Jade Bird’s latest single ‘Headstart’ explores the restlessness of an infatuation through a magical, saccharine melody. The English singer-songwriter doesn’t hesitate to lean on her vibrant, sweet-as-molasses voice that glides through the notes with ease. Her personality is beaming through the composition, and the instrumentation only heightens the spellbinding allure of Bird’s vocals.

It’s an Indie-flavoured tune, complete with light acoustic chords, a dash of early nineties rock gusto, and plenty of charm to carry you through the duration. The verses are standard and don’t delve too deep into emotion, but the chorus is magnetic. Bird is able to summon old-school, girl-power energy into her dynamic harmony that’s equal parts commanding and delicate. That combination reverberates through the entire piece, lending it a classic, nostalgic vibe that’s unheard of in today’s musical, top 40 landscape. 

A BRIT school alum, Jade Bird had begun performing in gigs throughout her education. Her first album, self-titled as Jade Bird, was released on 19 April 2019, when Jade was only twenty-one-years old. It earned raves from all across the board and attained No. 1 and 2 on U.K. folk and indie charts respectively. She has been hailed as one of the exciting prospects in the indie genre out of the U.K. Therefore, it’s no surprise that her second album has been a topic of interest. In ‘Headstart,’ Bird explores falling head-over-heels for someone special in her life but can’t muster up the courage to confess her feelings. That’s why she’s given him a ‘headstart’ to make the first move and make her dreams a living reality. It’s an incredibly romantic tune that will send the listener through a barrel of emotions and will make them wist for the first-crush jitters. 

Speaking on producing this song as part of her second album, Bird said, “For me, it was really like a clearing in the clouds. It’s less about the simple meaning of liking someone and someone not liking you back. That’s universal and I like the sass in the chorus. With this record, it was a gift from somewhere being like, ‘I’m back, I’m writing, I know who I am, and know what I’m doing.’”

Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.