Rachel Sermanni

Last updated

Rachel Sermanni
RachelSermanni2023.jpg
Sermanni performing at Yes Basement in Manchester, England, 2023
Background information
Born (1991-11-07) 7 November 1991 (age 33)
Origin Carrbridge, Highland, Scotland
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • mandolin
Years active2010–present
Labels
Website rachelsermanni.com

Rachel Sermanni (born 7 November 1991) [1] is a Scottish folk musician from Carrbridge in Strathspey. She has toured with a number of well-known folk and indie artists in the United Kingdom. Her debut studio album Under Mountains was released in September 2012.

Contents

Early life

Sermanni's grandfather moved from the Italian town of Barga in Tuscany to Scotland at a young age, [2] the family later settling in Carrbridge, where she grew up. Her father is a police dog handler and her mother works for the National Health Service (NHS), helping children with mental health issues. [3] [4] She began singing and playing music in the forms of plays or spoof songs with her younger brother and sister, although at the time she dismissed this as being a normal household environment. Her father taught her to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the pennywhistle, which eventually led to the guitar. [5]

Career

Sermanni performing in 2014 Rachel Sermanni Quai des Brumes Montreal 16072015.JPG
Sermanni performing in 2014

Sermanni was influenced by musicians such as Eva Cassidy, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan and has talked about vivid dreams that slowly transform into songs. She developed and understood performing when she began listening and performing Scotland's traditional music at school. One of the first songs she wrote at 16 was featured on her first album, despite it being four years old by the time of its release. [6] Sermanni performed in pubs around Glasgow; in September 2009 she went to see the folk rock band Mumford & Sons perform at the Loopallu festival in Ullapool, and after the performance, she found them in a pub "and asked them if they wanted to jam", resulting in a session on the beach. In 2011 she supported them at Dingwalls in London. [7] Sermanni also toured with Fink on his European tour in 2011, was showcased at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, has supported Elvis Costello and Rumer, and performed at 150 gigs between June 2011 and June 2012. [8] [9] [10]

Rough Trade Records released an EP, Black Currents, in February 2012, and in August, Sermanni appeared on the BBC Music Introducing Stage at the Reading Festival. In October she toured Ireland, and on 31 December 2012, she headlined BBC Scotland's annual Hogmanay live programme, appearing in the Glasgow studio with Frightened Rabbit, Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain. [11] [12] [13] [14] Glasgow newspaper The Herald chose her as one of their "Stars of 2012". [10] Her debut studio album, Under Mountains, was released on Middle of Nowhere Records and Rough Trade Records in September 2012. [15] [16]

In 2019, her fourth album So It Turns was released.

In 2021, Sermanni hosted a bi-monthly podcast titled Rachel Sermanni's Finger That Points to the Moon. [17]

In September 2023, she released her fifth album, Dreamer Awake.

Personal life

Sermanni has a child with fellow Scottish musician Adam Holmes. Their daughter, Rosa Sermanni-Holmes, was born on 5 March 2018. [18]

Discography

Albums

YearAlbumChart peak
SCO
[19] [20]
UK
Indie

[21] [20]
2012Under Mountains2623
2014Live in Dawson City
2015Tied to the Moon2532
2019So It Turns
2023Dreamer Awake [22] 827

EPs

YearAlbumAlbum Details
2011The Bothy SessionsFormat: CD, digital download
2012Black CurrentsFormat: CD, digital download
2013The Boatshed SessionsFormat: CD, digital download
2014Everything ChangesFormat: CD, digital download
2016GentlyFormat: CD, digital download
2021Swallow MeFormat: 12" Vinyl, digital download
2022Every Swimming Pool Runs to the Sea [23] Format: digital download

Singles

YearAlbumAlbum Details
2012"Eggshells"Format: CD / 7" Vinyl Deluxe Package, digital download
2013"Ae Fond Kiss"Format: CD, digital download
2014"Everything Is Ok"Format: CD, digital download
2017"Lay My Heart"Format: CD, digital download
2019"What Can I Do"Format: CD, digital download
2019"Tiger"Format: CD, digital download
2021"Brighton House"Format: CD, digital download
2021"My Moon My Man"Format: MP3 (collaboration with The Fretless) [24]
2022"Aquarium Kisses"Format: MP3 (self released)

Related Research Articles

Martyn Bennett was a Canadian-Scottish musician who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was a piper, violinist, composer and producer. Diagnosis of serious illness at the age of thirty curtailed his live performances, although he completed a further two albums in the studio. He died from cancer in 2005, fifteen months after the release of his fifth album Grit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle McManus</span> Scottish singer-songwriter, columnist, and actress

Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer, columnist, and television presenter who won the second and final series of the UK talent show Pop Idol in 2003. In January 2004, McManus made history when she became the first Scottish female artist to debut atop the UK Singles Chart with a debut single.

