Empowering, inspirational, relatable and, of course, catchy. These are just a few of the components that an artist must harness to create a pop hit with staying power. A song that speaks to multitudes, while somehow feeling intensely personal to each listener.
With the song “Famous,” Laryssa Birdseye deftly crafts a picture of a struggling dreamer’s road to self actualization. “[It’s] sort of a tribute to all the musicians out there who haven't made it and are struggling with the reasons that they continue to create,” Birdseye says. “No one can take away what it means to you to create, and if you love it, fuck what people think.”
While she wrote the song with her fellow musicians in mind, clever turns of phrase like “It’s a sword, double-edged and you fall down hard,” combined with the inspirational lines prompting you to “Hit back when they tell you, ‘You can’t,’ when they tell you, ‘You won’t,’” will leave every listener ready to take on the world with her. The relatability of her lyrics and velvet in her vocals create a live performance that will stick in your head and on your playlist.
The strength of her performance seems to come from her ability to let go and sing from a place of vulnerability and honesty. “I'm a big fan of feel over perfection,” Birdseye says. “I'd rather hit a note poorly, but with the right emotion, than hit the note well and phone it in.”
The Rye Room's producer Matt Greco adds, “Laryssa Birdseye stands out to me as a strong pop vocalist who has the potential to redefine what’s expected from the Portland music scene. She’s a singer-songwriter with folk roots who is really carving out a place for herself in pop music.”
One thing is clear: Laryssa Birdseye is a force in the Portland scene whose smooth vocals and frank lyrics make her performance undeniable.
