Katell Keineg

Katell Keineg

Katell Keineg is a singer-songwriter from Bretagne who is brought up in Wales and is born in 1965. She is musically active from the early 1990s in both Ireland and the United States, and lives in Dublin while also spending time in New York.

Early releases and label work

In 1993 she releases the seven-inch single Hestia on Bob Mould’s SOL label. That same year she sings on Iggy Pop’s American Caesar. After Iggy Pop passes her single to Elektra Records, the label signs her and issues O Seasons O Castles.

Albums and collaborations

Her second album, Jet, appears in 1997. It is co-produced with Eric Drew Feldman, whose work with Captain Beefheart and PJ Harvey is part of the context for the recording. During this period she also provides the second vocal on Natalie Merchant’s single Carnival, and Merchant later records Keineg’s The Gulf Of Araby.

Live reputation and later releases

By the 2000s she develops a strong live reputation, with performances becoming regular on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2002 she releases a four-track EP of new songs, including High July and the opening track What’s The Only Thing Worse Than The End Of Time?. The release also includes a live version of Nick Drake’s River Man, recorded at a Drake tribute concert at St Anne’s Church in Brooklyn, New York.

Her third album, High July, follows in 2004. A re-recorded version of On Yer Way from that album is used on the soundtrack of Deborah Kampmeier’s film Virgin, which stars Robin Wright Penn.

Critical reception

Her work attracts strong reviews, and commentary on her performance style describes her as a compelling live singer-songwriter with a reputation for moving between intensity and emotional restraint.