Jasmine Van den Bogaerde, or Birdy, is a 15 year old artist from England who won Open Mic UK in 2008 at the age of 12, and has been writing music since she was 7. She’s been on the radar ever since she released her cover of Skinny Love by Bon Iver early this year at the age of 14, and she’s recently released a cover of Shelter by The xx.
When I first heard her cover of Skinny Love, I didn’t know she was so young, so the fact that I loved it had nothing to do with her age… but once I found out she was 14 when she recorded it, it was that much more impressive. What I love is that she doesn’t try to do a note-for-note remake of the song, but instead switches the accompaniment to piano and makes the melody lines her own. You can listen to the song below:
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Skinny Love (cover) — Birdy
No word yet on when a full length album is due, but she was quickly picked up by Good Soldier Songs Ltd. after her success at Open Mic UK, so an album is most likely not too far away. File this under “Artists to Keep an Eye On.”