Biography
Born in 1984, Australian singer/songwriter Bertie Blackman entered the world as the child of two painters, with her father Charles Blackman counting among the members of Melbourne’s Antipodeans collective. An upbringing steeped in a bohemian environment rich with creative output soon steered her own artistic impulses toward music rather than canvas and oils. Known fully as Beatrice, she had already begun exploring African percussion instruments before her teenage years and first picked up the guitar at age 15. Her 2004 debut album Headway carried a folk sensibility centered on the acoustic single “Favourite Jeans,” its sound reflecting the Gypsy Kings and Fleetwood Mac records that had filled her childhood home. Although the atmospheric, introspective release earned positive notices, it offered little hint of the direction she would soon pursue.
The Sydney-born artist reemerged in 2006 with Black, a record that retained the melodic focus of Headway while layering in electric guitars and a more assertive edge, thereby attracting a broader audience even as some listeners drawn to her earlier folk leanings felt left behind. The track “Fast Bitch” achieved greater airplay on national station Triple J than any of her prior releases. Domestic press interest continued to build, yet it was the 2009 album Secrets & Lies that propelled her work onto an international stage.
Once again demonstrating her willingness to shift sonic palettes, Blackman incorporated 1980s synth-pop textures into her evolving style after signing with the Forum5 label. The resulting project, produced by Lee Groves (Goldfrapp, Gwen Stefani) and François Tetaz (Gotye, Architecture in Helsinki), earned her an AIR award for breakthrough independent artist and yielded the hit single “Heart.” Following appearances at Falls Festival and Southbound, she embarked on a series of U.K. performances that included a headline slot at London’s Club NME, before returning to Australia in early 2010 to support La Roux on tour.
The Sydney-born artist reemerged in 2006 with Black, a record that retained the melodic focus of Headway while layering in electric guitars and a more assertive edge, thereby attracting a broader audience even as some listeners drawn to her earlier folk leanings felt left behind. The track “Fast Bitch” achieved greater airplay on national station Triple J than any of her prior releases. Domestic press interest continued to build, yet it was the 2009 album Secrets & Lies that propelled her work onto an international stage.
Once again demonstrating her willingness to shift sonic palettes, Blackman incorporated 1980s synth-pop textures into her evolving style after signing with the Forum5 label. The resulting project, produced by Lee Groves (Goldfrapp, Gwen Stefani) and François Tetaz (Gotye, Architecture in Helsinki), earned her an AIR award for breakthrough independent artist and yielded the hit single “Heart.” Following appearances at Falls Festival and Southbound, she embarked on a series of U.K. performances that included a headline slot at London’s Club NME, before returning to Australia in early 2010 to support La Roux on tour.