Birdy

English singer/pianist Jasmine van den Bogaerde, who goes by the stage name “Birdy,” was born in 1996 in Lymington, Hampshire. Precocious from the very start, Bogaerde began composing her own songs at the age of seven, and by 12 had secured the top spot (out of 10,000 competitors) at 2008’s Open Mic UK, a popular live music competition that rewards the winner with a recording contract. In January of 2011, she released her first single, a cover of American indie rock outfit Bon Iver's “Skinny Girl,” which peaked at number 17 on the U.K. pop charts. Her eponymous full-length debut, released through Atlantic Records, arrived later that November.