Biography

Jasmine Lucilla Elizabeth Jennifer van den Bogaerde (born 15 May 1996), better known by her stage name Birdy, is a British singer. She won the music competition Open Mic UK in 2008, at the age of 12.

Her debut single, a cover 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 one in Australia, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Her second studio album, Fire Within, was released on 23 September 2013 in the UK. At the 2014 Brit Awards, she was nominated for Best British Female Solo Artist. Her third studio album, Beautiful Lies, was released on 25 March 2016. Her fourth studio album Young Heart was released on 30 April 2021. Her fifth studio album, Portraits, was released on 18 August 2023, which includes the singles "Raincatchers", "Heartbreaker", "Your Arms" and "Paradise Calling".

Birdy was born on 15 May 1996, in Lymington, England. Her father is Rupert Oliver Benjamin van den Bogaerde, a writer; her mother is Sophie Patricia (née Roper-Curzon). She stated that listening to classical music and the songs her mother played has been a big influence on her sound. Her parents were married in 1995 and have two other children: Jake, born in 1997, and Caitlin in 1999. She also has two elder half-brothers, Moses and Sam, from her father's first marriage.

Birdy studied at Durlston Court Prep School in Barton on Sea, at Priestlands School, and at Brockenhurst College, a sixth form college in the New Forest. Her maternal grandfather was Captain John Christopher Ingram Roper-Curzon, the 20th Baron Teynham. She grew up at Pylewell Park, the family estate near Lymington, Hampshire. Her great-uncle was the actor Sir Dirk Bogarde. She has English, Belgian (Flemish), Dutch, and Scottish ancestry.

Birdy's second given name, Lucilla, was the name of her father's stepmother.

Birdy's stage name comes from the nickname her parents gave her as a baby because she opened her mouth like a little bird when being fed.

In 2008, while still a 12-year-old pupil at Durlston Court Preparatory School, 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. She performed her own song, called "So Be Free", at the competition in front of 2,000 people.

In 2009, Birdy performed live on piano for BBC Radio 3's Pianothon in London. In January 2011, at the age of 14, Birdy released a cover version of Bon Iver's song "Skinny Love". The song became her first hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at 17. The single was chosen as "Record of the Week" by UK radio DJ Fearne Cotton, resulting in it being added to BBC Radio 1's B‑list playlist as soon as it was released in March 2011. The official music video for the song was directed by Sophie Muller. 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. ...

Source: Article "Birdy (singer)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.