Julie Fowlis (born 20 June 1978) is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
.
Early life
Fowlis grew up on
North Uist
North Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Tuath; sco, North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Etymology
In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and ...
, an island in the
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
, in a
Gaelic-speaking community. Her mother was a Gaelic-speaking islander from a family of fishermen and crofters which originated on the remote island of
Heisgeir, while her father hailed originally from
Pitlochry
Pitlochry (; gd, Baile Chloichridh or ) is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.Scotla ...
on mainland Scotland. Her parents ran a hotel for many years on North Uist. She moved with her parents to
Ross-shire
Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting of ...
on the mainland when she was 15 years old after her father took a new job. The family lived in
Strathpeffer and Fowlis finished her secondary education at
Dingwall Academy
Dingwall Academy is the largest secondary school in the Highlands of Scotland, with an enrolment of 1048 pupils as of August 2018. The Academy is situated in the centre of Dingwall and brings in pupils from Conon Bridge, Maryburgh, Muir of Ord ...
.
[
] She then attended the
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...
in Glasgow and studied the oboe and the English horn, earning a B.A. in Applied Music in 2000. After university Fowlis attended the Gaelic-language college
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig () (Great Barn of Ostaig) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay, Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (the ...
on the Isle of Skye to improve her Gaelic and formally study traditional Scottish music. Following that she returned to Ross-shire, taking a job with the organisation Fèis Rois in Dingwall as music development officer between 2001 and 2004.
[
][
]
Career
Fowlis had been involved in singing,
piping
Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid.
Industrial process piping (and accompan ...
and dancing since she was a child.
She began her professional music career as a member of the Scottish
sextet
A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...
Dòchas
which included Shetland fiddle player
Jenna Reid
Jenna Reid is a Scottish fiddle player who has been described as "...the finest fiddler in Scotland of her generation." She was born and brought up in the village of Quarff, in the Shetland Islands of Scotland and found a fiddle in her grandmo ...
. The group formed while four of its members were students at the
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...
and Fowlis was a student at nearby
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...
. Billed as "a young and dynamic all-female band playing traditional music from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and Ireland," the band released its first album in 2002. The group was nominated for the ''Best Up and Coming Artist/Band'' award at the inaugural
Scots Trad Music Awards
The Scots Trad Music Awards or Na Trads were founded in 2003 by Simon Thoumire to celebrate Scotland's traditional music in all its forms and create a high profile opportunity to bring the music and music industry into the spotlight of media and ...
in 2003 and won the award in 2004. Fowlis herself was nominated for the ''Gaelic Singer of the Year'' award the same year.
While continuing with Dòchas and releasing the band's second album ''An Darna Umhail'' in 2005, Fowlis also began to strike out on her own. Also in 2005 she released her first solo album ''Mar a Tha Mo Chridhe'' (''As My Heart Is''). The album was produced by
Iain MacDonald and Fowlis and instantly gained her worldwide acclaim. Fowlis's future husband Éamonn Doorley played bouzouki on seven of the tracks. She was also accompanied by
Kris Drever
Kris Drever (born 31 October 1978) is a Scottish contemporary folk musician and songwriter who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his debut solo album, ''Black Water''. Drever is the vocalist and guitarist of the folk trio Lau with ...
, Ross Martin of the "Gaelic super group" Dàimh, John Doyle, Iain MacDonald,
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (born 1978) is a musician and singer from County Kerry, Ireland. Until 2016, she was the lead singer for the traditional music group Danú, and from that year on she has been half of the electronica duo Aeons.
Biography ...
of
Danú
Danú is an Irish traditional music band.
The founding members of Danú (Donnchadh Gough, Dónal Clancy, Daire Bracken, and Benny McCarthy) met in Waterford in Ireland in 1994, and consolidated as a band after performing in the Festival Interc ...
, and many other performers prominent in the traditional Irish and Scottish music scenes. The album was remastered and re-released in 2012.
![Julie Fowlis live in concert](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Julie_Fowlis_live_in_concert.jpg)
Her second solo album ''Cuilidh'' was released in March 2007, becoming a worldwide top-seller in the Traditional and World Music charts.
[ Her album is a collection of songs from her native North Uist. Doorley again played bouzouki on nearly all the tracks and co-produced the album with Fowlis. She is also accompanied by John Doyle, Ross Martin, John McCusker, Iain MacDonald, ]Kathleen MacInnes
Kathleen MacInnes, or Caitlin NicAonghais in Scottish Gaelic, (born 30 December 1969) is a Scottish singer, television presenter and actress, who performs primarily in Scottish Gaelic. She is a native of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and ...
