Georgia Ruth Williams (born 5 January 1988) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

singer-songwriter and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

ist. She sings in both English and

Early life

Williams was born in

Llantwit Major Llantwit Major ( cy, Llanilltud Fawr) is a town and community in Wales on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population (13,366 in 2001) after Barry and Penarth, and ahead of Cowb ...

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. At the age of four she moved with her family to

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

, where she was educated bilingually in English and Welsh, though her parents were not Welsh speakers. She began to learn the harp at the age of seven, and began to perform her own music whilst studying English Literature at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. Her early recordings were sent to

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales br ...

Adam Walton Adam Walton (born 31 May 1971) is a British radio disc jockey who has presented shows on BBC Radio Wales since 1993. He is also a member of Mold, Flintshire, Mold-based, indie band The Immediate, and a resident DJ at Telford's Warehouse in Ches ...

, and acclaim led to an early ''

BBC Introducing BBC Music ''Introducing'' is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. It gives artists the opportunity to be played on Local BBC Radio and nationally on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, 6 ...

'' appearance at the 2008 Glastonbury Festival.

Music career

Williams's first EP, ''In Luna'', was released on limited edition 10" vinyl in 2011. It was engineered and produced by David Wrench at the Bryn Derwen Recording Studio in

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...

and featured Pete Richardson from

Y Niwl Y Niwl are a surf instrumental band from North Wales, formed in 2009. Its members are Alun Evans (guitar), Llyr Pari (drums), Sion Glyn (bass) and Gruff ab Arwel (organ and guitar). The band's name is pronounced ''Uh Nule'' and means 'The Fog' ...

on drums and Pete Walton on double bass. The EP drew critical acclaim and gained radio airplay from

Huw Stephens Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music. Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...

and

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music. Early life He attended The Ramsey Academy ...

, leading to an appearance at the 2012

Green Man Festival The Green Man Festival is an independent music, science and arts festival held annually in mid-August in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Green Man has evolved into a 25,000 capacity week long event, showcasing predominantly live music (in particular ...

. She also performed at the festival in 2014 and 2015. Her first album, ''Week of Pines'' (2013) was once again produced by David Wrench and featured Dafydd Hughes, Iwan Hughes and Aled Hughes from

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog are a folk band consisting of three brothers from Rhos Botwnnog, between the villages of Botwnnog and Llaniestyn on the Llyn Peninsula, Gwynedd, Wales and accompanying musicians and singers. They experiment with country, ...

. Music from the album gained significant radio airplay from Adam Walton and

Bethan Elfyn Bethan Elfyn () is a Welsh radio and television presenter. Elfyn was born in Bangor, Gwynedd, was brought up in Newtown, Powys, and now lives in Cardiff with her husband, Clwb Ifor Bach Promoter and Works Manager Richard Hawkins. They had a ...

, Huw Stephens on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

, Steve Lamacq and

Tom Robinson Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson ...

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

and

Simon Raymonde Simon Philip Raymonde (born Simon Philip Pomerance; 3 April 1962, in London) is an English musician and record producer. He is the son of the late arranger and composer Ivor Raymonde. He is best known as the bass guitarist and keyboard player ...

Amazing Radio Amazing Radio is an international radio station first broadcast originally on digital radio in the United Kingdom. The station plays new music from a number of music genres including pop, rock, indie, hip hop, electronica and jazz. The stat ...

. Additional live sessions were recorded on 6 Music with

Lauren Laverne Lauren Cecilia Fisher (née Gofton; born 28 April 1978), known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, model, television presenter, author and singer. She was the lead singer and additional guitarist in the alternative rock ba ...

with interviews on

BBC Radio Cymru BBC Radio Cymru is a Welsh language radio network owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts on two stations across Wales on FM, DAB, digital TV and online. The main network broadcasts for hours a day from ...

