Starling shares the festive new single ‘Underneath The Mistletoe’, out December 4th

PRAISE FOR STARLING 

"Rising star Starling is back with the first single off her upcoming debut album To Be Alive. Setting the tone for the album, “No Leader” takes us through a glittering production laced with adventures, melodies and stellar vocals. Starling’s distinctive strong vocals capture your attention immediately, propelling you into an alt-pop soundscape with oscillating bass lines and pounding drums." WONDERLAND MAGAZINE

"Vivacious, polished and thoroughly surprising, rising alt-pop talent Starling bursts back onto the scene with new single “No Leader”. Characterised by Starling’s distinctive and piercing falsetto vocal and bold production, “No Leader” is an exciting track that delves into the kind of self-reflection possible through spiritual exploration." THE LINE OF BEST FIT

"Starling's journey is a step-by-step guide towards truth. An artist perpetually in search of empowerment, her pop vision is designed to provoke and inspire. With her debut album incoming, Starling's latest single arrives with a real point to prove. 'No Leader' is self-described as “your own personal empowerment anthem” and it proves that love needs to come from within. Searching for contentment and happiness, Starling comes to realise that each one of these assets begins and ends with her. Removing herself from self-validation, it's a surging piece of pop music, with an ultra-catchy chorus." CLASH

"You can’t spell Starling without the ‘Star’ quality she holds. With a falsetto tone to die for, Starling storms into the pop blend resulting in an exciting listen and a nice two step as you boogie along." THE RODEO MAG

"We’re vibing the fuck out of Starling’s new single “No Leader,” a slinky, percussive alt-pop rattler that’s all about finding it in oneself to pull through in times of trouble and need. Because there’s no one else coming to save us, and the London native is quite aware of this." VANYALAND

LISTEN TO ‘UNDERNEATH THE MISTLETOE’ HERE

Having already treated us to her comeback singles ‘No Leader’ and ‘Swoop’ in recent months, the first tastes of her eagerly-awaited debut album ‘To Be Alive’, alt-pop goddess Starling is now looking to cap off a successful year with the festive offering ‘Underneath The Mistletoe’.

While not one to usually invest so much emotional time in the Christmas period, after the year we have all had, Starling felt it necessary to call a close to 2020 with something a little more lighthearted than normal. Adopting a lighter and more cheerful aesthetic this time around, ‘Underneath The Mistletoe’ sees her show off her more jovial side and deliver something a little less serious.

Speaking about the new offering, she said, “Normally I’m Miss Scrooge but 2020 has been fucking unbelievable so love is the touchstone. I had to write a song. A year like no other means people know what “social distancing” truly and deeply means and how we have to look to the temporary nature of this to help the pain of missing the one we love. Written about standing underneath the mistletoe waiting for a call - this is 2020 Christmas. Facetime will have to be the connection, until soon though, next year isn't far and this is all temporary” 

Starling’s highly-anticipated debut album ‘To Be Alive’ is set to be released in 2021. The record’s lead singles ‘Swoop’ and  ‘No Leader’ were supported by the likes of Wonderland, The Line Of Best Fit, CLASH, The Rodeo Mag, Vanyaland, God Is In The TV, and many more.

Starling appears on a recent episode of the hit podcast The Guilty Feminist, which can be streamed HERE.

In Starling’s World, there is no judgement, no shame and no apologising for who you are. And as she prepares to release her debut album ‘To Be Alive’ produced in part by Damian Taylor (Bjork, The Prodigy) and David Kyle Payne (Meghan Trainor, Sigala) – a positive, powerful alt-pop record about owning both the light and darkness in our lives, Starling has been on a journey of self-realisation, taking her from south London squats to Soho bars and back, full circle.

Born one of six children to a scientist father and artist mother, Starling’s upbringing was an unusual ride - love, trauma, wealth, poverty – a world of extreme contrasts.

Escape from her tumultuous home life in London’s suburbs was found on the stage, training initially as a classical actor but the budding star was becoming sick of being other people – she wanted to be herself.

Meanwhile working at a Soho members club Starling was asked to sing for an event, despite having never sung in public and incredibly unsure of her ability.

While performing a Joni Mitchell cover in the bar, she was spotted by Zero 7’s Henry Binns, who was instantly captivated by the unique tone of her voice. It was a chance meeting that would be the catalyst for Starling’s career.  

Starling decided to park her career as an actor, setting herself a goal: she had six months to get a record contract or it wasn't “meant to be” As month six approached, her dreams were realised, and she was signed to Communion Records.

Starling continued to work with Henry Binns on the creation of three EPs: 2016’s ‘The Heart’, 2017’s ‘The Body’ and 2018’s ‘The Soul’. The output was dark, emotive pop that really tackled the depths of her childhood trauma. By EP three, ‘The Soul,’ she’d settled on a new, quirky-pop sound, one that reflected a transformation within herself, and the response from fans and media was instant. Comparisons to Lorde and Bastille were made, playlist features, press and radio play started to pick up, totalling five million streams before she’d even got to work on her debut album.

It was throughout this time and while living in a south London squat, the fledgling pop star began to discover her second love: that of mentoring young creatives alongside her music, being named Best Mentor by Abbey Road Studios.

Through this period of self-exploration and expression, a different Starling emerged – one more accepting of the pain she’d been through with a determination to tell others that they should embrace every type of emotion they feel, even the ugly stuff.

Leaving Communion behind, Starling’s debut album ‘To Be Alive’ is a fully DIY effort. Produced in part by Damian Taylor (Bjork, The Prodigy) and David Kyle Payne (Meghan Trainor, Sigala), her unique life perspective and personal journey has spawned a vibrant pop record, completely unapologetic in its message of personal empowerment.

Over twelve tracks – of a possible 250 written for the project – Starling tackles broken relationships, dark thoughts, dreams of sexual encounters and a fierce message of being in charge of your own narrative. 

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