BECKY AND THE BIRDS
‘HOLDING ON’ VIDEO REVEALED WATCH HERE
“This TUNE is giving me serious goosebumps” Tove Lo
“‘Holding On’ is one of the most exciting first releases for a long time… She’s cracked the code for the perfect first song” The Line Of Best Fit
“Lush, down tempo pop with plenty of soul… Imaginative, eclectic alt-pop, her mosaic of colours has a lush quality, fusing dank, trip-hop styled percussive snaps to soulful vocals” Clash
Swedish singer and producer Becky and the Birds has today released the video for her highly acclaimed debut single ‘Holding On’. The nostalgically-filmed home video footage captures intimate moments between couples in Stockholm.
Thea Gustafsson aka Becky and the Birds explains, “The video showcases my ability and desire to do things independently. By that I mean with creative control influenced by people I want to be surrounded by. It isn’t about me or my looks, since I don’t want that to be the focus of Becky and the Birds, instead it’s about holding on to something that’s meaningful to you, and what that is is up to the viewer’s discretion. I want it to be about the music and the world in and around it.
I invited friends and an amazingly talented videographer, Sandra Thorsson, because I knew they and she could help me achieve exactly what I wanted with that we were given. Out of it came a very homey DIY project that I am quite fond of. I hope you find something in it.”
‘Holding On’ has been released to widespread critical praise and even found the likes of Tove Lo tweeting about her admiration for the track. The song is a genre-spanning blend of lush electronics, with nods to trip-hop and ‘90s R&B alongside beautiful samples plucked from nature. The result is similar to the likes of SZA, Solange or even Ella Fitzgerald.
The release of ‘Holding On’ has instantly found Becky and the Birds becoming one of the most hotly-tipped new acts to come out of Sweden.
FURTHER INFORMAITON ON BECKY AND THE BIRDS
Becky and the Birds is the moniker of Thea Gustafsson, the 21-year-old from Örebro who writes, produces and sings all of her own music and attended the prestigious Musikmakarna Songwriters Academy of Sweden, which kickstarted the careers of LÉON and Skott.
Thea has already clocked up millions of streams as a topline vocalist in high profile collaborations, however these relentless sessions with all-male producers began to grate on her. “I always had this voice inside me—society’s voice—that was like ‘No, you can’t, ‘cos you’re a girl, that’s for the boys’” she explains.
“I was like, I can’t do this any more—having all these dudes mansplaining, sitting with their spread legs,” Thea says. “I was just so frustrated. When you have a really clear vision yourself, it’s difficult to compromise.
At one particularly bad session with a producer – “I felt the whole panic that you feel when you think you’re not good enough“ – it led her to develop a whole new guise; Becky and the Birds.
Taking responsibility for production, Becky and the Birds sees Thea in full control of her work, rejecting the pop saturated sound of her native Sweden and resulting in a true-to-self, multifaceted project.
Where pop tends to value visibility, Becky and the Birds favours obscurity. Casting a new personal signature with Becky and the Birds, Thea expresses her unique, genuine experiences in a sensual new sound.
According to Kristin 