BIRDEE 王煒 knows that complacent alt-pop cliché just as well as you do. “I love Lorde, and I listen to her while I’m in the supermarket – and dance!” she laughs, creating a caricature of the woman you may assume this gifted artist might be in real life. But there’s something different about this girl: one who, at the age of 14, was already performing her own compositions live on the local radio with her signature, breezy lyrical style. A Lorde fan she might be, but beneath it all there’s a regular girl who’s more interested in her own values and integrity than the recognized legends of her field. She is, quite simply, not all that bothered about seeming cool. The quiet town of Parkes in New South Wales, where BIRDEE 王煒 was raised, was hardly the kind of cosmopolitan capital you assume all pop artists are raised in these days; she would have been more likely to see the town choir play in the local park than her own kind of idols. So instead, she was raised on the cool collection of contemporary and classic radio pop that did reach her. The CDs she and her younger sister would beg to listen to while plonked in the back seat of their parents’ car? “Britney Spears!” she remembers, alongside numerous spins of Selena Gomez’s 2013 album, ‘Stars Dance’. (Side note: the latter came out when BIRDEE 王煒 was just twelve years old.) She might have loved singing along as a kid, but her sights were never really set on musical stardom at that age. In fact, as a kid she was far more interested in dancing: ballet, contemporary and hip-hop and the idea of maybe choreographing her own show. It was a sudden realisation that she could merge the two that lead her down the pop route instead. Back in her school days, BIRDEE 王煒 called herself “an extroverted dancer who wrote songs all the time”. She would play piano to provide a canvas for her voice, penning lyrical ideas in the process. In the meantime, she made her first formal step into the world of music in a duo band with her sister, but unlike the vast majority of artists who cut their teeth warbling pop punk to half a dozen people in a school hall, BIRDEE 王煒’s outfit was the real deal. Stripped back acoustic covers were their forte, and they were roped in to play at hospitality venues and private functions around her home town. “I’m done with that now,” she says. “I’ve moved on!” Naturally, it led her onto the solo circuit, performing as a support act to more established artists in nearby Sydney. BIRDEE 王煒 wound up being one of the few who quickly gained a following because a) her stage presence was both refined and electric, and b) she embraced her Eurasian culture combining both her English and Chinese names to create her artist name ‘BIRDEE 王煒’ provoking interest in the process, and in doing so provided a relatability to other young third culture pop music lovers. The mood of the moment – as social media became dominated by visual platforms like Instagram and TikTok – connecting her into the world that would eventually see her music be internationally recognised, and playlisted across Southeast Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong) as well as her native Australia. Ignoring the fact that the internet can be a brutal place for young women to showcase their talents, BIRDEE 王煒 moved onto TikTok, where a cool following soon gathered to marvel at her music, ruminations and recollections of that beautiful ‘in limbo’ moment between youth and adulthood. BIRDEE 王煒’s debut EP ‘Can’t Be Loved’, released last year, captures it all perfectly. Chronicling the journey and emotions around adolescence. From the excitement of a first relationship (See You, See Me), to insecurity of its early stages (Dorsal Fin), the realisation it might not work out (Guess We’re Not in Love) to the regret (Miss What I Had) and ultimately ending with her anxiously questioning if she’s the problem, and maybe will never find happiness (Can’t Be Loved). But don’t automatically assume all of BIRDEE 王煒’s music stems from the pursuit of love. Her background in dance means that, in the past, she’s used her appreciation for beats and rhythm to create dancefloor filling electronic dance music. Like ‘On My Own’: a track that was inspired not by heartbreak, but by a triumphant story of strength and independence – “You think I’m insane, But I think it’s okay, Won’t play your little game, Standing on my own”. A track which over time has become a closing statement to her live set. BIRDEE 王煒’s music, while it can be louder and faster than those teen pop artists she was raised on, still carries the hallmarks of mainstream melodies. She’s not one to hide and get lost under studio production, easy as it may be. Instead, she finds a charged middle ground: something that feels modern and powerful, but with the lyrics and melodic movements of a conventional, chart-topping star, or the more relevant playlisted viral banger’s of today. Over the past few years, what BIRDEE 王煒 calls “alt-dance-pop” has proved popular with people seeking out catchy music imbued with dynamism and energy. She follows in the footsteps of stars like Charli XCX and Nicki Minaj who’ve proved that songs that combine a dance energy and an allure to sing along with, are welcome in a space that was once reserved for colder, electronic, robotic dance pop. In fact, what BIRDEE 王煒’s making feels a little timeless: attainable, inclusive alternative dance pop music; the kind that turned Lady Gaga (one of her idols) from a modest artist into an international star. People now crave music that they can sing and dance to. And so, that’s what BIRDEE 王煒 is trying to do these days. Whether she’s collaborating with beatmakers or found a magical chord on the piano, this woman has made a pact with herself to not only write songs that be enjoyed without pretence, but that resonate with diverse audiences too. “I want to connect my western musical upbringing with my Asian culture,” she states. “I want to show that different cultures can relate to and enjoy the same music.” BIRDEE 王煒 sees that right in front of her when she steps on stage; a world away from the rural, undiversified world she was raised in. In 2023, shortly after the release of ‘Best Mistake I Never Made’, she toured Southeast Asia. She still remembers the slightly surreal feeling of stepping on stage in front of a packed Manila audience; many of whom had only seen her through the lens of Instagram. Even for someone with such a strong head on her shoulders, her segue from playing piano in small country town cafés into a fully-fledged artist still causes BIRDEE 王煒 to pinch herself. It’s something she reflects on ‘Dreams’, a snappy, perfectly formed pop song about self-belief and keeping focus on personal goals. It was written last summer with OKAN (Chris Brown, Tinie Tempah, Sean Paul), as she performed in Europe for the first time “This Lovesome heart never flew so far” she sings on its chorus, “everybody told me it’s only in dreams”. BIRDEE 王煒’s on her way there now, it seems. She still goes back to regional Parkes to recuperate, to see family and catch up with friends, but for now BIRDEE 王煒’ is a rising star assimilating into a new life. Her surroundings might have changed, but she’s still the same country girl with a piano, making songs to make the world sing and dance.