, and many others.
Fowlis won the ''Horizon'' award at the 2006 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 ...
, won ''Folk Singer of The Year'' at the 2008 awards and was nominated for the ''Folk Singer of the Year'' award at the 2007 awards. She appeared on ''Later With Jools Holland
''Later... with Jools Holland'' (also known as ''Even Later... with Jools Holland'', and previously known as ''Later Live... with Jools Holland'' and ''...Later with Jools Holland'') is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jo ...
'' on BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
on 25 May 2007, and performed ''Hùg air Bhonaid Mhòir'' on the show. Notable fans of Fowlis include Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
, Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...
and Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
's Phil Selway
Philip James Selway (born 23 May 1967) is an English musician and the drummer of the English rock band Radiohead. Along with the other members of Radiohead, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Selway released his debut ...
.
In 2008, Julie recorded an album with long-time friends and collaborators Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Ross Martin and husband Éamonn Doorley. The album, entitled '' Dual'', was released in October 2008. Fowlis also toured extensively around Scotland, Ireland, central Europe and America and launched both her solo albums while on tour. Fowlis recorded a Scottish Gaelic cover of the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' " Blackbird" for Mojo Magazine
''Mojo'' is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that would cater for the bur ...
to celebrate the anniversary of the Beatles' 'The White Album
''The Beatles'', also referred to colloquially as the White Album, is the ninth studio album and only double album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. Featuring a plain white sleeve, the cover conta ...
'. The song was released as a download single from Fowlis' own website in October 2008.
On 24 April 2009, Fowlis announced that she would begin recording her third studio album in May and that she would preview tracks from the project on her May 2009 tour of England. On 10 August 2009, she announced the album's title, '' Uam'' (Scottish Gaelic for 'From Me'). The album was released 26 October.
In September 2011 she performed the hour-long ''Heisgeir'' at the Phipps Hall in Beauly
Beauly ( ; ; gd, A' Mhanachainn) is a village in the Highland area, on the River Beauly, west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. The town is historically within Kilmorack Parish of the Scottish County of Inverness.
The land around Be ...
. The piece, half-documentary, half-arthouse meditation, celebrated the history, landscape and legend of the now-uninhabited Heisgeir, as part of the six "Blas 2011" concert series.
In 2012, Fowlis contributed to the Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...
film ''Brave'' with the songs " Touch the Sky" and " Into the Open Air", sung in the off-screen musical thoughts of the lead character Merida. In 2011 she graduated from the University of the Highlands and Islands
, type = federal, public
, image_name = UHI Coat of Arms.jpg
, image_size = 150px
, established = 2011 – University status 1992 – UHI Millennium Institute
, chancellor = The Princess Royal
, vice_chancellor =
, budget = £139m (2022 ...
(UHI) with an MA in material culture and the environment. In 2013, Fowlis was named "UHI Alumnus of the year".
Fowlis's fourth studio album, ''Gach Sgeul (Every Story)'', was released on 24 February 2014. Her fifth, ''Alterum'', came out 27 October 2017.
All of Fowlis's albums including ''Dual'' have been released on the Machair Records label which is operated by Fowlis and her husband Éamon Doorley as an outlet for their music. Machair
A machair (; sometimes machar in English) is a fertile low-lying grassy plain found on part of the northwest coastlines of Ireland and Scotland, in particular the Outer Hebrides. The best examples are found on North and South Uist, Harris an ...
"is a Gaelic word which describes rich and fertile low-lying land. Almost half of all Scottish machair occurs in the Outer Hebrides and it is one of the rarest habitat types in Europe. It is a fragile environment which is under threat, a little like the music which is produced on this label." Their label distributes through Cadiz Music.
Broadcasting career
Fowlis has a notable broadcasting career to complement her many musical accomplishments. She appeared as a guest on BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 November 197 ...
's flagship traditional music programme Travelling Folk and the world music show Global Gathering
Global Gathering was an annual dance music festival by Angel Festivals Limited. Festivals are held in countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and feature leading electronic music artists from around the globe. The festival ran ...
, and in 2007 BBC Two broadcast a one-hour documentary on her travels and travails in the music business, ''Bliadhna Julie / Julie's Year''.
