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“Ladybyrd is singular in vision and soaring in ambition.” - Clash
“Lyrical wisdom far beyond her years.” - Notion
“A sound sure to have you craving more.” - Wonderland
Two singles into her career and the 19-year-old singer-songwriter Ladybyrd is already blossoming. Her alt-pop debut ‘Too Close To Call’ earned a first wave of tastemaker support from Clash, Notion and Wonderland, before her cinematic follow-up ‘Stolen Sunlight’ added BBC Music Introducing and The Line of Best Fit to her growing list of influential backers.
Now Ladybyrd shares her latest track ‘Oblivious’ as she prepares to release her debut EP this autumn. The song sees her scaling up the drama and intensity of her previous releases. Its searing hook and serrated guitar add a fiery emo edge to Ladybyrd’s core alt-pop essence, while her lyrics capture the intense feelings behind a troubled relationship. An outsider would surely be horrified by the red flags, but the protagonist is too enamoured to immediately spot the warning signs. Listen HERE.
Ladybyrd says, “‘Oblivious’ tells the story of a naive young girl realising certain things in a relationship with someone with a darker side. She’s holding on to the moments of endearment and intimacy, but over time is more aware of who he is as a person as he reveals his true colours. She tries to understand her innocent love for him, whilst he simply justifies his cruel behaviour. She knows it’s not right to stay, but continues to fight her attachment to him as she slowly but surely becomes more and more aware - and less oblivious.”
‘Oblivious’ was co-written by Ladybyrd and was produced by talented newcomer Tadeusz and the internationally Platinum-certified Adrian Zag.
While Ladybyrd realised she had a talent for singing and songwriter while still at school, her relatively sheltered family life meant she didn’t have a great deal of life experience to inspire her songs. Instead she looked to classic literature and contemporary films as a starting point. She would immerse herself within those stories and imagine how it would feel to be in the situations of those characters.
Moving to London really broadened her perspective, which is something that’s immediately noticeable in ‘Oblivious’. Is it Ladybyrd’s own story? Is it another extension of a famous tale? Or is it a little of both? In some ways it’s irrelevant, for what is certain is that her observations are becoming more nuanced, more real and more relatable. That quality is present in the work of many of her favourite artists, such as Bon Iver, Gracie Abrams, Kate Bush, Maisie Peters, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift. Her Ladybyrd Loves playlist features a more diverse selection of influences with tracks from the likes of Wolf Alice, The National, Regina Spektor and You Me At Six.
As for her choice of the Ladybyrd moniker? That can be explained as two-parts a longstanding family tradition and one-part a reference to the British renaissance composer William Byrd.
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