Biography
Born on June 28, 1987, in Aberdeen, Scotland, this Scottish singer quickly drew attention as an emerging talent in Gaelic music once she captured the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award in 2007. Her expressive, richly toned voice, the skilled playing of her accompanying musicians, a carefully selected set of songs, and the fortunate alignment with a renewed interest in Gaelic traditions all helped propel her into unexpected prominence. A fluent Gaelic speaker raised in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis within Scotland’s Western Isles, Catriona Watt received her earliest instruction in Gaelic song from her grandmother, who resided on the small island of Great Bernera. She also acquired proficiency on the whistle and fiddle, and during her secondary years at the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway she joined three other Lewis girls to establish the group Teine (“Fire”). Appearances at ceilidhs and competitive events soon secured spots at major festivals, culminating in the 2006 release of the band’s modest debut album, Làn Tighe Chaileagan (“A House Full of Lassies”), which earned favorable notice.
Watt secured the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award in 2007 after prevailing over strong contenders with her vocal performance, thereby earning a recording deal from the respected Scottish folk imprint Foot Stompin'. Just two months later, she and Teine colleague Judie Morrison faced public embarrassment when tabloids publicized a drunken episode from two years earlier involving a married Scottish National Party MP. Following contrite statements from everyone involved, Watt set the matter aside and concentrated on her work. While enrolled at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, she assembled a fresh ensemble of three fellow students, each an accomplished player in their own right. Amid her coursework she completed her first solo project, Cadal Cuain (“Ocean Sleep”), issued by Foot Stompin' in 2008 and greeted with broad praise.
Watt secured the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award in 2007 after prevailing over strong contenders with her vocal performance, thereby earning a recording deal from the respected Scottish folk imprint Foot Stompin'. Just two months later, she and Teine colleague Judie Morrison faced public embarrassment when tabloids publicized a drunken episode from two years earlier involving a married Scottish National Party MP. Following contrite statements from everyone involved, Watt set the matter aside and concentrated on her work. While enrolled at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, she assembled a fresh ensemble of three fellow students, each an accomplished player in their own right. Amid her coursework she completed her first solo project, Cadal Cuain (“Ocean Sleep”), issued by Foot Stompin' in 2008 and greeted with broad praise.
Albums