Birds are better

My name is Stian Fjelldal. I'm a Norwegian singer/songwriter and I've created a nice little career on what is described as quirky Southern Norwegian folk-pop. In 2022 I started a new project called Birds are better with songs in English. It's a fusion of traditional folk, power-pop, synth-rock and indie-pop and has been described as a crossover between Fleet Foxes, Simon and Garfunkel, and A-ha.

The last few years I have become more and more independent when it comes to producing, recording, mixing and mastering. In the learning prosess I have started to compose instrumentals in adition to the regular Indie folk stuff, and I also really enjoy re-emagening cover songs.

Short story long:
In January 2022, I released my fifth studio album, "Hus". It felt okay, but not particularly great, despite all the work I had put into it. I was taken aback by my own lack of enthusiasm at the time, but I wasn't particularly surprised either.

Three years had passed since I started a side project, which began with a writer's block. I had become tired of myself and felt trapped in my own image. A question sneaked up on me. Did I actually like my own music? Or more specifically: would I listen to it if it were made by someone else?

The answer surprised me. No, probably not.

It may seem like a brutal and somewhat depressing realization for a musician who has created a nice little career on what is described as
quirky Southern Norwegian folk-pop. Starting with the radio hit "Håbløs" in 2010, a record deal with Warner Music, and releasing great songs such as "Sammen i Mørket", "Æ vil heim", "I verdens rigeste land", "Bare min", "Festen" and "Ville hesta". But instead I felt relieved. I was finally honest with myself. Not bad for a Norwegian Southerner who, in line with the stereotype, might have a slightly annoying tendency to sweep difficult issues under the rug.

The big liberation came with the question I was now ready to ask myself: What kind of music do you want to make? I love bands and artists like Fleet Foxes, The Flaming Lips, Crowded House, Susanne Sundfør and Super Furry Animals, to name a few. Do I have anything in common with such company? I have no idea, but what is stopping me from trying?

So I got down to it. I started making songs in English and found that I had a different voice, one that I identified more with because I drew
inspiration from the heart, not from my own idea of what kind of artist I was. On May 19th 2023, three years after a writer's block was lifted by a realization, the debut album "The Island – Part One" was released. The first part of a double album. The second part came out January 2024 which in adition to quite a lot of singles have gained me more followers and streams than I could ever dream of.

Does this mean the end for Stian Fjelldal? By no means. I will still make And release songs in Norwegian. But with Birds Are Better, I have
rediscovered my love for music. So it's more than just a fling.