Karine Polwart

Karine Polwart

Karine Polwart is a Scottish folk singer-songwriter from Scotland. Her work sits in folk and roots music, and her songs often address serious social and political subjects, including alcoholism, war and genocide.

Early career and bands

Before her solo career, Polwart is a member of Battlefield Band and Malinky. She is also associated with Songs of Separation, The Fruit Tree Foundation, Scottish Women and Spell Songs. Her later solo work brings her wider recognition, even though she already has experience in the folk scene through these earlier group projects.

Solo writing and songs

Her writing ranges across a broad subject matter. Karine Polwart's songs include The Sun's Comin' Over The Hill, which wins Best Original Song at the BBC Folk Awards 2005. That song tells of a woman dealing with the death of her partner through depression, drink and drugs, while still moving towards hope in its chorus. Another song, Waterlily, is about a man whose wife is killed during the war in Yugoslavia. Only One Way is an upbeat song with a political theme and humour.

Awards

She wins the Horizon Award for Best Newcomer at the BBC Folk Awards 2005, reflecting her emergence as a solo artist. Her solo career is the area in which she is particularly recognised.

Style

Her music is strongly rooted in folk, with a clear concern for storytelling and lyric detail. Although she presents many of her songs as dark in subject, they often contain an element of uplift or resolution.