Birdy is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who released her fourth album Young Heart this past April. Its sixteen tracks are lush, vulnerable takes on the end of relationships and the chilling connection that lingers in the aftermath. Influenced by classic folk balladeers like Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake, Birdy let the voyager’s spirit guide her—the U.K. musician travelled to Los Angeles and Nashville, soaking in the influences from these major music cities.
“Can you understand how strange it is to be alive,” she reckons on the cinematic “River Song.” Serpentine orchestral strings rise and wind around her voice as she reaches a mesmerizing stride. Young Heart is stripped back compared to her previous endeavors, although the production is still pristine. It finds her wrestling with her first major heartache and how to use song to grow and overcome.
But Birdy’s creative powers are multi-faceted. She’s also quite skilled with a sketchpad and has taken the time to answer some questions inspired by the themes of Young Heart with detailed drawings.
What’s your favorite memory from making the album?
Traveling throughout the U.S. (Nashville + Los Angeles/Laurel Canyon) to write and record
What is a darkness that you have overcome?
What season do you relate most to?
Autumn
Where’s your favorite place to escape to?
The piano
What’s a poignant lesson you’ve learned from Beautiful Lies to Young Heart?
Being true to oneself
What’s your favorite lyric from the album?
When or where do you feel most alive?
I originally wanted to call this album “The Witching Hour”—for me, that hour is at 4 a.m., when I do a lot of writing
