Billie Marten

Isabella (or "Billie") Tweddle was born 27 May 1999 in Ripon in North Yorkshire.[1][2][3] She began playing guitar and singing when she was seven or eight,[4][5] and started writing songs soon afterwards.[6] By the age of nine she had her own YouTube channel on which she posted covers of pop songs, mostly for the benefit of her grandparents who live in France.[6] When she was twelve she performed some music sessions for a local YouTube channel called Ont' Sofa.[7] Among the songs she performed was a cover version of Lucy Rose's "Middle of the Bed", which quickly received thousands of views.[7] In a later interview Marten said "I didn't understand how quickly it could spread. I was super young and it was crazy."[8] She was educated at Ripon Grammar School.[9]

In May 2014, just before her fifteenth birthday, Billie Marten released the single "Ribbon" via Burberry's curation program.[10][11] She wrote the single with Fiona Bevan the previous year.[5] According to Marten, one theme of "Ribbon" is "the elusiveness of the city, and how quickly you can lose something amongst the people and tube stations."[5] In June 2014 she released her debut EP Ribbon.[12] In August 2014 Marten played the BBC Introducing stage at the Reading Festival.[13] She described her music in December 2014 as "a mix between acoustic and quite folky and a little indie."[14]

In January 2015 Billie Marten signed to Chess Club Records, a division of Sony Music and their RCA Records recording label.[15][16] She released the single "Heavy Weather" in April 2015 which premiered on Huw Stephens' BBC Radio 1 show.[11] A 7" vinyl version of "Heavy Weather" was released in May with her cover version of Royal Blood's "Out of the Black" on the B-side.[11] She released the single "Bird" in September 2015.[17] She wrote the song with Olivia Broadfield, and according to Marten, the song is about "how words can truly affect people, not always for the right reasons".[6] She toured for the first time in October 2015 as the supporting act for Lucy Rose.[9] Marten released her second EP As Long As in November 2015.[16]

In November 2015 she was nominated for the BBC Sound of 2016.[13][18]

In 2018 Marten's Blue Sea, Red Sea featured as Annie Mac's hottest record on Radio 1.[19]

In January 2021, Marten announced her third album titled Flora Fauna, set for a 21 May release.[20]

Marten likes alpacas and has expressed a wish "to buy an alpaca".[21] She has said "I have this weird obsession with alpacas, I can't explain it. I think they're beautiful and I love them".[8]

When aged 18, Marten was diagnosed with severe seasonal affective disorder (SAD), causing some depression and anxiety.[19]

• Official website