Anne-Marie has returned with her first solo single in more than a year Birthday. It follows on from 2018’s debut album Speak Your Mind and re-introduces to a charismatic and likeable popstar who has conquered the world over the past few years.

Before we embrace this new era, we thought we should take a look back at her career so far - from British dance music vocalist to global superstar. 

Gorgon City - Elevate (2014)

Anne-Marie started her career as a vocalist for British electronic acts. Gorgon City’s Elevate was one of the first tracks she guested on, lending those trademark vocals to a house track. Her work with these acts helped her catch the attention of Rudimental who asked Anne-Marie to start touring with them. 

Rudimental - Rumour Mill (2015)

While also touring with Rudimental as their vocalist, Anne-Marie contributed vocals to three songs on their record We The Generation. Rumour Mill which also featured Will Heard was one of the biggest songs from the record, earning Anne-Marie her first chart entries in the Australia and the UK. Fun fact: the song was co-written by Jess Glynne who was having a massive year off the back of Clean Bandit’s Rather Be.

Do It Right (2015)

Following her Karate EP which paid homage to her other love, Anne-Marie made serious headway with Do It Right. It was an edgy, glitchy pop track that took her out of the dance world and into a more pop-centric one. Australia was the first country to fall in love with her music, sending Do It Right close to the top 20. Part of that success was thanks to triple j who started on the song early and even invited her to do Like A Version. 

Alarm (2016)

Anne-Marie kept us waiting almost six months for the follow-up single but she delivered with Alarm. It was the biggest single she’d ever released, pairing glitchy verses with a powerful, piano-led chorus. The song was produced by Steve Mac whose production credits include Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran and Break The Rules by Charli XCX. The song reached number 7 in Australia and also claimed her first top 20 in the UK.

Clean Bandit - Rockabye (W/ Sean Paul) (2016)

Things really took off at the tail-end of 2016 for Anne-Marie when she teamed up with Clean Bandit and Sean Paul for Rockabye. It was one of the biggest songs of the year globally claiming the top spot in Australia and the UK. It was also her first taste of US chart success with the song rocketing into the top 10. The song has since had more than a billion streams globally. 

Ciao Adios (2017)

With the dancehall sound clearly working for her, Anne-Marie channelled it once again on Ciao Adios. She teamed up with producer MdL, who had worked with Justin Bieber and Maroon 5 in the past, for the track. We have learnt - courtesy of Wikipedia - that some people mistake the hook for, “Shower the horse, I’m done.” The title of the song should be enough to tell you that’s incorrect. 

Snakehips - Either Way (Feat. Joey Bada$$) (2017)

2017 was a relatively quiet year for Anne-Marie as she pulled the album together but this Snakehips collaboration was one of the highlights. The R&B-tinged track saw her team with Joey Bada$$ with the rapper complementing her syrupy vocals. The song was co-written by Julia Michaels and co-produced by Cass Lowe who has worked with Charli XCX, Lily Allen, Chance The Rapper and more.

Heavy (2017)

Heavy took a similar stylistic approach to Ciao Adios, employing dancehall beats and an emotional chorus. Co-produced by The Invisible Men (Zayn, Charli XCX) and MNEK (Beyonce, Dua Lipa), it eventually made it onto her debut album Speak Your Mind which dropped the following year. 

Marshmello - Friends (2018)

Anne-Marie seemed to strike gold with collaborations and it happened once again with Marshmello’s Friends. The track took her into a retro hip-hop world particularly with that West Coast synth that pulls through at the end. It’s still one of Marshmello’s most streamed songs ever and at the time it reached the top 10 in Australia and the UK while hovering just outside it in the US. 

2002 (2018)

2002 dropped just before the album and was one of the biggest songs off it. Recruiting a superstar writing team that included Julia Michaels and Ed Sheeran, it interpolated nostalgic classics like 99 Problems, Hit Me Baby (...One More Time) and Ride With Me. Anne-Marie was initially not planning on releasing this as a single but she relented after Sheeran pushed her. Lucky she did too. It’s her highest charting song in the UK as a solo artist. 

Lauv - fuck, i’m lonely (2019)

We didn’t hear much from Anne-Marie in 2019 but she did pop her head back into the pop scene for this collaboration with Lauv. fuck, i’m lonely was included on the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack and dealt with loneliness in the aftermath of a break up. Anne-Marie told Clash about the track, "I never really like admitting that I miss someone after a break up. So here's a song that does it for me.”

Birthday (2020)

And now we’re here. Birthday is Anne-Marie’s first solo single in more than a year and it’s a big one. The song centres around her birthday, celebrating with a no-fucks-given attitude. The song was produced by Oak of legendary duo Pop & Oak. In the past, he’s produced for Miguel, Kehlani and Lizzo and this is his second time working with Anne-Marie following Snakehips’ Either Way. Together, they’ve created something that sounds like organised chaos. It packs a huge chorus that’s likely going to soundtrack plenty of birthdays around the world this year.