Diane Birch
Diane Birch | |
|---|---|
 Diane Birch in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 24, 1983 Michigan |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Genres | Soul, blues, rock, synth-pop |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards, piano, vocal, synthesizer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | S-Curve, Hymnpatia |
| Website | www |
Diane Birch (born January 24, 1983)[1] is an American singer-songwriter.
Early life
[edit]Birch was born in Michigan. At the age of seven she began studying piano using the Suzuki method. While growing up she listened to opera, classical and church music.[2] Birch's father was a Seventh-day Adventist missionary in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Sydney, Australia, and as a result Birch spent her early years abroad. When she was ten, her family returned to the United States, and settled in Portland, Oregon. Birch attended Portland Adventist Elementary School and later, Portland Adventist Academy.[2]
Career
[edit]Early in her career Birch moved to Los Angeles and set out to compose music for films but instead played piano at the Beverly Hills Hotel and L'Orangerie. During this period Prince heard her perform at the Polo Lounge in 2006 and invited her to join him at his home for a music session with his band. Later, Birch moved to London, where she signed a publishing contract and wrote most of the songs that appeared on her debut album.
In 2007, she moved to New York City after signing with Steve Greenberg's S-Curve Records. Birch's debut album, Bible Belt, recorded in New York and New Orleans, was released in 2009 on S-Curve and received supportive reviews in Rolling Stone, Paper Magazine and the Huffington Post.[3]
In 2009, Birch made a number of television appearances to promote her album Bible Belt, including: The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Show with David Letterman, Last Call with Carson Daly, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the webcast, Live From Daryl's House[4] Birch was interviewed on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday on June 14, 2009, on which she performed several of her songs from Bible Belt.[5]
Her song "Rise Up" was the Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week in October 2009 and her song "Valentino" appeared in the movie Valentine's Day.[6]
In 2010, Birch was the opening act for Stevie Wonder at the "Hard Rock Calling Festival" in Hyde Park[7] and Nîmes, France[8] and Nick Jonas and the Administration.[9] In September, Birch released the single track "Gee Whiz It's Christmas" on Amazon and iTunes. In December Birch released an EP titled The Velveteen Age, on which she performs covers of songs she enjoyed while growing up.
In 2013, she was featured in English rapper Devlin's song "Rewind," singing a chorus based on her original version from Bible Belt.[10]
In addition to keyboards, Birch also plays guitar and the violin.
Her second album, Speak a Little Louder, was released on October 15, 2013, in the US and the UK.
Birch released her first self-produced mini-album, Nous on January 31, 2016. The EP was recorded in Berlin, Germany.[11]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | ITA | ||
| Bible Belt |
|
87 | 77 | 26 |
| Speak a Little Louder | 195 | N/A | N/A | |
| Flying on Abraham |
| |||
Extended play
[edit]| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| iTunes Session – EP | |
| The Velveteen Age (with the Phenomenal Handclap Band) |
|
| Nous |
|
Singles
[edit]As lead artist
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alternative | JP 100 | ||||||||
| 2009 | "Nothing but a Miracle" | 29 | 52 | Bible Belt | |||||
| "Valentino" | — | 55 | |||||||
| 2010 | "This Corrosion" | — | — | The Velveteen Age | |||||
| 2011 | "Wind Up Bird Song (For Japan)" | — | — | — | |||||
| 2014 | "All the Love You Got" | — | 98 | Speak a Little Louder | |||||
| 2016 | "Nite Time Talking" | — | — | — | |||||
| 2017 | "The End" | — | — | — | |||||
| 2018 | "In It for the Race" | — | — | — | |||||
| 2019 | "Wind Machine" | — | — | Flying on Abraham | |||||
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||
As featured artist
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 2013 | "Rewind" (Devlin featuring Diane Birch)[14] |
10 | A Moving Picture |
| 2017 | "Time to Kill" (DC Breaks featuring Diane Birch) |
— | Different Breed |
Other appearances
[edit]| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Valentino" | Valentine's Day |
| "Too Soon to End" (with Alain Clark) |
ColourBlind |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Nothing but a Miracle" | Moh Azima |
| 2010 | "Valentino" | Dennis Liu |
| "Rewind" | Gavin Elder | |
| 2013 | "All the Love You Got" | Gene Doe |
References
[edit]- ^ Whyte, Sophie (October 20, 2013). "Diane Birch's new album has dismal, yet graceful sound". Bearing News. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (July 15, 2009). "Diane Birch Breaking Out With 'Bible Belt' On 'Mom Blogs'". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- ^ Wild, David (April 13, 2009). "I've Just Heard the Future of Singer-Songwriters and Her Name Is..." The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ "Episode 24: Diane Birch". Live From Daryl's House with Daryl Hall. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
- ^ Hansen, Liane (June 14, 2009). "Diane Birch: The 'Bible Belt,' In Eclectic Song". NPR Music. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Heringer, Mark (October 20, 2009). "Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week – Diane Birch – Rise Up". Mark-heringer.com. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
- ^ "Diane Birch: Stand Under My Love". Popsicle TV. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ "Stevie Wonder en concert le Dimanche 04 Juillet 2010, Arenes De Nimes, Nimes". Info Concert.com (in French). July 4, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ "Nick Jonas and The Administration w/ Diane Birch". Shepherd Express. January 20, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Copsey, Robert (December 19, 2012). "Devlin releases 'Rewind' music video – watch". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ "N O U S, by Diane Birch". Bandcamp | Diane Birch. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ Davis, Rebecca Willa (October 8, 2013). "Diane Birch Speak A Little Louder Stream". Nylon. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ "iTunes Session – EP by Diane Birch". iTunes. September 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ "Devlin Ft Diane Birch – Rewind (Official Video)". Beatz Magazine. December 3, 2012. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1983 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American women singers
- 21st-century American singer-songwriters
- American expatriates in Australia
- American expatriates in South Africa
- American expatriates in Zimbabwe
- American women singer-songwriters
- American contemporary R&B singers
- American women pianists
- American soul singers
- Singers from Portland, Oregon
- Singer-songwriters from Michigan
- Singer-songwriters from Oregon
- 21st-century American pianists