LISTEN: Ellen Birath’s “Fire at Me” Is Infectious & Confessional Jazz Balladry

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 moved to Paris. One open mic changes everything. The stage becomes home. She emerges on the Paris jazz, swing, and blues scene, found 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 won a Production Music Award (Jazz) for Cats Orchestra, expanding into music for picture. During the pandemic, she formed 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. 

Birath makes her triumphant return with “Fire At Me,” an intoxicating balancing act that sees the artist suspended between nostalgia and the present. This is a jazz ballad for jazz fans. With solos galore that add breaths of wonder into this performance, and an infectious swing that slow-dances with your heart, Birath makes her presence in the contemporary scene felt. “Fire At Me” finds the artist surrendering to a newfound love, pushing all the confusion and excitement that comes with fresh romantic possibilities, and throwing herself directly into the hellish pit of unwavering dedication. There is an urgency to the lyrics of “Fire At Me” that turns these lounging melodies into sprinting displays of affection, creating a juxtaposition that is enticing and memorable. Birath has planted her flag in the jazz world; watch it wave in the cool breeze and appreciate the many shades she’s miraculously contained on “Fire At Me.”