In 2008-09 Fowlis hosted her first broadcast series, a weekly folk music programme titled ''Fowlis and Folk'' on BBC Radio Scotland. She co-presents the annual 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 ...
with Mark Radcliffe and has deputised for Radcliffe on his weekly 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. ...
Folk Show. In 2012, a short documentary on Fowlis, her family, and her band even broadcast on the United States television channel PBS as part of an episode of the program ''Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders''.
In 2015, Fowlis and her frequent musical collaborator Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh hosted a television series ''Port'' dedicated to traditional Scottish and Irish music. In each episode, Fowlis and Nic Amhlaoibh travel to a new location to highlight local folk musicians and the local traditional music scene. The programme is narrated by Fowlis in Scottish Gaelic and Nic Amhlaoibh in Irish, with English-language subtitles. It is broadcast on both BBC Alba
BBC Alba is a Scottish Gaelic-language free-to-air public broadcast television channel jointly owned by the BBC and MG Alba. The channel was launched on 19 September 2008 and is on-air for up to seven hours a day with BBC Radio nan Gàidheal s ...
and TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
. The first season ran seven episodes, and a second season of seven episodes in 2016.
Personal life
Fowlis lives in Dingwall
Dingwall ( sco, Dingwal, gd, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest cast ...
, Scotland with husband Éamon Doorley, a regular member of her group as well as of the Irish traditional group Danú
Danú is an Irish traditional music band.
The founding members of Danú (Donnchadh Gough, Dónal Clancy, Daire Bracken, and Benny McCarthy) met in Waterford in Ireland in 1994, and consolidated as a band after performing in the Festival Interc ...
. The couple married in May 2007 and have two daughters, Aoibhe (b. 2010) and Niamh (b. 2012).
Fowlis campaigned for independence in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum
A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side w ...
.
Discography
Solo recordings
Albums
*''Mar a tha mo chridhe'' (2005)
*''Cuilidh
''Cuilidh'' ("retreat") is the second music album by Scottish people, Scottish musician Julie Fowlis, which in 2008 won her the ''Album of the Year Award'' at the Scots Trad Music Awards and ''Best Folk Singer Award'' at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Musi ...
'' (2007)
*'' Uam'' (2009)
*'' Live at Perthshire Amber'' (2011)
*''Gach sgeul - Every story
Gach ( fa, گاچ, also Romanized as Gāch; also known as Kāj and Kaj) is a village in Beyhaq Rural District, Sheshtomad District, Sabzevar County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...
'' (2014)
*''Alterum'' (2017)
Singles
*''Turas san Lochmor
Turas (Irish for "journey") is an Irish-language project which is part of East Belfast Mission, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Beginning as a grassroots effort, spearheaded primarily by Linda Ervine, Turas aims to promote the language particularly ...
'' (2007 – from ''Cuilidh'')
*''Hùg Air A' Bhonaid Mhòir
"Hùg Air A' Bhonaid Mhòir" (''Celebrate the Big Bonnet'') is the second single taken from Julie Fowlis's second album ''Cuilidh
''Cuilidh'' ("retreat") is the second music album by Scottish people, Scottish musician Julie Fowlis, which in 2 ...
'' (2008 – from ''Cuilidh'')
*'' Lon Dubh / Blackbird'' (2008 – ''Cover of the Beatles' " Blackbird" in Gaelic'')
With others
Allt
*'' Allt'' (2018 - with Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre)
Brolum
*''7:11'' (2000)
Dòchas
*''Dòchas'' (2002)
*''An Darna Umhail'' (2005)
*''TBC'' (2009)
Dual
*'' Dual'' (2008 – with Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (born 1978) is a musician and singer from County Kerry, Ireland. Until 2016, she was the lead singer for the traditional music group Danú, and from that year on she has been half of the electronica duo Aeons.
Biography ...
)
Spell Songs
*'' The Lost Words: Spell Songs'' (2019)
*'' Spell Songs II: Let the Light In'' (2021)
Guest roles and other recordings
*''Evolving Tradition 3'' – Various artists (2003)
*''Best in Show'' – Various artists (2003)
*''Ceòlmhor Ostaig'' – Various artists (2004)
*''Braighe Loch Iall'' – Rachel Walker (2004)
*''When All is Said and Done'' – Danú
Danú is an Irish traditional music band.
The founding members of Danú (Donnchadh Gough, Dónal Clancy, Daire Bracken, and Benny McCarthy) met in Waterford in Ireland in 1994, and consolidated as a band after performing in the Festival Interc ...
