Track By Track: BIRDEE王煒 Breaks Down Her Debut EP ‘Can’t Be Loved’

October 2, 2022

Can’t Be Loved is the debut EP from Sydney-based, Parkes-raised pop artist BIRDEE王煒. The five-song collection includes the singles ‘See You, See Me’ and ‘Dorsal Fin’, as well ‘Guess We’re Not In Love’, the video for which premiered on the day of the EP’s release.

Described by triple j Unearthed’s Dave Ruby Howe as “a must-hear artist in 2022”, BIRDEE王煒’s debut release combines electronic production and acoustic instrumentation with pop-oriented songcraft that explores relationship dynamics and social anxiety. Here, BIRDEE王煒 provides context for each of the five songs on Can’t Be Loved. The video transcript can be found below.

Track By Track: BIRDEE王煒 on Can’t Be Loved

1. See You, See Me

‘See You, See Me’ is the first track off my EP, which came about when I was having dreams that were slightly coming true at the time. I was having conversations about it with people and so it struck the idea of writing a song about when you’re in a dream with someone else.

2. Dorsal Fin

‘Dorsal Fin’ is the second track off my EP, which was inspired by a personal relationship that I had at the time. It’s essentially about when you’re seeing or dating someone and you don’t know whether to be completely vulnerable and show your true self or to keep your walls up in case you’re going to get hurt.

3. Guess We’re Not In Love

‘Guess We’re Not In Love’ is kind of like a double-sided coin. It’s about when you’re in love with someone but you know it’s never going to work and so you need to love them from afar and let them go. But it’s also like a self-reminder song that you can live your life and enjoy doing things alone without needing to be with anyone.

4. Miss What I Had

The process behind ‘Miss What I Had’ was at the time I was going through lockdown alone in my apartment, and naturally being my extroverted, confident self, I was starting to slowly lose that and getting into my own shell. And in a way, I felt like I lost a part of me. And so I wanted to write this song in hopes that I could potentially find myself again and find those parts of me.

5. Can’t Be Loved

The song ‘Can’t Be Loved’ is a very special one to me. It talks about me as a person in general and how I deal with anxiety towards people and relationships and myself as well. It ties in with how I see people and how they would perceive me to be and how that reflects on my worth and value and my self-reflection. So it really dives into a lot of vulnerability and emotion for me.