• October 1, 1997
• Jade Elizabeth Bird was born in Hexham, a town in North East England, to parents who were both in the Army. They lived in both the UK and a German military base but by the age of seven, her mum and dad had separated. The females moved to Bridgend, South Wales to live with Jade's grandmother, who had also gone through a divorce.
• Her mum was a music fan who played records by Shakira, the Chemical Brothers and Shania Twain when Jade was young.
• Bird started taking piano lessons at the age of eight, but she only really got into it when she picked up an acoustic guitar owned by her grandmother. "I guess I found my escape in music when I was about 12 or 13, post my parents' and grandparents' divorces," she told The Sun. "We had a family friend who played the acoustic guitar and I was just transfixed by it."
  
  So I borrowed my grandma's and would sit on the floor, try out chords and started writing music virtually straight away," Bird added. "Anything to do with words sparks a thing in me. It was quite therapeutic at the time as I was going through a lot and I've not stopped songwriting since then."
• Bird's first live gig came soon after, at 13, in a pub. She recalled to MTV News that she wore a leopard-print dress. "It was scary and it was daunting," she said, "and then I did it again and again and again and again, and it was less scary."
• Bird attending the BRIT School in Croydon, which she graduated from in 2016. The school's alumni include singers Amy Winehouse, Adele, Leona Lewis and Jessie J.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Slow HandThe Pointer Sisters

"Slow Hand" was a #1 Country hit for Conway Twitty in 1982, a year after The Pointer Sisters recorded it.

The OneMemphis Bleek

Rapper Memphis Bleek's 2005 album track "The One" is notable for featuring a then-unknown Rihanna on the hook. It was the Barbadian singer's first-ever major-label appearance.

Here Comes Your ManPixies

"Here Comes Your Man" is the closest the Pixies came to a hit in America. It was rumored to be about a drug dealer, but Black Francis says it's just a story about some hobos who travel by train and die in an earthquake.

VoodooGodsmack

The line, "I feel the snakebite enter my veins," led many to believe the Godsmack song "Voodoo" is about drugs, but it's really about Wiccan ritual, inspired in part by the Wes Craven movie The Serpent and the Rainbow.

Strawberry Letter 23The Brothers Johnson

"Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson was written by Shuggie Otis, whose girlfriend would send him letters written on strawberry-scented paper.

VogueMadonna

Every film star mentioned in Madonna's "Vogue" has since died. The last was Lauren Bacall, who passed away in 2014.

Editor's Picks

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.