Birdcapital
Birdcapital is one of the most exciting new artists to come out of 2021. Releasing an intoxicating debut single, Grey is the perfect blend of Palimah's shimmering vocals layered over an incredible industrial production. Hazy Days Music would like to thank Palimah for taking the time out and having a chat.
It's been really exciting to watch you grow as an artist this year. How has music played a role in your life growing up? And do you remember when you first started having an interest in learning music?
I've always grown up around music. Growing up, my dad would show me a lot of progressive rock that was offset by ballads and all the vocal harmony-based music my mum would play for me. She used to be a singer who toured Russia with her band back in the day.
Music has always played an important role in our family, and since a kid, I was always interested in music. We have home videos of me in front of the TV hugging the screen while watching Rage, haha. From a young age, I got an appreciation for a wide variety of music and got to experience how it played a role in my culture. My family are from Laos, and we have a tight-knit community in Ngunnawal Country (Canberra). We grew up going to these events put on by our families, and I loved seeing how music would make the adults dance, and we would dare each other to ask girls/boys out to dance as well. I think that's why it's always been ingrained in me to play music for so long and start my own thing.
I was blown away when I heard your debut single, Grey. Your voice is incredible! What can you share with us about Grey? How have you found the response?
It's been great! It's the first time I have released music under the name Birdcapital, and it's a sound I find to be a bit more true to myself. The experience has been unbelievable. I feel like I have really been growing as a musician over the years. When you first start out, you kind of imitate who you think is cool and slowly build up your sound by whittling away at your songwriting process. I think that's what was cool with Grey and why I'm particularly proud. It was the first time that I felt like I had arrived at my process.
In terms of how Grey has been received
The response has been surprising. It's just been an interesting time to release music being in and out of lockdown here. I haven't even had the chance to step foot on stage yet to play it live. I was in the middle of making a music video with my best friend Sophie Dumaresq, who is an incredible visual artist and directing the video, along with my friend Sienna (AKA Banksia) who was going to be a dancer in the video. We were all set to film when everything was locked down again. Despite not getting the full momentum with the rollout of the song, it still did well.
What has your process been to find your sound? Is there anything you have noticed to help you develop your songwriting to where you are now?
My process has just been spending the time on something that I love and respect. There are so many great musicians who have taken it so far; I feel like it would be cutting corners if I didn't give it the time it deserves. That's why at this point, I feel like I’ve reached the moment where I am now creating my own aesthetic, I’m comfortable with my process, and I’m now at the point where I am ready to let people into that world. I'm really excited about what’s coming up in the next couple of weeks, months and years.
With Grey, that song and my voice is a bit of a trojan horse, haha. I feel like it's a little bit like I'm presenting "a nice pop song", then when I come in with the next couple of singles, it's like, surprise, here are some weird songs, haha.
How have you found the Canberra music scene since moving back home?
Over the pandemic, I moved back to Canberra from Melbourne. Coming back here, I didn't really know anyone anymore. But it's been great connecting with all these new artists. I feel like it's pushing me and giving me this new energy to my music. The community they have been building here is unbelievable, and it's great getting involved and helping push my music.
You know how we were talking about finding my sound? Well, some of the musicians I grew up with, man; they have found it too. They have executed it at such a high level.
NISSAN: Unstoppable just released an album that was incredible. Saulé has just come out with a bunch of great singles: When We First Went Out, Sore + Blush. She is fantastic and one of the rare voices in the music scene here.
There is all sorts of energy going on. A lot of indie-folk, indie punk, so many genres are going off. I’d say the whole music community here is very strong, it's very robust, and a lot of different things are keeping it fresh. It's been great to watch Citizen Kay + Genesis Owusu, seeing how they came up in the hip-hop scene here and where they are now.
I’m excited to bring whatever I can to the table here. I’ve been checking out how people play and how people connect with the audiences throughout the pandemic. Girls Rock! Canberra has been putting on free lunchtime concerts, which inspired me to get a set together that I can do by myself, over the phone or in person.
Do you have any more music on the way? What’s planned for the summer?
I’ve got three or four singles coming up pretty immediately. One is a small IG video single featuring Laura Ingram, and the artist Want of Peace, one of my oldest friends, created the animation. It's a similar vibe to the clips I posted for Grey but explores the idea in more depth.
Stay up to date with Birdcapital on Instagram and Spotify.