(2005)
*''Orain nan Rosach'' – Fiona Mackenzie (2006)
*''Fáinne An Lae : Daybreak'' – Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (born 1978) is a musician and singer from County Kerry, Ireland. Until 2016, she was the lead singer for the traditional music group Danú, and from that year on she has been half of the electronica duo Aeons.
Biography ...
(2006)
*''Òg-Mhadainn Shamhraidh'' – Kathleen MacInnes
Kathleen MacInnes, or Caitlin NicAonghais in Scottish Gaelic, (born 30 December 1969) is a Scottish singer, television presenter and actress, who performs primarily in Scottish Gaelic. She is a native of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and ...
(2006)
*''Everything You See'' – Runrig
Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s (the band's most succe ...
(2007)
*''Under One Sky'' – John McCusker
John McCusker (born 15 May 1973) is a Scottish folk musician, record producer, and composer. An accomplished fiddle player, he had a long association as a member of the Battlefield Band beginning in the 1990s and was later a band member and p ...
(2008)
*''An Cailín Rua'' – Kathleen Boyle (2008)
*''Transatlantic Sessions
Transatlantic Sessions is the collective title for a series of musical productions by Glasgow-based Pelicula Films Ltd, funded by- and produced for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and RTÉ of Ireland. The productions comprise collaborative live performan ...
3 Vol. 1 (CD)'' – Various artists (2008)
*''Transatlantic Sessions
Transatlantic Sessions is the collective title for a series of musical productions by Glasgow-based Pelicula Films Ltd, funded by- and produced for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and RTÉ of Ireland. The productions comprise collaborative live performan ...
3 Vol. 2 (CD)'' – Various artists (2008)
*''Transatlantic Sessions
Transatlantic Sessions is the collective title for a series of musical productions by Glasgow-based Pelicula Films Ltd, funded by- and produced for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and RTÉ of Ireland. The productions comprise collaborative live performan ...
3 (DVD)'' – Various artists (2008)
*''Transatlantic Sessions
Transatlantic Sessions is the collective title for a series of musical productions by Glasgow-based Pelicula Films Ltd, funded by- and produced for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and RTÉ of Ireland. The productions comprise collaborative live performan ...
4'' – Various artists (2010) – DVD, CD vol. 1 and 3
*''Transatlantic Sessions
Transatlantic Sessions is the collective title for a series of musical productions by Glasgow-based Pelicula Films Ltd, funded by- and produced for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and RTÉ of Ireland. The productions comprise collaborative live performan ...
6'' – Various artists (2013) – DVD, CD vol. 1, 2 and 3
Muir an Ord—Runrig 40th Anniversary
*As Long as We Breathe — Alex Mandel
*Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids (Original Game Soundtrack) – Max Aruj, Einar Selvik
Einar Selvik (born 18 November 1979), also known by his stage name Kvitrafn ("white raven"), is a Norwegian musician known for being the drummer in the black metal band Gorgoroth from 2000 to 2004, and for fronting the Nordic folk project Wardru ...
(2021)
Awards and nominations
Fowlis was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
in March 2021.
See also
*Ruth Keggin
Ruth Keggin is a Manx Gaelic singer-songwriter. She holds degrees from the University of York and the University of Cambridge.
Career
In 2011, as a member of ''Nish As Rish'', Keggin won in the Best Newcomers category at the 2011 Festival Interc ...
, sings in Manx
*Mary Black
Mary Black (born 23 May 1955) is an Irish folk singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both traditional folk and modern material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland.
Background
Mary Black was born into a m ...
, sings in Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
*Gwenno Saunders
Gwenno Mererid Saunders (born 23 May 1981) is a Welsh musician, known by the stage name Gwenno. She has released three critically-acclaimed albums as a solo artist: Welsh Music Prize winner'' Y Dydd Olaf'' (2014); ''Le Kov'' (2018), her first a ...
, sings in 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 ...
and Cornish
References
External links
Official site
Interview with Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowlis, Julie
1979 births
Living people
21st-century Scottish women singers
Alumni of the University of the Highlands and Islands
Alumni of the University of Strathclyde
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
People educated at Dingwall Academy
People from Uist
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Scottish folk musicians
Scottish folk singers
Scottish Gaelic singers
Scottish nationalists
Scottish radio presenters
Tin whistle players
Women oboists
Scottish women radio presenters
21st-century flautists