Birdy, the Forum

Birdy a.k.a Jasmine Van den Bogaerde’s rapid rise to national prominence was pretty inescapable. At the tender age of 12, she won both the under-18 and overall category at the first ever Open Mic UK talent contest, performing her own song So Be Free. But it was with her cover of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love that she really became a household name. Birdy totally transformed the song from wispy folk territory into something all the more personal and heartfelt. Sure enough, it reached the top twenty of the UK singles charts and her status as a young prodigy was assured.

 You may be tempted to listen to faint echoes of a certain Charlotte Church who also began so young only to see her career fall by the wayside. Birdy’s career, however, has has gone from strength to strength. Her first sef-titled album which came through a Warner subsidiary label (off the back of her Open Mic victory) was a collection made up predominantly of covers by bands such as Fleet Foxes, The xx and Phoenix. It was not until her second record though, Fire Within, that she really flexed her creative muscles by taking writing credit for the entire eleven songs.

For anyone who fancies catching a young singer with bags of songwriting talent and a warm voice to boot, then there’s no need to look much further than Birdy. Performing at the  Forum  will undoubtedly be an intimate event, and a rare opportunity to experience the voice beneath the hype.

Tickets: £20

Address & Map:   The Forum,  9-17 Highgate Rd,  London NW5 1JY

Nearest Tube: Kentish Town