Birdy has just released «Portraits», her fifth studio album. It opens a new chapter for the singer. The changes are visible when looking at the artwork and music videos, but also musically Birdy ventures into new waters. The result is a wonderful album that never wears out even after listening to it over and over. An interview had already been planned when she visited Zurich back in April 2023. Due to illness (not Birdy's), however, it unfortunately did not come to the personal meeting. But the time has come to catch up on overdue conversation via Zoom.
Indiespect: I’m in love with your new album. The dynamics between upbeat songs and ballads is truly amazing. It holds so much strength in it. It also feels like a major shift for you in terms of how it sounds. Was it difficult for you to step into a new direction?
Birdy: No, it felt like a natural transition from the last record, which was just so the opposite. It was a almost a folk record and very sad and intimate. I spent five years doing that and I just couldn't do anything similar again. I thought, I need to do something completely different. Also because we were in the lockdown I had missed playing live so much. This record was made for stage and to perform to people. And to have energy and movement.
This record really was made for stage and to perform to people. And to have energy and movement.
Indiespect: It must have been quite a special tour for you earlier this year, because it was supposed to be the tour for your last album «Young Heart». Because of the pandemic it got shifted between to records. How did it feel to be in between two albums and go on tour?
Birdy: That was strange, actually. I was sad to not get to tour Young Heart properly, because I think that it actually really came to life live. It was really beautiful. But I had already sort of moved on into this other world and then going back was like: who am I? I don't know which person I am on stage (laughs). I really enjoyed playing the old songs, like really old songs from the first record. Just because people hadn't heard them for quite a long time and we hadn't toured for six years. People got really emotional. They might have listened to the records when they were 15 and then we'd grown up together. I enjoyed that on the tour a lot.
© Thibault-Théodore
A new era for Birdy has begun – also visually.
Indiespect: Are you planning to come back to Switzerland with a proper tour for «Portraits»?
Birdy: I'd say, yeah. The plan is to tour, but we're just trying to work out where to start and we may go to America for a bit. It's difficult because we've just done an European tour. But I think we will and it's going to be more Portraits focused, obviously. We definitely want to do more live.
Initially, we weren't going to release Paradise Calling and I felt like this is a really special song on the record
and I wanted to give it a chance to just be in the world before the album came out.
Indiespect: The album release was set for July and was pushed back for a month. What's the reason behind that decision?
Birdy: That's true. I wanted to share a bit more of the record before it came out. Initially, we weren't going to release Paradise Calling and I felt like this is a really special song on the record and I wanted to give it a chance to just be in the world before the album came out. It's also other stuff. There's lots of moving parts and it just made sense to put it there.
«Paradise Calling» comes with a very artistic music video. The dance will go down in Birdy history with no doubt.
Indiespect: I saw a live performance of «Paradise Calling» at St. Johns Church in Kingston and it was a really stripped down version. Will you play a more piano based version on stage?
Birdy: When it's with the band, it will be the version that's on the record. But when I'm by myself, obviously I can't play it like that. But I was surprised because all the songs are written, either starting on a synth or writing to drums. But all of them work really well on the piano and they sound really nice. It's nice to have that version of them as well.
Indiespect: In interviews you told that you are interested in arts in general, also in painting. Was the darker and more mystical look of this record your idea?
Birdy: You mean the photography?
He put me in a wig and a dress for the first picture that we did. He took a picture and I thought:
this doesn't even look like me. That's just not it.
Indiespect: Also the music videos. The whole look and vibe that is attached to it.
Birdy: In the beginning of making this record I was more inspired visually than musically. I had an idea of how it would look and it was a bit more gothic and kind of Dickensian [a British TV series], actually. I was inspired by PJ Harvey and Patti Smith. Then I met Thibault-Théodore, who is the photographer for the album cover and all the imagery. I made him lots of paintings because I couldn't explain how I wanted it to look. He was like: I think I know what you mean (laughs). Then he put me in a wig and a dress for the first picture that we did. He took a picture and I thought: this doesn't even look like me. That's just not it. He was like: okay, take the wig off. Then we did another picture and he projected the one with the wig on top of it.
