Julie Fowlis
| Julie Fowlis | |
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Fowlis on stage at Analog, Ringsend Dublin, July 2008
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| Background information | |
| Born |
20 June 1979 North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland |
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| Years active | 2005–present |
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| Associated acts | Dòchas |
| Website | juliefowlis |
Julie Fowlis (born 20 June 1979) is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic.
Fowlis grew up on North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides, in a Gaelic-speaking community. Her mother was a Gaelic-speaking islander from a family of fishermen and crofters, while her father was originally from Pitlochry on mainland Scotland. Her parents ran a hotel for many years on North Uist. She moved with her parents to Ross-shire on the mainland when she was 15 years old after her father took a new job. The family lived in Strathpeffer and Fowlis finished her secondary education at Dingwall Academy. She then attended the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and studied the oboe and the English horn, earning a B.A. in Applied Music in 2000. After university Fowlis attended the Gaelic-language college Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye to improve her Gaelic and formally study traditional Scottish music. Following that she returned to Ross-shire, taking a job with the organisation Fèis Rois in Dingwall as music development officer between 2001 and 2004.
Fowlis has been involved in singing, piping and dancing since she was a child. She is a member of the Scottish sextet, Dòchas, who were voted winners of Best Newcomer award at the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2004; Fowlis herself was nominated for the Best Gaelic Singer award.
In 2005, Fowlis released her first solo album Mar a Tha Mo Chridhe (As My Heart Is). The album was produced by Iain MacDonald and Fowlis and instantly gained her worldwide acclaim. Fowlis's future husband Éamonn Doorley played bouzouki on seven of the tracks. She was also accompanied by Kris Drever, Ross Martin of the "Gaelic super group" Dàimh, John Doyle, Iain MacDonald, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh of Danú, and many other performers prominent in the traditional Irish and Scottish music scenes. The album was remastered and re-released in 2012.
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