After she won the Under 18s category of the UK talent contest Open Mic UK at the age of 12, Bogaerde was soon offered a publishing contract by Good Soldier Songs Ltd, run by Christian Tattersfield, chairman of Warner Music UK. In 2011, at the age of 14, she released a haunting cover version of the Bon Iver "Skinny Love", which reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart. The track was later featured in an episode of The Vampire Diaries.
Her self-titled debut album, "Birdy", was released on 4th November, 2011 and featured "Skinny Love" , "1901" and "People Help The People", other notable tracks from the album include James Taylor's" Fire and Rain" and “Terrible Love” The album reached #1 in Australia, Belgium and The Netherlands, it also peaked at #13 in the UK.
In 2011, "Skinny Love" sold 259,000 copies in the UK becoming the third biggest selling rock single of that year. As of August 2016, the song had sold almost 800,000 copies in the UK.
In 2012, Birdy released an 8 track EP " Live in London “ which featured several tracks from her debut album plus a version of the Ed Sheeran song "The A Team “and "Just a Game from “The Hunger Games”
In July 2013 Birdy announced via YouTube, that her 2nd album would be released later in the year. She also previewed two new songs "Wings "and "No Angel" which would both be featured on her second studio album "Fire Within"
Her second studio album, "Fire Within" was released 23rd September, 2013. It featured 11 original songs, either written or co written by Birdy including Strange Birds, co-written with Sia.
The first single from the album was “Wings” released as a digital download then officially released in the UK on 8th September 2013. The song reached #8 on the UK charts, becoming Birdy’s first UK top 10. It was also featured in an episode of The Vampire Diaries. Subsequent singles were “No Angel”, Light Me Up” and “Words as Weapons”
In 2014, Birdy submitted three songs to the soundtrack of the film “The Fault In Our Stars” which stars “Shailene Woodley” and “Ansel Elgort”. “Not About Angels” was the second released single from the soundtrack album. Other Birdy contributions were “ Tee Shirt" and “ Best Shot"
On 25th March 2016, Birdy's third album "Beautiful Lies" was released, it featured the singles, "Keeping Your Head Up" ,"Wild Horses" and "Words" Once again her songwriting abilities were evident as she wrote or co wrote all of the 14 tracks.
Also in 2016 she was featured on the "Sigma" single " Find Me which was only a minor success in the UK.
Her song Ghost In The Wind" also appeared on the soundtrack of the film The Edge Of Seventeen
After an extensive tour of USA and Asia, she took a break from music, only to return with a new single called “ Open Your Heart" in 2020. The song was featured on the 4 track EP called “Piano Sketches”
Birdy’s fourth studio album “Young Heart” was then released on 30th April 2021, the first single “ Surrender” was issued earlier in 2021, a day after she had announced that her new album was coming. Birdy described the album as a heartbreak album heavily inspired by Joni Mitchell’s “Blue”
2023 saw the release of Birdy's fifth studio album “Portraits” It was released on 18th August 2023. “Raincatchers” was issued as the first single, which had been released earlier in 2023. Subsequent singles from the album have since followed, “Heartbreaker”, “Your Arms” and “Paradise Calling”
Birdy's music is described as folk, pop, indie folk. She cites her early music influences as Classical Music and Pop music that her parents would play. along with her own influences, which are so evident in her music(Bon Iver, George Michael and Keane)
Album Discography:
Birdy (2011)
Fire Within (2013)
Beautiful Lies (2016)
Young Heart (2021)
Portraits (2023)
Sites: Discogs, Wikipedia and YouTube.
