Birdy /

Jasmine van den Bogaerde (born 15 May 1996), also known by her stage name Birdy, is an English musician. She won the music competition Open Mic UK in 2008, at the age of 12. Her version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" was successful, peaking inside the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart and in some European territories. Her eponymous debut album "Birdy" was released on the 7th of November 2011. Birdy was born on 15 May 1996, in Lymington, England. Her mother is a concert pianist, and Birdy learned to play piano at the age of five, and began writing her own music at the age of eight. Birdy currently studies at Priestlands School in Lymington, a small state school which specialises in performing and visual arts. She sings and plays the piano. Her great uncle was the actor Sir Dirk Bogarde. She is of mixed Scottish, English, Belgian (Flemish) and Dutch ancestry. In 2008, at the age of 12, Birdy won the UK talent contest Open Mic UK, a spinoff of the Live and Unsigned competition.