazon.com. 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013. ℗ & 2013 Jasmine van den Bogaerde under exclusive licence to Warner Music UK limited. -via- "Fire Within: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Warner Music. Amazon.com. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  6. ↑ Humes, Marvin (6 February 2011). "A new teen star is about to go top 10". Global Radio. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Smyth, David (13 September 2013). "Birdy takes flight: 'It feels like the beginning again'". London Evening Standard.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  9. ↑ Shahesta Shaitly. "Rising star: Birdy | Culture". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Hewitt, Phil (29 November 2009). "Review: Open Mic UK national grand final, Guildhall, Portsmouth". Chichester Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
  11. ↑ "News | Birdy set to fly high, and take on the UK top 40, after winning singing competition in 2008!". Openmicuk.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-04-10. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Festival Guest Appearance". Pylewell Park Food & Drink Festival 2011. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  13. ↑ BBC Radio 3's Pianothon. BBC 3 Classical Music. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  14. ↑ Maverick Sabre: Singer/Songwriter/Rapper Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.. Titanium-music.blogspot.com. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  15. ↑ Birdy-Song of the week on Radio 1. River Studios News, 2011. Riverstudios.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  16. ↑ Digital Birdy unveils 'Skinny Love' music video. Digital Spy (5 April 2011). Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  17. ↑ Archived Live Lounge recording. BBC. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  18. ↑ "Birdy – All You Never Say [Official Lyric Video". YouTube. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "'Fault in Our Stars' soundtrack line up: Ed Sheeran, M83, more". Hypable.com. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  20. ↑ Birdy music video references:
  21. ↑ Johnston, Gordon (9 May 2012). "Open Mic UK winner Birdy is flying high!". Glasswerk. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  22. ↑ Bryko (1 May 2012). "First Details on 'Brave' Soundtrack! (UPDATE)". Upcoming Pixar. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  23. ↑ Birdy on Twitter: "I wrote this song with Rhodes.."Let it all Go" Here's the acoustic session. Hope you like it ... More news soon xx https://t.co/XY2fSr5cBr"
  24. ↑ "Let it all go single". iTunes NZ. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  25. ↑ Wass, Mike (4 January 2016). "Birdy Drops (Surprisingly) Upbeat Anthem "Keeping Your Head Up"". Idolator. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  26. ↑ Gracie, Bianca (13 January 2016). "Birdy's 'Beautiful Lies' Album Details Surface: See The Reported Tracklist". Idolator. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  27. ↑ "Listen to "Beautiful Lies," the Title Track from Birdy's Upcoming Album". Teen Vogue. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  28. ↑ "Listen to "Wild Horses", third track from Birdy's Upcoming Album". Spotify. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.

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