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.
Young Blood
Birdy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We require certain skills
The mood it changes like the wind
Hard to control when it begins
The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-betweens
Fall back in love eventually
Can't help myself but count the flaws
Claw my way out through these walls
One temporary escape
Feel it start to permeate
We lie beneath the stars at night
Our hands gripping each other tight
You keep my secrets hope to die
Promises, swear them to the sky
The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-betweens
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
As it withers
Brittle it shakes
Can you whisper
As it crumbles and breaks
As you shiver
Count up all your mistakes
Pair of forgivers
Let go before it's too late
Can you whisper
Can you whisper
Can you whisper
Can you whisper
The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-betweens
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-betweens
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Birdy's song "Young Blood" is about the ups and downs of a young relationship that requires certain skills to navigate through. The first verse describes the naivety of the young couple and how their moods change like the wind, making it difficult to control their emotions. The second verse reflects on the flaws and walls that the couple faces, but there's always a temporary escape from it all. The chorus speaks of the bittersweet moments that come with a relationship, but they will eventually fall back in love.
The third verse paints a picture of the couple lying beneath the stars, holding each other tight, and sharing their secrets. They make promises and swear them to the sky, indicating the deep trust and connection they feel. The pre-chorus comes back to the bittersweet moments of a relationship, pointing to the fragility of love as it withers, shakes, crumbles, and breaks. The final line of the pre-chorus asks if we can whisper as we shiver and count our mistakes, hinting at the importance of forgiveness in a relationship.
The chorus comes back once more, driving home the idea that the bittersweet moments are just a part of falling back in love eventually, despite the challenges that arise in any relationship. Overall, "Young Blood" is a song about the difficulties and rewards of a budding relationship, asking us to look beyond the hardships and trust the process of falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
We're only young and naive still
Despite our inexperience, we're determined to learn and grow.
We require certain skills
We understand that we need certain abilities and knowledge to navigate life.
The mood it changes like the wind
Our emotions are unstable and unpredictable.
Hard to control when it begins
Once our emotions start to surface, it's challenging to keep them under control.
The bittersweet between my teeth
We're caught between feelings of pleasure and pain.
Trying to find the in-betweens
We're searching for balance and harmony amidst the ups and downs of life.
Fall back in love eventually
Eventually, we'll find love again after experiencing heartbreak or disappointment.
Can't help myself but count the flaws
I'm hyper-focused on my own imperfections and shortcomings.
Claw my way out through these walls
I'm struggling to overcome personal obstacles and barriers in my life.
One temporary escape
I'm using a quick, temporary solution to deal with my problems.
Feel it start to permeate
I sense my emotions and thoughts taking over my mind and body.
We lie beneath the stars at night
We're enjoying a romantic moment under the stars.
Our hands gripping each other tight
We're physically connected and holding onto each other for comfort and support.
You keep my secrets hope to die
You're trustworthy and I trust you with my deepest and darkest secrets.
Promises, swear them to the sky
We make promises to each other, and we take them very seriously.
As it withers
As the relationship deteriorates.
Brittle it shakes
The relationship is fragile and unstable.
Can you whisper
Can you speak softly and gently, so as not to cause more damage?
As it crumbles and breaks
The relationship is falling apart and ending.
As you shiver
As you feel scared or anxious about what's happening.
Count up all your mistakes
Reflect on your errors and missteps that led to the relationship's downfall.
Pair of forgivers
Two people willing to forgive each other and move on.
Let go before it's too late
End the relationship before more damage is done.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Aaron Short, Alisa Xayalith, Thom Powers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind