Billie Marten | |
|---|---|
 Billie Marten in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Isabella Sophie Tweddle |
| Born | 27 May 1999 Ripon, England |
| Genres | Acoustic |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Fiction |
| Website | billiemarten |
Isabella Sophie Tweddle (born 27 May 1999), better known under the stage name Billie Marten, is a British singer-songwriter and musician from Ripon in North Yorkshire. She first came to prominence at the age of twelve when a video on YouTube of her singing garnered thousands of views. She released her first EP at the age of fifteen in 2014, and her second EP a year later. At the end of 2015, she was nominated for BBC's Sound of 2016 award. She has since released four full-length albums: Writing of Blues and Yellows, Feeding Seahorses by Hand, Flora Fauna, and Drop Cherries, all of which have received critical acclaim. Her style can be described as singer-songwriter and folk.
Early life
Isabella (or "Billie") Tweddle was born 27 May 1999 in Ripon in North Yorkshire.[1][2][3] She began playing guitar and singing when she was seven or eight,[4][5] and started writing songs soon afterwards.[6] By the age of nine she had her own YouTube channel on which she posted covers of pop songs, mostly for the benefit of her grandparents who live in France.[6] When she was twelve she performed some music sessions for a local YouTube channel called Ont' Sofa.[7] Among the songs she performed was a cover version of Lucy Rose's "Middle of the Bed", which quickly received thousands of views.[7] In a later interview Marten said "I didn't understand how quickly it could spread. I was super young and it was crazy."[8] She was educated at Ripon Grammar School.[9]
Music career
In May 2014, just before her fifteenth birthday, Billie Marten released the single "Ribbon" via Burberry's curation program.[10][11] She wrote the single with Fiona Bevan the previous year.[5] According to Marten, one theme of "Ribbon" is "the elusiveness of the city, and how quickly you can lose something amongst the people and tube stations."[5] In June 2014 she released her debut EP Ribbon.[12] In August 2014 Marten played the BBC Introducing stage at the Reading Festival.[13] She described her music in December 2014 as "a mix between acoustic and quite folky and a little indie."[14]
In January 2015 Billie Marten signed to Chess Club Records, a division of Sony Music and their RCA Records recording label.[15][16] She released the single "Heavy Weather" in April 2015 which premiered on Huw Stephens' BBC Radio 1 show.[11] A 7" vinyl version of "Heavy Weather" was released in May with her cover version of Royal Blood's "Out of the Black" on the B-side.[11] She released the single "Bird" in September 2015.[17] She wrote the song with Olivia Broadfield, and according to Marten, the song is about "how words can truly affect people, not always for the right reasons".[6] She toured for the first time in October 2015 as the supporting act for Lucy Rose.[9] Marten released her second EP As Long As in November 2015.[16]
In November 2015 she was nominated for the BBC Sound of 2016.[13][18]
She released her first full-length album, Writing of Blues and Yellows, on 23 September 2016.
In 2018 Marten's "Blue Sea, Red Sea", which was released as a single for her second album, featured as Annie Mac's hottest record on Radio 1.[19]
Her second LP, Feeding Seahorses by Hand, was released 26 April 2019.
