out November 13th
PRAISE FOR STARLING:
“Rising star Starling is back with the first single off her upcoming debut album To Be Alive. Setting the tone for the album, “No Leader” takes us through a glittering production laced with adventures, melodies and stellar vocals. Starling’s distinctive strong vocals capture your attention immediately, propelling you into an alt-pop soundscape with oscillating bass lines and pounding drums.” WONDERLAND MAGAZINE
“Vivacious, polished and thoroughly surprising, rising alt-pop talent Starling bursts back onto the scene with new single “No Leader”. Characterised by Starling’s distinctive and piercing falsetto vocal and bold production, “No Leader” is an exciting track that delves into the kind of self-reflection possible through spiritual exploration.” THE LINE OF BEST FIT
“Starling’s journey is a step-by-step guide towards truth. An artist perpetually in search of empowerment, her pop vision is designed to provoke and inspire. With her debut album incoming, Starling’s latest single arrives with a real point to prove. ‘No Leader’ is self-described as “your own personal empowerment anthem” and it proves that love needs to come from within. Searching for contentment and happiness, Starling comes to realise that each one of these assets begins and ends with her. Removing herself from self-validation, it’s a surging piece of pop music, with an ultra-catchy chorus.“ CLASH
“You can’t spell Starling without the ‘Star’ quality she holds. With a falsetto tone to die for, Starling storms into the pop blend resulting in an exciting listen and a nice two step as you boogie along.” THE RODEO MAG
“We’re vibing the fuck out of Starling’s new single “No Leader,” a slinky, percussive alt-pop rattler that’s all about finding it in oneself to pull through in times of trouble and need. Because there’s no one else coming to save us, and the London native is quite aware of this.” VANYALAND
After returning near the beginning of October to share her long-awaited comeback single ‘No Leader’, the first taste of her eagerly-awaited debut album ‘To Be Alive’, alt-pop goddess Starling is back once again to unveil her next high-energy offering ‘Swoop’ accompanied by a stunning new video.
Moving more towards the bold and bouncing basslines of her earlier material, ‘Swoop’ sees her take on the alt-pop world with a brash and instantly captivating sound. Channeling a rich and diverse mix of instrumentation, this new single shows us that she is very much at the top of her game when it comes to creating strong and impactful releases.
Directed by Ryan Blackwell, an up and coming director and image maker from Liverpool with a background in fashion and owner of Beyond Photography, an experimental media platform and production company showcasing the world’s leading artists, the new video for ‘Swoop’ looks to capture the full and bright energy of the original track. With Starling herself teaming up with a team of captivating and hypnotic dancers for the visuals, the video highlights the same fresh and vibrant sound we have seen her return with these last few months.
Speaking about the video for ‘Swoop’, she said, “I wanted to make a 90s inspired music video on what it is to “own it”. This is what I told the dancers “there is no space for shame or judgement in Starlingsworld, it’s time to dance like you are free to be who you really are, to own your quirk”. The 90s (the time I was born) was all about pop in its cheeky, bright, fun self and I wanted that in this, for nostalgia sake and also for everyone involved – bring that free fun energy into the team for each dancer and for that to be felt on screen.”
“Swoop is about being unapologetically focused and owning it. Owning your dream, owning that fear, owning that desire and not holding back your ambition or your individuality. Judgement suffocates. To “swoop” liberates.”
‘Swoop’ marks the second piece of new material from her forthcoming new album ‘To Be Alive’, which is due out in the near future. The record’s lead single ‘No Leader’ was supported by the likes of Wonderland, The Line Of Best Fit, CLASH, The Rodeo Mag, Vanyaland, God Is In The TV, and many more.
Starling appears on the latest episode of the hit podcast The Guilty Feminist, which can be streamed HERE.
In Starling’s World, there is no judgement, no shame and no apologising for who you are. And as she prepares to release her debut album ‘To Be Alive’ produced in part by Damian Taylor (Bjork, The Prodigy) and David Kyle Payne (Meghan Trainor, Sigala) – a positive, powerful alt-pop record about owning both the light and darkness in our lives, Starling has been on a journey of self-realisation, taking her from south London squats to Soho bars and back, full circle.
Born one of six children to a scientist father and artist mother, Starling’s upbringing was an unusual ride – love, trauma, wealth, poverty – a world of extreme contrasts.
Escape from her tumultuous home life in London’s suburbs was found on the stage, training initially as a classical actor but the budding star was becoming sick of being other people – she wanted to be herself.
Meanwhile working at a Soho members club Starling was asked to sing for an event, despite having never sung in public and incredibly unsure of her ability.
While performing a Joni Mitchell cover in the bar, she was spotted by Zero 7’s Henry Binns, who was instantly captivated by the unique tone of her voice. It was a chance meeting that would be the catalyst for Starling’s career.
Starling decided to park her career as an actor, setting herself a goal: she had six months to get a record contract or it wasn’t “meant to be” As month six approached, her dreams were realised, and she was signed to Communion Records.
Starling continued to work with Henry Binns on the creation of three EPs: 2016’s ‘The Heart’, 2017’s ‘The Body’ and 2018’s ‘The Soul’. The output was dark, emotive pop that really tackled the depths of her childhood trauma. By EP three, ‘The Soul,’ she’d settled on a new, quirky-pop sound, one that reflected a transformation within herself, and the response from fans and media was instant. Comparisons to Lorde and Bastille were made, playlist features, press and radio play started to pick up, totalling five million streams before she’d even got to work on her debut album.
It was throughout this time and while living in a south London squat, the fledgling pop star began to discover her second love: that of mentoring young creatives alongside her music, being named Best Mentor by Abbey Road Studios.
Through this period of self-exploration and expression, a different Starling emerged – one more accepting of the pain she’d been through with a determination to tell others that they should embrace every type of emotion they feel, even the ugly stuff.
Leaving Communion behind, Starling’s debut album ‘To Be Alive’ is a fully DIY effort. Produced in part by Damian Taylor (Bjork, The Prodigy) and David Kyle Payne (Meghan Trainor, Sigala), her unique life perspective and personal journey has spawned a vibrant pop record, completely unapologetic in its message of personal empowerment.
Over twelve tracks – of a possible 250 written for the project – Starling tackles broken relationships, dark thoughts, dreams of sexual encounters and a fierce message of being in charge of your own narrative.
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