“Julie Fowlis“ could be the first Scottish Gaelic
crossover star in the making.”
(DAILY TELEGRAPH)
It is little wonder that when Disney Pixar were searching for the perfect, authentic singing voice to feature in the Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA winning ‘Brave’, their worldwide hit animated film set in the ancient highlands of Scotland, their research led them to one of the Western Isles’ true contemporary treasures – Julie Fowlis.
Brought up on North Uist in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, Fowlis has been a proud standard bearer for Gaelic music and culture over the course of a solo career which has spanned over ten years and three highly acclaimed studio albums:
This year sees the release of Julie’s much anticipated fourth studio album, ‘Gach sgeul / Every story’ – a mature offering of carefully selected Gaelic songs, with sensitive and lush arrangements from a host of brilliant musicians from Scotland, Ireland and further afield.
2014 will also see her perform in several high profile concerts, collaborate with world renowned violinst Nicola Benedetti on her new Scottish themed record, plus tour with the internationally acclaimed ‘Transatlantic Sessions’, a spin-off from the hit TV series.
During the four years since her last studio album release, Julie has spent time researching Gaelic culture and tradition through a Masters degree and an Artist in Residence project with one of Europe’s most ambitious digital archive projects, Tobar an Dualchais. She has also developed her career in broadcasting, presenting for Sky Arts HD, BBC Radio 2 and 4 and BBC Scotland and ALBA TV. In addition to recording and producing for the award winning ‘Brave’, she continues to collaborate on various musical projects and has been awarded a huge number of accolades, including an Honorary Doctor of Music degree and the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for Music. She is a regular singing voice at Scottish football internationals, and was even invited to lead the Closing Ceremony of the historic Ryder Cup in 2012 which was broadcast live to a TV audience of around 500million. Her brush with Hollywood has influenced her reach and audience but she remains grounded and connected to the ancient traditions of her homeland.