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Scots
Singer of the Year 2008/9 Emily Smith has firmly established herself
as a leading light in the folk scene. Since winning the 2002 BBC Young
Traditional Musician of the Year Award, she has now released four
critically acclaimed albums, toured extensively with her band on the
international folk circuit and is recognised not only as one of Scotland’s
finest interpreters of traditional song but also as a talented
songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Emily
spent six years living in Glasgow during which time she gained an
Honours degree in Scottish Music from The Royal Scottish Academy of
Music and Drama. Now living back in her home area of Dumfries &
Galloway in South West Scotland Smith has found her niche drawing on the
rich local history and ever changing landscape as the source and
inspiration for her music. She has an affection (and growing
reputation!) for collecting dusty old poetry and song books in search of
new material. The results are re-worked ballads which seamlessly
interweave with Smith’s own descriptive songs, often confusing the
listener as to which material is old and which is new.
Her
songwriting has not gone without recognition – She became the first
ever winner from Scotland in the USA Songwriting Competition in 2005
after winning the folk section with her song ‘Edward of Morton’,
another of her songs ‘Always a Smile,’ about the life of her Polish
grandmother, was short listed in the final ten.
Alongside
her solo career Smith has written, recorded and toured with artists from
the folk scene and beyond including Eddi Reader, Beth Nielsen Chapman,
Karine Polwart, John McCusker, David Scott and Phil Cunningham. She also
appeared on the most recent series of Transatlantic Sessions (Series 4).
“As
far as I’m concerned she can walk on water” Mike
Harding, Radio 2
“Smith
could become to Scottish folk what Joni Mitchell is to its Californian
cousin”
Q Magazine
“Smith
deserves to become yet another new folk celebrity” The Guardian
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