Name: Diane Birch
Locality: Michigan, USA
Color: Royal Purple: Majestic yet bold.
The Story: Influenced by Tina Turner, Pat Benetar, Carole King and more, Diane Birch’s strong yet original voice
was curated in travels with her pastoral father. Originally from Michigan she
has stopped all over the world along the
way.
Her classical piano training came in handy in an unlikely turn of events from none other than Mr. Purple Rain himself. It was Prince who heard her perform at a hotel in Beverly Hills and scooped her up for a jam session at his place. It was a turning point that later led to Bible Belt, her first album under S-Curve Records.
Her classical piano training came in handy in an unlikely turn of events from none other than Mr. Purple Rain himself. It was Prince who heard her perform at a hotel in Beverly Hills and scooped her up for a jam session at his place. It was a turning point that later led to Bible Belt, her first album under S-Curve Records.
Although Bible Belt
made it’s way to the Billboard Hot 100 and garnered critical acclaim, soon
after the close of her freshman album, she ended a long term relationship, and
her beloved father passed away within a short time of each other. This trauma
was the basis behind her sophomore inspiration.
“To stay strong, you have to surrender a bit to the
breakdown and embrace the darker parts of your psyche and circumstances, come
full circle and realize that there’s beauty in even those really difficult and
testing times” she says of the hardships. “If you can learn to do that, you can
manifest a lot of great things in your life."
Diane found cultural haven in Williamsburg
Brooklyn, where her studio resided, and started working with Homer Steinweiss,
who gave life to her ideas. Many producers worked with her on the second release to
produce the collective sound. ?uestlove worked with Steve Greenberg, John Taylor, and Eg White, for “All The Love You Got,” and Matt Hales, mastermind of Aqualung, crafted the tune behind “Unfkd.”
The effort, called Speak A Little Louder, has a classic
sound. It has an old feel with a piano base but with a stronger push from
Diane’s vocals, and influence from greats of the 70’s and 80’s. With a golden voice and great production, Diane
Birch is steadily rising in notoriety. And rightfully so.
Coloring Outside The Lines Because: Diane’s voice takes you
back to the days of true ballads, where the songwriting is very well
constructed. Diane plays up her strengths here--most songs are made with a verse, a chorus and a bridge. Birch does this fluidly, without overcomplicating the process. Her verses are effortless, her choruses are very memorable, and the sound is timeless. Her voice has crisped and gotten better with time.
Think: wine, sunset, Brooklyn hipsters, house warmer, cleaning, picnics, 6th grade slow dance, looking out the window of a plane thats taking off, dinner/restaurant party, soundtrack after the plot has been resolved in a movie.
Propers: Margo Ducharme
Propers: Margo Ducharme
