New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Warner Bros. Records) British-born singer and songwriter Birdy, who has been thrilling fans across the Atlantic with her richly compelling voice, will make her network television debut on The
Ellen DeGeneres Show on March 20th, followed by an appearance on TBS's Conan on March 21st.
The two high-profile TV performances coincide with the release of the 15-year-old's self-titled debut album, which will be released by Warner Bros. Records on March 20th. The album features Birdy's soulful and sophisticated take on songs by
Bon Iver (first single "
Skinny Love"), The xx (second U.K. single "
Shelter"), Fleet Foxes, The National, Phoenix, The Postal Service, and veteran troubadour
James Taylor ("Fire and Rain"). Los Angeles' influential KCRW, the first radio station in the country to play Birdy, currently has her cover of Phoenix's "1901" in high rotation.
The album was recorded in London and Los Angeles with producers Rich Costey (Muse, TV On The Radio),
James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, The Klaxons), and Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys.) Propelled by "
Skinny Love" (and its haunting video directed by
Sophie Mueller, which has racked up more than 17.5 million views on YouTube), and "
Shelter" (4.6 million views),
Birdy shot to No. 13 in the U.K. upon its release in November 2011 and achieved
Silver certification there, while going platinum in Holland where both singles are currently lodged in the Top 10.
The album has also earned raves from critics. The U.K.'s Evening Standard writes that
Birdy "has a voice of astonishing richness and plays piano with the aplomb of a concert hall crowd pleaser," while The Sun notes that both her "heart-stopping renditions of emotionally hefty songs by Bon Iver" and "her own impressively mature compositions" are "characterized by a grace, beauty and poise" that is "hard to believe could come from a slight shy teen."
Here's what U.S. critics have had to say so far:
"It marries the kind of bare-bones honesty of
Adele with a surprisingly knowing voice." - Vogue
"Her emotionally honest songwriting, lyrical poise and heartfelt performance convey a maturity well beyond her age..." - Arjanwrites
"....echoes with eerie beauty..." - Marie Claire
"One of our favorite new artists - by far!" - Perez Hilton
"...she sings with such soul and grace and depth it seems impossible that she's only 15 years old. 15!" - HelloGiggles
The daughter of a classically trained concert pianist mother,
Birdy (born Jasmine van den Bogaerde in Lymington, England) began singing as a child and playing piano at age 7. At the age of 12,
Birdy won a UK song-writing competition which led to her publishing deal with WMUK Chairman Christian Tattersfield and she subsequently obtained a recording deal with Atlantic UK on the back of her independent release of her version of the track "
Skinny Love" on iTunes. Last year, after BBC's
Radio 1 added "
Skinny Love" to its playlist, the song became Birdy's first hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 17. Both "
Skinny Love" and "
Shelter" have been featured in episodes of The Vampire Diaries.
Watch the video for "
Skinny Love" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNzCDt2eidg
For more, please visit:
www.facebook.com/BirdyMusic
www.youtube.com/officialbirdy
www.twitter.com/officialbirdy
