Emily Portman

Emily Portman

Emily Portman is a folk singer, writer and concertina player from Glastonbury, now based in the North East of England. She begins songwriting at the age of six, growing up on fairy tales and Somerset folklore, and later focuses on traditional songs and harmony-led original material.

Career

Portman works as a solo artist and with the harmony trio The Devil’s Interval, for which she receives a BBC Folk Award nomination. She also appears with Waterson:Carthy and has toured with the group on an annual basis. Her work is commended by Shirley Collins.

She appears at the Southbank Centre as part of the Folk Roots, New Routes series and debuts new songs at The Sage Gateshead. She also features as a soloist on the BBC adaptation of Tess of the D’Urbervilles and appears on an album by alt-folk songwriter Alasdair Roberts.

Style and songwriting

Her songs draw on folktales and ballads, and often present female experience through layered vocal arrangements. Her performances are accompanied by violist Lucy Farrell and harpist Rachel Newton, who is associated with The Shee.

Recordings

Portman’s debut solo album, The Glamoury, is released in 2010. BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction previews new music from her, and Words and Music broadcasts live performances of songs from the album at the Free Thinking Festival.

Other projects

She is also a member of Rubus and The Furrow Collective.