. The album was further promoted by live appearances at

Festival N°6 Festival N°6 (Festival Number 6) is an annual art and music festival held in and around Portmeirion, North Wales. The festival presents a wide range of music genres across multiple stages. It is advertised as a family-friendly festival, and as su ...

, ''BBC Introducing'' on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

Latitude Festival The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006 and has been held every year since, apart from 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 ...

and

WOMEX WOMEX (short for Worldwide Music Expo) is an international world music support and development project based in Berlin, whose main event is an exposition held annually in different locations throughout Europe. It integrates a trade fair, showca ...

. In 2014 she appeared in session for Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 and a collaboration with Newport-based Ballet Cymru at the

Riverfront Arts Centre The Riverfront ( cy, Glan yr Afon) is the principal and newest theatre and arts centre in the City of Newport. It is located on the west bank of the River Usk on the Bristol Packet Wharf in the city centre. Designed by architectural firm Austin- ...

, in which a live performance of tracks from the album was interpreted by the company's dancers. Williams made a guest appearance on "Divine Youth", from

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...

2014 album ''

Futurology Futures studies, futures research, futurism or futurology is the systematic, interdisciplinary and holistic study of social and technological advancement, and other environmental trends, often for the purpose of exploring how people will li ...

''. She was also involved in the Ghazalaw project with

Gwyneth Glyn Gwyneth Glyn (born Gwyneth Glyn Evans, 14 December 1979) is a Welsh language poet and musician. Biography Gwyneth Glyn was born in St David's Hospital in Bangor, Gwynedd, and grew up at her family home in Llanarmon. She was educated at Ysgol G ...

and Tauseef Akhtar. She features on several tracks on British folk artist

Jinnwoo Ben Webb, known by the stage name Jinnwoo, is a Brighton-based musician, artist and writer. Music career After gigging pubs and clubs for numerous years, Jinnwoo independently released his debut EP ''Your Baby'' in 2014, as well as featuring o ...

's 2016 debut record ''Strangers Bring Me No Light''. Williams's second album ''Fossil Scale'' was released in October 2016.

Broadcasting

Williams provided cover for Bethan Elfyn on her

show and has also presented shows on C2.

Awards

''Week of Pines'' was awarded the 2013

Welsh Music Prize The Welsh Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from Wales, as voted for by members of the music industry. It was founded by music promoter John Rostron and radio presenter Huw Stephens in 2011. It was originally schedul ...

. Williams was nominated for the Horizon Music Prize in the 2014

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British ra ...

. Her second album, ''Fossil Scale'', was nominated for the Welsh Music Prize in 2017; the winning album,

The Gentle Good The Gentle Good is the stage name of Gareth Bonello (born 13 April 1981), a singer-songwriter and folk musician from Cardiff who performs in English and Welsh. The stage name is inspired by Bonello's, with "Gareth" traditionally meaning "Gentle ...

's ''Ruins/Adfeilion'', features Williams on harp and backing vocals.

Personal life

Williams is married to musician Iwan Hughes (Huws) from

. They share their time between

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is ...

. They have a son, born in 2017. Williams supports

Welsh independence Welsh independence ( cy, Annibyniaeth i Gymru) is the political movement advocating for Wales to become a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom. Wales was conquered during the 13th century by Edward I of England following the ki ...

. She has said: "An independent Wales is a stronger Wales. We are brave, dynamic and innovative; we contain multitudes. If we are to have agency over our own language, our creative industries and – perhaps most urgently – our own environment and climate, we must be independent."

Solo discography

EPs

* ''In Luna'' (Gwymon, 2011)

Albums

* ''Week of Pines'' (Gwymon, 2013) * ''Fossil Scale'' (Navigator, 2016) * ''Mai'' (Bubblewrap, 2020)

References

External links

* *
SoundCloud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Georgia Ruth 1988 births Living people Welsh harpists 21st-century Welsh women singers Welsh folk musicians Welsh-speaking musicians