Bingkai Karya-Swedish musician Thea Gustafsson – who writes, records, and produces under the name Becky and the Birds – is starting a new chapter in her music career. Recently, she announced that her debut self-produced album, “Only Music Makes Me Cry Now,” will be released on November 15.
To celebrate the album’s announcement, Gustafsson also released a new song called “I made my baby cry.” This song is a beautiful, emotional expression about a breakup, accompanied by a visualizer video created by Gustafsson. The song mixes soft piano notes and strings with her layered and manipulated vocals, creating a symphony that shows her amazing production skills. Gustafsson said: “I wrote this song after a breakup. For me, breakups are the worst because you watch someone die in their heart, knowing you’re the reason for that death.”
Earlier this year, Gustafsson shared the first song from “Only Music Makes Me Cry Now,” a soft and intimate track called “When she holds me.” This summer, she also began hosting a regular radio show on Foundation FM.
About Becky and the Birds
Thea Gustafsson has formal music training from the Musikmakarna Songwriting Academy in Sweden, and her love for playing the violin as a child inspired her drive for perfection. With her skills in songwriting and music production, Becky and the Birds was born in 2016 as a response to her frustrating experiences working with male producers and songwriters. She released her first EP, “Becky and the Birds,” in 2018.
In 2020, she released her debut EP on the 4AD label, “Trasslig” (which means “tangled, messy, complicated” in Swedish). In this project, Becky and the Birds became a way for her to write songs about complex women—women who are strong, independent, sensitive, romantic, and vulnerable all at the same time.
After the release of “Trasslig,” Gustafsson was nominated for Breakthrough of the Year at the Swedish Music Publishers Association Awards, which is like the Swedish version of the GRAMMYs for songwriters and composers. She has also collaborated with artists like Dijon, Seinabo Sey, and Lapsley.
