SHE is just 21 and suddenly she is all over the radio.

You would be forgiven for thinking of Jade Bird as an overnight success story but the star-in-the-making has been writing songs for around eight years and gigging since she was 14.

The feisty singer-songwriter is now anticipating the release of her debut album next month and is openly ambitious after the success of tracks like Uh Huh, Love Has All Been Done Before and I Get No Joy.

She said: “It’s been really lovely to watch things grow ahead of the album launch in April.

“It’s like my baby. I really just want nothing but the best for the album so I’ll work as hard as I can to get everyone to hear it. I want it to fulfil its potential.”

Jade, who will be performing at Warrington’s Neighbourhood Weekender, is clearly willing to put the work in to make that happen.

She is currently supporting Hozier on a US tour and was travelling from Orlando to Atlanta when Weekend spoke to her.

She has not been home in a month following a whirlwind of shows and promo work as well as writing new material.

“This year I don’t think I’m going to get any time to myself at all,” added Jade.

“You find with music January is the quiet month – you kind of get a whole month and then it’s like chaos for the rest of the year.

“It’s a strange one but I’m 21 and I’m happy to be working.”

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Has Jade found her new life in the spotlight difficult to adjust to?

She said: “Sometimes. There’s quite a lot to do in a year. Like last year was the most chaotic I’ve ever had. I think I Get No Joy was almost about that. I explored that in a couple of my records.

“I guess you’ve got to just jump in every time and make the most of it. I’m so fortunate to be doing what I’m doing.”

At the moment, Jade is enjoying the challenge of making new fans at Hozier’s shows.

She added: “I’m loving every minute of it. What’s really nice is being able to go to the merch stand after the shows and meet people.

“The one thing I’ve noticed is that the more people react to the music, the more they want to say hi to me later and share their stories.

“It’s so nice to connect with people who have connected with me, especially since a lot of them are hearing my songs for the first time. I’m living the dream. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m having the best time.”

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It might be a long way off before Jade can be called a household name but her sound – that mixes Americana and indie pop – has already built a fanbase in the States.

Jade, known for her jumpsuit look, said: “They just connected with what I was doing right from the onset and I think it was maybe because my influences leaned a bit more to the American side.

“It’s just been building and, similar to the UK, the US radio stations have been very supportive.

“If you take the time and effort with people, they’ll take the time and the effort with you. I’m really attached to that mentality.

“I love the UK music scene but I love the States too. Their indie scene is thriving at the moment. It’s been a great experience for me to absorb all the culture.”

Considering some bands and artists spend their whole career trying to ‘break America’, it is quite a feat.

“It’s a lot less glamorous than it sounds,” Jade added.

“Breaking America is going into tiny rooms across every small town and experiencing their tiny venue.

“I adore small venues and that sense of community at them.

“They’re what I love about music. I think that marries into my work ethic so much. When they see that you’re working at something they see that and appreciate that.”

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One thing that makes it easier for Jade is that she is always eager to be on the move.

She said: “I love travelling. I moved around a lot as a kid. I was a bit of a ‘nowhere kid’. I’m not really from anywhere as my dad was in the military.

“So it makes sense for me to be on the road all the time. I feel a lot happier like that. Ironically when I’m in one place is when I feel the most unsettled.”

If being a ‘nowhere kid’ formed part of Jade’s songwriting style, the other part came from living with her mum and grandmother when her parents separated.

She added: “I think the reason I always connect with female-led narrative songwriters like Tory Amos, Alanis Morissette and Patti Smith is because my role models have been predominantly female.

“That’s why the album has such a strong narrative in that respect as I’m exploring myself in the debut.”

In fact, Jade is still living with her mum and stepdad near Horsham.

She said: “I want to move out but it’s a bit pointless because I’m constantly on the road. I’m going to have to work that out.

“My mum’s extremely happy for me. She was the one driving me three hours to go to a competition when I was 14 so I could play a song. She was my biggest supporter since the very start. She works twice as hard as me so I guess she was my inspiration in that respect.

“I remember when I did my headline show in London and she said: ‘Jadey, we’ve seen bands in smaller venues than this’.

“It was a pinch yourself moment. It was pretty mad but we’re both just really happy things are working out.

“I’ve worked hard for a really long time. She’s watched that and is really happy for me.”

Jade has been writing since she was 12 or 13 and gigging since she was 14 before graduating from the BRIT School in Croydon so things have been written in the stars for the performer for quite a while.

But she still gets surprised when people buy tickets for her shows.

Jade added: “I just released music quite late as I always waiting for the chance to have the songs produced to their potential. I even knew that as a kid.

“Now having big supporters like Radio X and Radio 1 is amazing and I still can’t quite get over people buying tickets to see me.

“I don’t think I ever will. It’s always insane that idea that people want to invest in you as an artist.

“I make music to connect with people so when you get recognition on top of that it’s all the more amazing.”

The artist, who tries to write music and lyrics at least three times a week, is already thinking about album number two.

Jade said: “I wrote half of this album six months before the recording of it. It’s a process and I want to start it again as early as possible.

“I don’t want it to be like where you take two, three, four or even five years after you’ve made your first album to think about the second one. That seems a little bit crazy to me. I’d be so bored of the material but we’ll see.

“When I haven’t written in a while, I absolutely adore sitting down to do it as it just seems to flow. But when you’re on tour you’re quite busy so you have to force yourself to take the time for it. It’s a job and you’ve got to treat it like a job and write the rubbish songs to get to the good ones.”

Jade Bird will be performing at Neighbourhood Weekender on May 26. Visit nbhdweekender.com for tickets