Silhouette
Birdy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Storms that send me out to reach
And you just wait on my defeat
So I built an army underneath
And now they got me while I sleep
And this worn-out frame will carry me
You know that I'm not done yet
There's still a fight in me left
Don't go shouting out loud
That you're claiming the crown
I'm done but not out
And the bittersweet of every new defeat
Is I'm stronger than before
Baby, on my knees, but I still believe
These broken wings will soar
Undone, my silhouette, it's all that is left of a broken heart
Leave all of my regrets to sink like shipwrecks
Through oceans dark
In the dust I wrote my name
And from the ruins, hopes were praised
'Cause all that's messed can be replaced in time
Don't go holding your breath
You know that I'm not done yet
There's still a fight in me left
Don't go shouting out loud
That you're claiming the crown
I'm done but not out
And the bittersweet of every new defeat
Is I'm stronger than before
Baby, on my knees, but I still believe
These broken wings will soar
Undone, my silhouette, it's all that is left of a broken heart
Leave all of my regrets to sink like shipwrecks
Through oceans dark
Undone, my silhouette, it's all that is left of a broken heart
Leave all of my regrets to sink like shipwrecks
Through oceans dark
The lyrics to Birdy's song Silhouette is a story of a person who faces hardships and failures that consume her dreams and ambition. The opening lyrics, "There are shadows in my dreams, storms that send me out to reach, and you just wait on my defeat," talks about the desire to succeed and the obstacles that come along with it. The singer of the song then builds an army underneath, which could mean that she has gathered support and motivation to help her achieve her goals.
However, even with this support, the character faces defeat, and there are moments when she feels weak and broken. But she refuses to let these setbacks defeat her, "I'm done but not out." The character continues to persevere and fight for what she believes in, believing that even from defeat comes strength. "The bittersweet of every new defeat is, I'm stronger than before. Baby, on my knees, but I still believe these broken wings will soar."
Throughout the song, the silhouettes and shipwrecks symbolize the singer's past failures and regrets, but she learns to let go of them and move forward, "Leave all of my regrets to sink like shipwrecks, through oceans dark." The song is an uplifting message for anyone who has faced disappointment or tragedy, that there's always hope and the possibility of a brighter future.
Overall, Birdy's Silhouette encourages perseverance and resilience, urging listeners to never give up even when things seem hopeless.
Line by Line Meaning
There are shadows in my dreams
I have subconscious fears and anxieties that I am constantly grappling with.
Storms that send me out to reach
My challenges and struggles are constantly pushing me to my limits.
And you just wait on my defeat
You are waiting and hoping for me to fail in life.
So I built an army underneath
I have created a strong support system of people who will help me through hard times.
And now they got me while I sleep
My support system is always with me, even in my weakest moments, to help me get through my struggles.
And this worn-out frame will carry me
Even though I am tired and beaten down, I have the strength to keep going and move forward in life.
Don't go holding your breath
Don't get your hopes up that I will give up or fail in life.
You know that I'm not done yet
I still have more to accomplish and more battles to fight.
There's still a fight in me left
I still have the strength and determination to keep going and never give up.
Don't go shouting out loud
That you're claiming the crown
Don't boast or act superior because you think you have won or succeeded where I have failed.
I'm done but not out
I may have been beaten down and pushed to my limits, but I am still standing and will keep fighting.
And the bittersweet of every new defeat
Is I'm stronger than before
Every time I face a new failure or challenge, I am able to learn and grow from it, and become even stronger than before.
Baby, on my knees, but I still believe
These broken wings will soar
Even when I am at my lowest point, I still have hope and faith that I will be able to rise above my struggles and achieve my goals.
Undone, my silhouette, it's all that is left of a broken heart
Leave all of my regrets to sink like shipwrecks
Through oceans dark
The only remnants of my painful past are the shadows and scars that I now bear, but I am determined to let go of my regrets and move forward into a brighter future.
In the dust I wrote my name
And from the ruins, hopes were praised
'Cause all that's messed can be replaced in time
Even when my life seems to be in shambles and everything is falling apart, I know that I can rebuild and find hope once again.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JASMINE LUCILLA ELISABETH VAN DEN BOGAERDE, SIMON JOHN ALDRED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind