Bertie Blackman’s first encounter with her artistic self came as a child sashaying across her mother and father’s paint strewn studio floor. The daughter of iconic Australian artist Charles Blackman, not many musicians can boast a foundation of emotional expression like Bertie, “I come from a family of painters, so everything I do is pretty visual. You can see and feel my music”.

Bertie first stepped onto the scene with ‘Headway’ (2004), her folk-inspired debut album powered by acoustic guitar. The album’s single ‘Favourite Jeans’ became Bertie’s radio breakthrough and saw her dubbed “Australia’s underground queen”. On her second album, ‘Black’ (2006) Bertie returned armed with an electric guitar delivering a sexier, gritty rock sound. “There’s always been something about a feisty girl with an axe and a pen…” (Mess + Noise - 2006)

Constantly evolving as an artist, Bertie continues to develop her sound on ‘Secrets and Lies’ (2009) blending electronic influences with her signature vocal style and penchant for brutally honest lyrics in a modern exploration of pop music. “I wanted to do something more electronic and less band-oriented” says Blackman, “It’s dark, but it’s also a pop record”.

Please press play to hear the track - Byrds of Prey