Ireland has long been a font of great female singers, and Heidi Talbot is no exception.
With her distinctive mix of traditional and contemporary material, wrapped up in an achingly bittersweet voice, Heidi won fans over three continents.
And now the singer, who lives in Edinburgh, is on the verge of releasing her new album ‘The Last Star’ before embarking on a promotional tour. Produced by her multi-instrumentalist, multi-award-winning partner, John McCusker, and marking her debut foray into songwriting, it also sees Heidi engaging afresh with her traditional roots, meanwhile seeking out the best of modern-day balladry.
It has been described an album that simultaneously reaffirms all the diverse expressive magic of her previous record and extends it in arresting new directions.
Heidi grew up in a musical household with eight siblings in rural County Kildare. After studying at Dublin’s renowned Bel Canto school, she moved to New York aged 18, where she paid her dues in wedding bands, then honed her craft around the city’s bars and clubs, soaking up influences, examples and experience.
Via the Big Apple’s vibrant Irish musical community, she was recruited in 2002 as lead singer by the celebrated Irish-American group Cherish the Ladies, with whom she toured coast-to-coast and beyond for the next five years.
Now living in the capital, where she’s found a home from home in the thick of Scotland’s vibrant contemporary roots scene.
And the star will be on tour for the next couple of weeks, with a stop off in Musselburgh’s Brunton Theatre on October 14.
