Diane Birch

Musical Discoveries: To start with, would you add some color to your standard biography and tell us a little about the music you were you exposed to during your childhood and early teens?

Diane Birch: I was mostly exposed to classical music, opera and church hymns as a child. When I started discovering my own taste in music as a teen I became obsessed with bands like Sisters Of Mercy, The Cure, Bauhaus etc. Then later I started to go back and educate myself on different kinds of music that I had missed out on because there was a complete absence of pop culture in our house when I was growing up.

When and what inspired you to begin playing music?

I started playing piano as a child when my parents decided I should do it. It wasn't really my choice as I remember it. I was very inspired by classical music though and the idea that I could have an outlet all my own to make it, was very appealing. I started taking an ear training method called Suzuki which was especially inspiring for me.

I was first taught to listen to any pieces I was supposed to learn repeatedly and then try and figure out where the notes were. As a result, everything I heard, I began to see on the keyboard as opposed to the paper. This single understanding has had the most formative impact in the way I approach playing music.

Let's transition from playing to writing. When did you start writing songs?

I started composing when I began playing piano but actual songs started happening in my late teens. My songwriting process varies. I often start with a melody first then form lyrics. A song like "Magic View" from Bible Belt just kind of tumbled out in fifteen minutes, starting with a guitar riff that led me to the keyboard part; while "Lighthouse" from my new album was co-written with my Homer Steinweiss, my producing partner, and I wrote a lot of it on the fly while we were recording.

How were you signed to S-Curve?

I had been writing a song with Betty Wright years ago in Miami and Steve Greenberg, founder of S-Curve, listened to me play a song over the phone and flew me to New York and offered me a deal. Over the course of the last few years, we've been through a lot and at times we lock horns over the creative process, but we are much like a family so we always work through it in the end. Steve has been the most loyal supporter of my work. And as artist /label relationships go, this one is pretty special.

What your experience recording your first album what you expected?

It wasn't at all what I expected. It took a year to make. I thought it was going to take one week! I was used to doing everything myself and having complete creative control and suddenly I had a room full of people each with strong opinions and ideas.

I had let go and be open to new things but along the way I learned a lot about the recording process and the music business and people seemed to like the end result, which was very gratifying.

What was it like working with the people on your new albujm and what did you learn from them?

I worked with a lot of great people on Speak A Little Louder. Some gelled more than others, but they were all incredibly gracious and supportive and taught me a lot about the collaborative process.

This is the first time I've really written with other people, so it was a real learning curve to me. Sometimes its hard to walk into a room with someone and write something on demand that's really from the heart, especially when my process has usually been based around my whims and moods. But it was a great discipline and I know it made me a better writer.

Through all of this, I am particularly grateful to Homer Steinweiss who co-wrote and produced much of the album with me. He gave me the time, support and belief I needed to experiment and be creative weirdo and together we really developed a sound for the whole record.

What influences, musical and otherwise, do you feel shaped the album?

From a musical point of view I was really inspired but classic pop songwriting. Artists like Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Annie Lennox, Kate Bush, Tina Turner etc. From a lyrical standpoint, a lot of the album was informed by what I was going through in my own life. On a number of levels it's been a tough couple of years emotionally, so there was a lot of material to write about!

What did you think your debut album and how did you react to the positive reviews?

I was proud of it and although many aspects of it were dramatically different than I had imagined they would be when I originally wrote the songs, I was humbled and grateful that the songs really came through.

How did you find your first TV experience playing "Nothing But A Miracle" on Craig Ferguson's late night show?

I was completely terrified but since making music is so natural for me, my default is to deliver so thankfully the fear wasn't so apparent.

Please tell us more about The Velveteen Age EP.

Because I went through a heavy goth phase as a teenager I wanted to cover some songs that had been really important to me at that time and still are. It's also exciting for me to take a great song and turn it on its head. These were some incredible songs and so I wanted to put my own spin on them, also showing another side of myself which most people wouldn't have known from Bible Belt.

Whate led to the long gap between your debut album and Speak A Little Louder?

Well I was touring for a year and a half after the release of Bible Belt and when I finally started working on this album, I knew that I wanted to make something very different from it. I went through a lot of different trials and errors and experimentation before finally finding the right songs, the right sounds and the best collaborators.

Over the course of this time, so much in my life also changed. I split up with my boyfriend of many years and also tragically lost my father to cancer. He had been such a monumental force in my life that the loss really changed a lot of what I even wanted to say. There was a lot to work through personally and creatively yet still somehow make a record that everyone else felt they could stand behind.

How did you select people to work with on Speak A Little Louder and how have they influenced the final result?

I initially started trying things with a lot of different people and so a lot of the early music was sonically all over the place. The sonic quality was imperative for me on this record and so finding a creative partner in Homer Steinweiss was what really shaped the sound because I finally had someone who was putting in their own time and belief into it so we just tried things until it worked.

It's hard for me to describe the sound but I think its definitely sonically a wider album. Many of my influences seem apparent though I think it still sounds very much like me.

What would you tell listeners to expect on ‘Speak A Little Louder’ in contrast to 'Bible Belt'?

Well I am a very different artist than the one you heard on Bible Belt. Oftentimes when someone hears an album they assume that perhaps that's all there is to know. The truth is I have many drastically different facets of my creative personality. My whole life I've struggled with the idea that I have to pick a side.

I'm now at the point where I'm seeing all the colors as a strength and embracing all of my various interests. Genres are feeling more and more irrelevant to me as I see my creative future spreading out, covering a lot of different musical ground. I'd love to have a million side projects going on making everything from house music to rap beats to drone music.

Bible Belt was one small sliver of who I am. I can only be patient and keep making music until finally no one has expectations of my sound other than it being good.

How important is image to a female recording artist these days?

I'm really inspired by fashion and general aesthetic expression and think the connection between sound and visuals is huge. It's about creating a whole world for your audience.

What would you say the impact of social media has been when comparing it to your prior internet presence?

It's made a big difference. I feel like Bible Belt would have felt different had I had some of the tools dialed in like I do now. My fans have been part of my whole process making this record so this release feels like something we all did together.

What immediate plans do you have to promote the new album in the way of videos and live performances?

I just released a video for the first single "All The Love You Got" and have more in the works. In terms of the live shows, I have a tour coming up in October and hopefully many more dates to get the live show to a new level.

Many thanks for the interview Diane.