In January 2021, Marten announced her third album titled Flora Fauna, which released 21 May 2021.[20]
In January 2023, she announced her fourth studio album titled Drop Cherries. Marten explained that the title alludes to dropping everything to express your love for a person. The album was released on 7 April 2023.[21]
Personal life
Aged 18, Marten was diagnosed with severe seasonal affective disorder (SAD), causing some depression and anxiety.[19]
Marten attended university for English Literature but decided to disenroll after six weeks. During the time she was enrolled, she continued pursuing her musical career by touring but also attended university twice a week - on Mondays and Fridays. She recalls losing sleep over reading Oliver Twist. However, Marten described this period, in a 2019 podcast with Kate McGill, as feeling discouraged by the lack of feedback on her work, and by classmates who came unprepared and didn't show interest in assignments.[22]
Marten resides in London with her partner, Will Taylor of Flyte.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Writing of Blues and Yellows |
|
| Feeding Seahorses by Hand |
|
| Flora Fauna | |
| Drop Cherries |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Ribbon[23] |
|
| As Long As[17] |
|
| Acoustic EP[24] |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Ribbon" | Ribbon |
| 2015 | "Heavy Weather" | Writing of Blues and Yellows |
| "Out of the Black" | ||
| "Bird" | ||
| "As Long As" | As Long As | |
| 2016 | "Milk & Honey" | Writing of Blues and Yellows |
| "La Lune" | ||
| "Lionhearted" | ||
| "Live" | ||
| 2018 | "Mice" | Feeding Seahorses by Hand |
| "Blue Sea, Red Sea" | ||
| 2019 | "Betsy" | |
| "Cartoon People" | ||
| "swear 2 g-d" | Non-album single | |
| 2020 | "Orange Tree" | Happy Place |
| 2021 | "Garden of Eden" | Flora Fauna |
| "Creature of Mine" | ||
| "Human Replacement" | ||
| "Liquid Love" | ||
| 2023 | "This Is How We Move" | Drop Cherries |
| "Nothing But Mine" | ||
| "I Can't Get My Head Around You" | ||
| "God Above" |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Ribbon" | 2014 | – | [25] |
| "Heavy Weather" | 2015 | Daniel Broadley | [26] |
| "Bird" | Franklyn Banks | [16] | |
| "Milk & Honey" | 2016 | Rob Brandon | [27] |
| "La Lune" | 2016 | [28] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organisation | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | BBC | Sound of...2016[18] | Nominated |
References
- ↑ "Tweddle – England & Wales Births 1837–2006". Genes Reunited. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "Billie Marten". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "WILD Profile: Billie Marten". The WILD. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "The sky's the limit". Ripon Grammar School. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Joie Featured Artist: Billie Marten". Joie. 18 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Billie Marten (Acoustic)". Rough Trade Events. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- 1 2 "Interview with…Billie Marten". Bitter Sweet Symphonies. 26 October 2015.
- ↑ "Interview: Billie Marten". Source Magazine. 19 October 2015.
- 1 2 "Billie Marten looks set for stardom". The Northern Echo. 2 November 2015.
- ↑ "Premiere: Billie Marten – Ribbon". Hunger TV. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Billie Marten – "Heavy Weather" (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. 6 April 2015.
- ↑ "Billie Marten – New Music "Introducing"". Just Music I Like. 16 June 2014. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- 1 2 "BBC Music Sound Of, 2016 – Billie Marten". BBC Music. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "Sound Scout: Meet Billie Marten, the Songbird That's About to Soar Straight to the Top". Teen Vogue. 5 December 2014.
- ↑ "Signing: Billie Marten". Chess Club Records. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Billie Marten – "Bird" Video". Stereogum. 14 October 2015.
- 1 2 "Billie Marten shares enchanting new single "Bird" ahead of new EP". The Line of Best Fit. 23 September 2015.
- 1 2 "BBC Sound of 2016 longlist announced". The Telegraph. 30 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Billie Marten: Having SAD made me write the happiest pop song – BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- 1 2 Krol, Charlotte (28 January 2021). "Billie Marten announces new album Flora Fauna with rollicking single 'Garden Of Eden'". NME. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ↑ "Billie Marten Announces New Album 'Drop Cherries'". Stereogum. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ↑ We Dive Deeper Podcast: BILLIE MARTEN - Being A Musician, Seasonal Affective Disorder & Social Media, retrieved 11 October 2023
- ↑ "Ribbon (2014)". 7digital. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ↑ "BILLIE MARTEN ANNOUNCES 'ACOUSTIC' EP". DIY.
- ↑ "Billie Marten Ribbon". NYLON. 23 June 2014.
- ↑ "Watch Billie Marten's brand new video for 'Heavy Weather'". The 405. 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ↑ "Premiere: Milk & Honey by Billie Marten". VMA. 20 May 2016.
- ↑ "Billie Marten - La Lune (Official Video)". Youtube. 17 June 2016.
