Biig Piig has shared a series of live performances for BBC Radio 1’s Piano Sessions, including an original from her debut EP and covers of Big Thief and Beyonce.

The Irish alt-pop singer – real name Jess Smyth – kicked things off with her own track, ‘American Beauty’. The song not only appears on Biig Piig’s debut EP ‘The Sky Is Bleeding‘ but closes out the six-track collection.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1 presenter Sian Eleri, Smyth explained the song is about “experiences through love-tinted glasses”. She continued: “The whole EP is kind of like that, it’s like exploring who you are in the context of your sexual experiences but also looking through it in a romantic way…”

Watch Biig Piig perform ‘American Beauty’ below:

Smyth then went on to cover Big Thief’s 2016 standout track ‘Masterpiece’, pulled from their debut album of the same name. She labelled Adrianne Lenker – who fronts the American folk-rock band – an “incredible lyricist” whilst praising the song for always putting her in “such an amazing headspace”.

“That record kind of got me through a lot,” Smyth noted. “I only found it recently, like within the last year. And it’s like, you know when you attach yourself to a piece of music and you’re like ‘right, it’s you and me now, we got this’.

“It’s where you just grab on to something for dear life and you’re like, ok as long as I can play this, everything’s going to be fine.”

Watch Biig Piig’s stripped-back rendition of Big Thief’s ‘Masterpiece’:

Smyth rounded out her radio stint with a final cover of Beyonce’s ‘Why Don’t You Love Me’ – a song she had recently re-discovered this year. The full performance is not yet available but take a look at a snippet of the cover below.

Unwind with this beautiful Piano Session from @BiigPiigMusic – including a cover of @beyonce's 'Why Don't You Love Me' ?

Listen in full on @bbcsounds ? pic.twitter.com/tw9CadR2Z6

— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) August 15, 2021

Biig Piig’s ‘The Sky Is Bleeding’ was released earlier this year in May and received a positive four star review from NME. The review praised her intimacy and reinvention, labelling the EP as “Smyth’s most diverse and assertive collection yet”.

Last week, Big Thief shared their first taste of new music in two years – following the release of 2019 album ‘Two Hands’. Listen to their double surprise release ‘Little Things’ and ‘Sparrow’ here.