Birdy

Jasmine van den Bogaerde (born 15 May 1996), known by her stage name Birdy, is a British musician, songwriter and singer. She won the music competition Open Mic UK in 2008, at the age of 12. Her début single, a version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love", was her breakthrough, charting all across Europe and being certified six times platinum in Australia. Her self-titled début album, Birdy, was released on 7 November 2011 to similar success, peaking at number 1 in Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands. Her second studio album, Fire Within, was released 23 September 2013 in the UK and other surrounding countries.

Early life

Birdy was born on 15 May 1996, in Lymington, Hampshire. Her mother is a concert pianist, and Birdy learned to play the piano at the age of seven, and began writing her own music at the age of eight.Birdy studied at Brockenhurst College inBrockenhurst, a sixth form college in the New Forest, as of 2013. She sings and plays the piano. Her great uncle was the actor Sir Dirk Bogarde. Her great-great-great grandfather was Belgian, the rest of her ancestors were English and Scottish.

Her stage name comes from the nickname her parents gave her as a baby, because she opened her mouth like a little bird when fed.^{[citation needed]} Her family and friends call her Birdy while only teachers call her Jasmine, her given name.