(New York, NY) The self-described “fairy-folk” singer-songwriter, Shira, has released the title track of her upcoming EP, Birds of a Feather, with a premiere on Elmore Magazine. The first half of a two-part release entitled The Birds of a Feather Flock Together, the EP will be released on September 18, 2020, with the full album to follow in 2021.
Shira often finds inspiration in her daily life. “I was sitting on the subway one day and a super cute guy was sitting right across from me. He had his shades and headphones on and was reading a book, but in my mind, he was totally into me. I kept glancing over at him, waiting for him to look at me. Until he finally got up…. and got off the train. Didn’t even notice me. I thought to myself, ‘What if this was the person? What if that was the opportunity and we missed it?’” She explains, “By the time I got home, I had the full song, ‘Birds of a Feather,’ in my head. It was sort of like shouting into the ether- ‘Come find me! I’m here! Don’t let this pass us by!’”
Like many, Shira is currently living in a time of uncertainty. These songs were originally slated to appear on a full-length album released in the spring of 2020 to coincide with a performance at the international music showcase, MUSEXPO. When COVID hit the US, and both her professional and personal life were completely disrupted, she made the decision to return to Israel to be with her family. Her fiancé, however, is in Barcelona, and their wedding has been postponed. While Birds of a Feather was completed before the pandemic, Shira is finding the songs’ themes of fate, longing, and the idea of belonging, to be especially relevant now. “I’ve been looking at all my songs through a new COVID lens,” she says. “Here, for example, the chorus, ‘Come find me before the flood… We’ll brave the storm together… Birds of a feather,’ has a whole new powerful meaning. This pandemic has made it even clearer how much we need our people to get through the storm.”
Recorded live in one day at The Diamond Mine Studios in Queens, NY, where artists like Lady Gaga, Adele, and The Black Lips have recently recorded, Birds of a Feather was produced by Paul Carbonara, of Blondie, who also played guitar, and features drummer Dan Pugach. In addition to vocals and guitar, Shira plays ukulele and is endorsed by Kala Ukuleles.
