Karine Polwart

Karine Polwart is a singer, composer, theatre-maker, storyteller and writer. Much of Karine’s music and writing is steeped in place, hidden histories, scientific curiosity and folklore.
As a singer and songwriter, she is a multiple award winner at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, including three times for her original songs and as Folk Singer Of The Year in 2018. She has performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the RSNO, and has written to commission for theatre, animation, radio documentary and choir.

Karine Polwart's Scottish Songbook

In her first UK Top 40 album, Karine Polwart reimagines a clutch of beloved songs that cut across fifty years of Scottish pop. Eighties classics from Deacon Blue, The Waterboys and Big Country sit alongside the stadium balladry of Biffy Clyro, while maverick legend Ivor Cutler rubs shoulders with the electro pop of Chvrches and the immaculate song craft of John Martyn.

“To me, these are songs of resilience and resistance, cries of despair, and dreams of something better," says Karine, "They’re pop songs, but also love songs to people and places we all recognise. They totally fill my heart”