Ellen Birath

Late ’90s, Lund, Sweden. Ellen Birath hides in trees, humming Britney Spears, and makes a promise: “I’m going to be an artist.” At 11, she enters music school, discovers Queen and Freddie Mercury, and starts writing songs, stories, and poems shaped by a rich musical upbringing—from Billie Holiday to Pink Floyd. At 18, she moves to Paris. One open mic changes everything. The stage becomes home. She emerges on the Paris jazz, swing, and blues scene, founds The Shadow Cats, and plays over 600 shows across Europe. Later, with Little Ellen, she shifts toward a more personal blend of soul and rock—earning critical praise, including from Rolling Stone. In 2021, she wins a Production Music Awards (Jazz) for Cats Orchestra, expanding into music for picture. During the pandemic, she forms the Ellen Birath Quartet. Together, they record Mother of Pearl, a live EP released in 2026—an intimate, luminous work shaped by jazz, transformation, and an oceanic inner world.