Cara Dillon

Born in 1975 in Dungiven, Ireland, Cara Dillon first stepped onto stages at age 14, already recognized for her near-ethereal vocals. That same year she captured the All Ireland Singing Trophy. She next served as lead singer for the local Irish group Oige before joining Equation in 1995, the Irish folk super-group whose itinerary soon stretched across Europe and the Middle East. July 2001 brought her debut solo album on Rough Trade Records, the self-titled release. Her collaborators have ranged from Phil Coulter to Mike Oldfield, and British music magazines have consistently praised her work. In 2001 she received two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards: Best Newcomer, presented as the Horizon Award, and Best Traditional Track.

She returned in 2003 with the sophomore album Sweet Liberty, again widely acclaimed for its seamless blend of traditional folk pieces and original songs; several tracks, notably “Falling Like a Star,” drew comparisons to Kate Bush. A nationwide Japanese tour followed in 2004, and she also collected The Meteor Irish Music Award for Best Irish Female. After the Morning, her third album, appeared in 2006 after the longest recording process she had yet undertaken and featured contributions from folk artist Martin Simpson, Irish singer/songwriter Paul Brady, and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Lead single “Never in a Million Years” earned more airplay than any prior track in her catalog and became her most successful single to date. In 2008 the live DVD The Redcastle Sessions documented her County Donegal performance and triggered an extensive international tour that continued throughout the year. She launched her own imprint, Charcoal Records, in 2009 to issue the fourth album Hill of Thieves. A Thousand Hearts followed in 2014 under a co-release with Sony Music, and Upon a Winter’s Night arrived in 2016, gathering classic Christmas carols and Celtic hymns alongside original material.