Billie Marten, currently out on tour supporting Ben Howard, shares a recorded version of fan favourite, 'Crown'.
The release follows Billie headlining a sold-out show at the Barbican Centre on October 4 alongside free-form string group, Her Ensemble, playing remarkable orchestral versions of songs from her four critically acclaimed albums. It was no mean feat for the British singer-songwriter, who has become known for thoughtful live moments and singular songwriting and storytelling.
Billie says of ‘Crown’: “I wrote this in my garden last summer while staring at my cat sitting peacefully in the shade. It’s a song of longing, of accepting who you are, a truthful interlude.” The song was recorded this summer with Philip Weinrobe (Adrianne Lenker, Cass McCombs, Tomberlin) in Brooklyn, NY.
Listen to ‘Crown’ on Shoot Music New Releases.
Getting back to her happy place and finding “nerve” of the song, Billie travelled to NYC after playing the legendary Newport Folk Festival, and started work on her next record, which follows 2023’s critically acclaimed album, Drop Cherries.
Originally from Yorkshire, Billie’s music is rooted in English folk tradition, nature and love. From her debut in 2016 Writing of Blues and Yellows to Feeding Seahorses by Hand in 2019, a great young songwriter emerged; with both sweetness and grit, humour and solemnity. The eerily beautiful ‘Vanilla Baby’, which now has over 32 million Spotify streams, showcases what fans have come to love from Billie Marten: clever portrayals of the messiness of womanhood and resilience in her lyricism: “How can I be, vanilla baby?”. On her 2021 critically adored album, Flora Fauna, Marten experimented with alt-rock production, creating a mature and immediate sound: “Creature of mine, be good to me”, sings Billie, pictured covered in mud on the album artwork, co-created by longtime collaborator Katie Silvester
After selling over 5,000 tickets on the Drop Cherries world tour, Billie is currently on tour supporting Ben Howard on his UK tour this month, performing three nights at the Eventim Apollo next week.
“I’ve at last learned to stop thinking about what others want to hear and finally started to trust my own instincts. I love music more than anything in this world, and I consider myself a music fan much more than an artist,” says Billie.
