User:Fshagan/Diane Birch

Diane Birch (born 1982 in Michigan) is a pop-rock singer-songwriter. She has been compared favorably to a range of artists, from Norah Jones to Laura Nyro, with a "shameless love for Sixties and Seventies soul and singer-songwriter pop." Her style is sometimes compared to other modern "retro" artists such as Duffy, with some reviewers commenting that her live performance vocals might not be up to the task of "tackling soul music proper."

Birch's early life was spent traveling with her South African born parents to Zimbabwe, Australia and South Africa before settling in Portland Oregon at the age of 13. Birch's father was a "conservative pastor" and her life within a "strict religious community" was vastly different from the pop-culture immersion she received in America. Her subsequent teen years included a Goth phase and an appetite for a variety of popular music previously unknown to her, including blues, jazz, rock and hip hop. From age 7, Birch studied piano by the "learn by ear Suzuki method". Her piano skills included the ability to improvise in many of the new styles she heard. In her late teens, Birch performed at private functions in the Portland area, and then moved to Los Angeles and played standards at hotels. Manager Will Bloomfield found her MySpace page and invited her to London, signed her, and booked gigs in London clubs such as the Troubadour.

Birch signed with S-curve Records and started on her freshman album, Bible Belt in March, 2008.

Discography
Bible Belt

Released May 19, 2009 (Digital), June 2, 2009 (Audio CD)

Record Label: S-Curve

Peak Position: The Billboard 200 #87 on June 20, 2009

Live Performances
Live Performance Reviews

1. City Winery, New York, NY, June 4, 2009.

Television Appearances

1. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Season 5, Episode 162, Original air date June 2, 2009.

2. Last Call with Carson Daly, Original air date June 16, 2009