Indiespect: Ah, that's what became the album cover in the end!
Birdy: I just thought, that is so clever and so beautiful that he had that in his head and how it would fit together. I feel like the projection looks like me as a child. In my eyes, it looks like when I was young. And then, there is me as an adult – and I love that.
© Birdy via Twitter
Birdy not only writes beautiful songs but is also a skilled painter.
Indiespect: As an artist you released so many intimate and beautiful songs. Was it also a decision to create sort of a wall between you and the new Birdy because you didn't want to be seen as the sweet, fragile and vulnerable young singer anymore?
Birdy: No, I don't think it was a decision. It's just not how I feel. I feel more confident in who I am and in my skin. So, that's just the feeling that's coming out. It's not that I don't want to be this fragile person anymore, maybe I'm just not so much anymore – which is nice. Sometimes the music was fragile, but I don't think I was actually as fragile as the music maybe seemed. I've always had a sort of inner strength that drives me, and I'm happy for it to be seen a bit more.
I don't think I was actually as fragile as the music maybe seemed. I've always had a
sort of inner strength that drives me, and I'm happy for it to be seen a bit more.
Indiespect: Once you said in an interview that you were quite serious when you were young because you were used to go on stage and to be surrounded by adults. In the meantime, you get to know your inner child as you grow older. Did you miss something because you were already on stage in you teenage years?
Birdy: Yeah, I did. I was around lots of other people all the time and it's kind of scary. You don't really know who you are yet, and then you're in a very adult world. It's a lot of pressure to be putting out something that people are judging when you're still trying to find yourself. I took it all very seriously and thought this has got to be perfect. I was really scared of doing or saying the wrong thing. But now, looking back, I see that that's just what it takes to find out who you are. You have to make mistakes and do things that maybe aren't your favorite and then you work out what you love from that. Sometimes it was also hard not being with my family. But I'm also grateful to have the experience that I do at the age I am now. To have done five records and to have toured. That's really nice.
«Portraits»
Release date: 18.08.2023
- Paradise Calling
- Raincatchers
- Ruins I
- Your Arms
- Heartbreaker
- I Wish I Was a Shooting Star
- Portraits
- Ruins II
- Automatic
- Battlefield
- Tears Don’t Fall
Indiespect: You are the daughter of an author and a concert pianist. Did you ever think about picking up another first instrument than the piano.
Birdy: No, I wasn't allowed (laughs). I just had a free piano teacher. I did learn the violin a little bit when I was young but then I gave up at thirteen. But no, listening to my mum play from when I was a baby, I was drawn to the piano and moved by it. I wanted to play and I couldn't keep away from it.
© Thibault-Théodore
Birdy is 27 and just released her fifth studio record.
Indiespect: But as you said, you're not only writing your songs with the piano, right?
Birdy: Yes, it kind of changes. Different instruments have different feelings and they make different songs. The guitar is much lighter and it's rhythmic compared to the piano. I always just end up writing sad songs on the piano (laughs). For this record I didn't really write with piano much at all. It was all synth and drum machines.
I always just end up writing sad songs on the piano.
Peetree has returned to Birdy – and hopefully she lived happily ever after.
Indiespect: One last question that is not music related, just because that story was so sweet. You once adopted a little duck. Has there been another animal that you taught to swim or fly in the meantime?
Birdy: No, she's a very special duck, I don't think there could be another. But she's still around. She went off into the wild and she came back this year and had babies. We've been feeding her every day and she comes into the house after being away for a year. She had eight ducklings, just the other day they hatched. There's five left, which is sad. They always get eaten. But she is doing well. (laughs)
Indiespect: I'm so glad to hear that. Thank you for your time and all the best with your album.
Birdy: Thank you so much. I hope we'll be back in Zurich, soon!