ICHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- With a precocious melancholic voice and a shy demeanor that, in her words, “doesn’t give too much away,” British singer-songwriter Birdy might be best described as the antithesis to chirpy K-pop girl groups.
“For me, it’s always been a bit darker,” the 20-year-old replied when asked if she would ever take on a “cutesier” style, before her performance Saturday at the Jisan Valley Music & Arts Festival.
“Where I grew up, it was very beautiful but reflective and moody,” said the Brit who grew up on an idyllic estate in Lymington, Hampshire.
“I’m not a rebel,” she added on her personality. “But I also don’t want to be a goody two-shoes. Somewhere in between, I think.”
Birdy, who won a U.K. singing competition at age 14, has come of age with her third and latest album, “Beautiful Lies,” an album that she said was colored by Asian influences.
“It was from a book I read, called ‘Memoirs of a Geisha,’ which I fell in love with,” she said, citing the Arthur Golden novel set in Japan that was turned into a Hollywood movie.
Singer-songwriter Birdy performs on stage at the Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival on Saturday. (CJ E&M)
“I don’t know, there’s just a fertility and strength to it that I love,” said Birdy, whose real name is Jasmine van Bogaerde.
The musician said she is beginning to come into her own with her latest release. The two past albums – her eponymous debut album comprised of echoing, piano-based covers and the subsequent “Fire Within,” featuring fuller rock sounds -- were “progressions, finding out what I wanted to be,” she said.
“This album, it feels a lot surer,” she said. “I love that kind of ethereal feel, but also with strength. That’s what this album is to me. It’s very dreamy and romantic.”
Birdy said she is in a relationship but declined to talk about it.
“I’m definitely inspired by relationships,” she said on her songwriting process. “Love and heartbreak, I think those have been the strongest things for me.”
Though the lawn in front of the Green/Red Stage at Jisan was packed with festival goers for Birdy’s Saturday night performance, the set was intimate, with hints of the psychedelic. The songstress took to the keyboards and guitar to deliver powerful performances of hits like “Skinny Love,” “People Help the People” and “Wings” with a band of drums, bass, violin and two more keyboards.
After Jisan, Birdy will continue to tour Asia, with shows scheduled in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei and Singapore.
By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)
