Charlie Cunningham is a truly under-the-radar success story. Having headlined London’s iconic Queen Elizabeth Hall and become a regular fixture at Europe’s most prestigious concert halls, Charlie’s expressive voice, mellifluous melodies and timeless songwriting has connected with fans across the globe, leading to over half a billion streams to date.
Now Charlie shares his new single, ‘Bird’s Eye View’, ahead of the March 31st release of his warmly anticipated third album ‘Frame’
Bird’s Eye View’ is representative of the unadorned meditative beauty that has become a hallmark of Charlie’s songwriting, his hushed vocal delivery and spacious production creating an escapist, hymnal ambience. It’s an atmosphere that’s in tune with the song’s themes, as Charlie’s plaintive, poetic lyrics reflect upon spirituality and loss. The song weaves positivity from its sorrow, with the acknowledgement that the memories that a person leaves after their passing will, in time, bring comfort to those who are left behind.
Charlie says, “‘Bird’s Eye View’ relates to my grandmother who died shortly after her hundredth birthday, just before the pandemic. She had a strong connection to her faith and as a child, through our close relationship, so did I. However, for me, that faith has waned and changed shape over the years.
This manifestation of faith - whatever it is - lives on in me through my connection to her memory, distilled as a fragment of my personality. I’m grateful it’s there. Her loss sparked a reconnection to that childhood relationship I had with it, albeit momentarily. It was comforting. This is a hopeful song.”
Together with the recent releases ‘So It Seems’ and ‘Downpour’, ‘Bird’s Eye View’ opens a window into what to expect from the ‘Frame’ album. A collection of lush, delicate pop songs brimming with references to art rock, golden era jazz, and neo-classical composition, the album maintains the pared-back and clear-eyed musicality for which he is so well recognised. Throughout, Charlie and long-term producer Sam Hudson Scott create the fragility, power and tension found in timeless songwriting, reanimated through a modern lens. His autobiographical lyrics bind the personal to the political, connected by themes of heartbreak, spirituality, grief and climate anxiety.
Charlie’s story is as fascinating as his music. Despite his dyslexia making it near impossible for him to read music, Charlie earned a music degree, but by his mid-twenties was working a variety of odd jobs while writing songs in his free time. He took the unconventional decision to move to Seville, where he immersed himself in flamenco music - his initial three-month visit eventually turning into a three-year stay. Returning to the UK, he made a modest living playing guitar in bars in London and Oxford before adding his own compositions to the mix - the first step towards a career which has seen him release two albums (‘Lines’ and ‘Permanent Way’) and four EPs.