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Towa Bird

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Towa Bird
Born (1999-03-30) 30 March 1999 (age 25)
Hong Kong
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • guitarist
Years active2023–present
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
LabelsInterscope
Websitewww.towabirdofficial.com

Towa Bird (born 30 March 1999) is a British singer-songwriter and guitar player. Bird released her first single "Wild Heart" in 2023 with Interscope Records, which she signed under in 2021.[1] She was also the lead guitarist for Reneé Rapp's Snow Hard Feelings Tour. Her debut album American Hero was released in June 2024.

Early life

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Bird was born on 30 March 1999 in Hong Kong[2] to British and Filipino parents, though she also lived in Thailand and London while growing up. After learning to play electric guitar when she was 12, Bird decided to pursue a career in music. It was around this age she started to realise her lesbian identity.[3] At age 14, Bird formed a band called The Glass Onions and performed at dives in Hong Kong.[4] She studied at Goldsmiths, University of London, but dropped out after two years.[5]

Career

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Bird initially rose to prominence on TikTok in 2020, where she played guitar riffs over other artists' songs. Her first video to go viral was a cover of Tame Impala's "The Less I Know the Better", recorded from her London bedroom.[6] Soon after, Bird caught the attention of Jacob Epstein and Zack Morgenroth of Lighthouse Management & Media, and she signed with Interscope Records in 2021 before arriving in Los Angeles, having never been before.[7] In 2022, she worked with Olivia Rodrigo and played guitar on her Disney+ documentary Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U.[8]

On 7 April 2023, Bird released her debut single "Wild Heart", described as "an infectious indie-pop romp" by Guitar World.[9][10] In that same year, 2023, she opened for Reneé Rapp's Snow Hard Feelings tour in Europe and North America.[7] In March 2024, Bird and Rapp made their couple debut at the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty.[11]

On 28 June 2024,[12] Bird released her debut album American Hero,[13] described by Rolling Stone as "a collection of 13 succinct pop-punk punches to the chin",[14] with the album's title alluding to a subversion of the archetype.[3] The album is 35 minutes long.[12] That year, Bird performed at London's All Points East.[15]

Artistry

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Bird's father "raised her on a steady diet of classic rock". The Beatles inspired her musically and aesthetically, and she has called them "the best band in the world" and Abbey Road one of her favourite albums.[3] Other artists he would play included Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and the Who. She described Hendrix's Are You Experienced as "very formative". As a teenager, Bird's older sister introduced her to the likes of My Chemical Romance, Avril Lavigne, and Fall Out Boy.[16]

As she started playing guitar, Bird listened to alternative rock bands such as Blur, Kasabian, The Vaccines, and The Strokes. Blur's Park Life made her "want to be able to write like this." Lyrically, Bird covers topics such as queer relationships, loneliness, and anti-capitalism.[16]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums
Title Details
American Hero

References

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  1. ^ Daly, Rhian (7 April 2023). "Towa Bird Makes Explosive Start With Debut Single 'Wild Heart'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Meet the Artist: Towa Bird and representing two communities in May and June". ESPN. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Cadenas, Kerensa (27 August 2024). "Towa Bird's Rock Star Fantasy". Nylon. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. ^ Velasquez, Juan (26 February 2024). "Towa Bird is the Queer GUitar-Shredding Rock Star of Your Dreams". Then. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Who Is Reneé Rapp's Girlfriend? All About Towa Bird". Peoplemag. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  6. ^ Walsh, Kathleen (11 June 2024). "Towa Bird Is Seizing the Moment". Glamour. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b Havens, Lyndsey (21 June 2024). "Towa Bird Is Finally Learning to Celebrate Her Own Art: 'It's Just Good Music — Maybe'". Billboard. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  8. ^ Tijerna, Daniel (27 June 2024). "Towa Bird Wants to Be a New Kind of Rock Star". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  9. ^ Daly, Rhian (7 April 2023). "Towa Bird Makes Explosive Start With Debut Single 'Wild Heart'". Udiscovermusic. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Essential guitar tracks – hear our bumper edition of the latest six-string bangers, all wrapped up in a Spotify playlist". Guitar World. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Reneé Rapp and Musician Towa Bird May Have Hard-Launched Their Relationship at an Oscars After-Party". ELLE. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b American Hero by Towa Bird on Apple Music, 28 June 2024, retrieved 11 August 2024
  13. ^ "Towa Bird Is Turning the Idea of the American Hero Inside Out". FLOOD. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  14. ^ Sheffield, Rob (26 June 2024). "Towa Bird is Ready To Be Everyone's New Guitar Hero". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  15. ^ Taylor, Sam (9 April 2024). "Mitski, Beabadoobee, Ethel Cain, Arlo Parks and more are taking over a day of All Points East". Dork. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  16. ^ a b Raboe, Dana (28 June 2024). "Towa Bird's wild heart". Alternative Press. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
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