The 22-year-old singer, songwriter and producer Birthh made a striking first impression with her debut track ‘Chlorine’. An emotionally charged cocktail of ethereal beauty and unrestrained anger, the track set Birthh on the path to over 600,000 streams. Another early track, ‘Queen of Failureland’, was highlighted by The 405, who described it as, “a spellbinding auditory fantasy and nightmare.” She subsequently played shows and festivals alongside the likes of PJ Harvey, Mac DeMarco, Andrew Bird, Benjamin Clementine, Nick Murphy and, most recently, Imagine Dragons.
Having recently played two sets at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Birthh returned with her brand new single ‘Supermarkets’ earlier this year. It’s a playful, pop-leaning track that marries folk-tinged songwriting, laidback jazz grooves and an undercurrent of glitchy electronica. Birthh demoed the song in her makeshift bedroom studio before completing it with Solange collaborator Lucius Page, Grammy-winning Robert ‘LB’ Dorsey and Grammy-winning Emily Lazar (David Bowie, The Killers, Goldfrapp).
Birthh – real name Alice Bisi – was raised in Florence. When she was two her parents split up, and she’d spend the long journey to her dad’s house listening to the likes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and The Chieftains. She cherished the time she spent with her dad who taught her from a young age how to enjoy the little things in the music. Her dad, who himself used to be a musician, told her to focus on the guitar or piano – so she started playing music and wrote her first song at 8 years old.
Spending time between Italy and New York, her tastes split between pure pop and the soulful fusion between the electronic and the organic that was present in one of her favourite records; Corinne Bailey Rae’s 2006 self-titled debut. Despite amassing a handful of songs, Bisi kept her songwriting a secret while at school in Florence. A visit to her father, was the impetus to make her secret hobby her primary passion as her songs moved from SoundCloud to the stage.
We managed to catch up with Birthh as she talked about her latest single and more!
So how has the release of Supermarkets gone with with fans so far?
I’m happy and surprised that people appreciated Supermarkets the way they did. Someone dm’d me a couple of weeks ago saying that listening to Supermarkets feels like a warm hug, I think everyone on Earth needs a little extra love right now and I’m happy I can contribute to that through my music. The label and I took a risk by releasing a ballad as a first single and honestly I’m so glad we did.
What was your favourite moment making the single?
I would probably say finishing the lyrics and running to my bedroom to arrange it. For me music making is a continuous roller coaster between the rush and enthusiasm of getting things right and the frustration of not being able to do so sometimes. I’m very meticulous about lyrics, I need every word to be the best word I can find for that spot, both meaning wise and sound wise, so whenever I manage to finish lyrics I always feel so relieved and excited for the next step.
Can you tell us something about the single no one else knows?
When I wrote the main melody I didn’t really like it, I thought it was too cheesy and didn’t think much of it. Yet, two days after I could still hear it in my head, that’s when I decided I was going to write some proper lyrics.
Will you be releasing new music in 2019 at all?
Yes! I have more music on the way and some fun extra content I can’t wait to share with you!
If you could work with any artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
I would love to work with Noname someday and have her write a verse on one of my songs. She’s such a great pen and the way she plays around the beat always makes me swoon.
Have you got any tour dates planned this year at all?
Yes! I’m playing a headlining show in London on December 3rd at Servan Jazz Quarters, everybody is welcome to come through. Other than that I’m also performing at a couple festivals like Youth Mundus in Rome on November 16th and Milan Music Week.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
I spend 90% of my time either making music or thinking about it, in the remaining 10% of my day I usually think about food. I love cooking, it’s very similar to making music cause you need to find balance between all the different flavours and textures.