Birdy is back as she releases her second album Fire Within; the first record where we get to hear tracks penned by her.
We caught up with her to chat about the upcoming album, latest single Wings and what lies ahead.
- You are about to release your new single Wings next week so what can we expect from this new track?
The new track Wings is about having a really wonderful time with your friends. It's about having that memory and wishing that you were there. So it is melancholy, but it is a happy memory.
It is a bit more upbeat then the stuff that I have done before, and it does have more of a drive to it. However, it does still fit with stuff that I have done before.
- This is my favourite track on the new album so how have you been finding the response to it so far?
Everything that I have heard from fans has been really positive, and they seem to like it, which is great.
It's a nice stepping stone from the first album to the new sound that is on this latest record. For me, it is one of my favourite songs.
- Can you tell me a bit about the concept behind the video? And how much input did you have into that?
I really wanted it to show the meaning of the song, so all of my friends got to be involved in it; which was really fun. We really did just have a huge party.
I wanted it to have a festival feel, but the director had this wonderful idea of making is stranger and more like a carnival with weird outfits and strange things going on.
- Wings is lifted off your new album Fire Within so how does this track lead us into the rest of the record?
To me, it is a good way of joining the two as it is melancholy like the first album, which was more stripped back, but it has more production on it; which matches the new sound on this record.
So it does have a bit more of a drive to it, and that is new and exciting and leads you on to other songs like Light Me Up.
- This does lead me into my next question. How would say this record compare/differs to the debut? As you say there is more production on it this time around.
Yeah. The new songs are definitely a bit more upbeat - that was fun for me. The covers were a bit more stripped back, and I guess, that draws a sadness out of me; that is the strongest emotion that I feel when I am at the piano.
It has got a bit more instrumentation and more of a drive in the songs, and so they are a bit faster and happier, I guess.
- I was reading that you have concentrated more on your song-writing with this record - penning 11 of the tracks - so how have you found that whole experience?
The new album is all original tracks; that is something that I have really wanted to do for a long time. I have always written songs, and so it has been one of my major goals.
It has been a really wonderful experience. I also got the chance to do some co-writing on the album, which was a very new thing for me.
It was something that I was scared of at first, but I ended up getting so much out of it. It is interesting to hear someone else's ideas on what you have come up with.
- How much confidence did the first album to release your own music this time around?
It was good in a way as it has been a gradual process. Being at school during that time it would have been difficult to be a whole album of original tracks; that is one of the reasons why I chose to do an album of covers.
I have always wanted to an album of original tracks, and I always knew that I would get that chance. It is actually quite scary to be releasing it now.
- You have worked with the likes of Dan Wilson, Rich Costey and Ryan Tedder, so how have you found working with them?
I really loved working with all of them. Each experience was different because everyone writes in a different way; so it was really interesting each time.
By this time, I also got into the swing of co-writing, and so it worked really well. They are all really talented and lovely people to work with.
- Now that you have had a taste of writing with other people is it something that you are going to pursue more as you go forward?
It is definitely something that I would like to do again. At the same time, I do love writing on my own as well. It is something that I would like to try a bit more of.
- And you are going to be heading out on a UK headline tour in October so what can fans with a ticket expect from the show?
It is going to be different than anything that they have seen before. The new songs are more upbeat, and so I am going to be just standing with a microphone or playing my guitar; which is pretty new. So there is going to be a different look and a different sound.
- How excited are you about getting out on the road and getting these songs out to a live audience? Have you had the chance to play these songs live yet?
We did an album launch which was really fun because we got the chance to play some of the new songs.
I have been rehearing them with my band, and we haven't played through the whole album yet; we are still learning all the new stuff. It is a really fun set, and it is nice to be doing some original material now.
- How nerve-wracking is it to play songs live for the first time?
It is definitely scary. I am nervous just about the album being released because no one has ever really heard my own writing before; I do feel like I am starting again.
I love performing, and I love the live shows and getting to share music with fans; that atmosphere is wonderful.
- This album is the second time in the studio for you so how has that experience been this time around having been through it already with the first album?
I guess I felt a bit more confident in the studio because I did know how everything worked. I was working with the same people from the first album, so it was nice to be with them, and I felt very comfortable with them.
I had a real image and idea in my head of how the album would sound, and it was nice to create that and be a part of it all.
- You have also had the chance to perform on U.S. chat shows such as Conan O'Brien and The Ellen deGeneres Show so what are the plans for taking on America?
Hopefully, I am going to be going over there soon; nothing has been decided yet. But definitely I am going to be America at some point.
At the beginning of next year, I will be doing more of a European tour. So we are just going to have to wait and see.
- How are you finding the music is being received outside of the UK?
With the first album, it was mainly outside of the UK; I was in France and Australia a lot.
I think the new album is going to be more UK based, but I will be going to some different countries as well, which will be really fun.
- How do you find getting out there and seeing the world?
I really love travelling and seeing different places as I find it really inspiring.
However, I also love being at home, and that is something that I do miss a lot. It is wonderful to get to do what I love.
- You have an ever growing fan base so for any of them who are reading this interview, do you have a message for them?
I guess, it would just be thank you for all the wonderful support that I have received. I am just so grateful, and I hope that they do enjoy the new album.
- Finally, what's next for you going through the second half of this year?
I am going to be doing three UK shows in Edinburgh, Manchester and London where I will be playing the new set.
Then I will be just doing some promotion in Europe. At the beginning of next year there will be a much bigger tour.
Birdy - Fire Within is released 23rd September.
Tagged in Birdy