Mary Sandeman, better known by her former stage name Aneka, is a retired Scottish traditional singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KT Tunstall</span> Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist

Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland. She has released eight studio albums internationally: Eye to the Telescope (2004), Drastic Fantastic (2007), Tiger Suit (2010), Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon (2013), Kin (2016), Wax (2018), Nut (2022), and a collaboration album with American musician Suzi Quatro, Face to Face (2023). She has also appeared in two episodes of the comedy series This is Jinsy on Sky Atlantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karine Polwart</span> Scottish folk singer (b1970)

Karine Polwart is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide. She has been most recognised for her solo career, winning three awards at the BBC Folk Awards in 2005, and was previously a member of Malinky and Battlefield Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandi Thom</span> Scottish musician (born 1981)

Alexandria "Sandi" Thom is a Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Banff, Scotland. She became widely known in 2006 after her debut single, "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker ", topped the UK Singles Chart in June of that year, as well as in Australia and Ireland. The single became the biggest-selling single of 2006 in Australia, where it spent ten weeks at the top of the ARIA Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The View (band)</span> Scottish indie rock band

The View are a Scottish indie rock band that formed in Dundee, Angus in 2005. They incorporate various styles such as punk, pop, alternative rock, and folk in their music. They are best known for their 2007 single "Same Jeans" which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Fowlis</span> Scottish Gaelic singer

Julie Fowlis is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Marling</span> British folk singer-songwriter (born 1990)

Laura Beatrice Marling is an English folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for the same award at the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Brit Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Macdonald</span> Scottish singer-songwriter

Amy Elizabeth Macdonald is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, This Is the Life, which produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll" and "This Is the Life"; the latter charting at number one in six countries, while reaching the top 10 in another 11 countries. The album reached number one in four European countries – the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland – and sold three million copies worldwide. Moderate success in the American music market followed in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenn Grant</span> Musical artist

Jenn Grant is a Canadian folk pop singer-songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Nutini</span> Scottish singer, songwriter and musician

Paolo Giovanni Nutini is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Paisley. Nutini's debut album, These Streets (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, Sunny Side Up (2009), debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. Both albums have been certified quintuple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. Five years later, Nutini released his third studio album, Caustic Love, in April 2014, which debuted at number one on the UK Album Charts and was certified platinum by the BPI. In July 2022, he released his fourth album, Last Night in the Bittersweet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mumford & Sons</span> British folk rock band

Mumford & Sons are a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane, and Ben Lovett. Banjoist Winston Marshall played on the band's first four albums before his departure in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emeli Sandé</span> Scottish singer and songwriter (born 1987)

Adele Emily Sandé,, known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Sandé rose to prominence after her guest appearance on Chipmunk's 2009 single "Diamond Rings", which peaked within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. The following year, she guest appeared on Wiley's single "Never Be Your Woman" also peaked within the chart's top ten. In 2012, she received the Brit Awards' Critics' Choice Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belinda O'Hooley</span> Musical artist

Belinda O'Hooley is a singer-songwriter and pianist from Yorkshire, England. Formerly a member of Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, she now records and performs as O'Hooley & Tidow with her wife Heidi Tidow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Admiral Fallow</span> Scottish indie folk band

Admiral Fallow are a Scottish musical group formed in 2007 by singer-songwriter Louis Abbott and based in Glasgow. They were originally named Brother Louis Collective. The band's first album, Boots Met My Face, was released worldwide in 2011. Their song "Squealing Pigs" was used on NBC's Chuck and was performed live on the BBC's Hogmanay Live 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Nesbitt</span> Scottish singer, songwriter (born 11 July 1994)

Nina Nesbitt is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, and No. 11 on the Scottish Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Songs of Separation</span> Anglo-Scottish music project

Songs of Separation was a music project created in the aftermath of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum to explore through the medium of music ideas of separation. It was organised by double-bass player Jenny Hill and brought together ten female folk musicians from Scotland and England for one week in June 2015 on the Isle of Eigg. The resulting album won the "Best Album" category in the 2017 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Newton</span> Scottish harpist and singer

Rachel Newton is a Scottish singer and harpist. As well as playing both acoustic and electric harp she also plays viola, fiddle, piano and harmonium. She performs solo as well as in the bands The Shee, The Furrow Collective and Boreas and was formerly a member of the Emily Portman Trio. She was a member of the Lost Words Spell Songs project and is a co-founder of The Bit Collective, a group campaigning for equality in folk music.

Hannah Rarity is a Scottish singer and songwriter from Dechmont, West Lothian. In 2018, she was the winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician award, and her debut album Neath the Gloaming Star was nominated for Album of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2019.

References

  1. "ABOUT - Rachel Sermanni". Rachel Sermanni - Official Site (rachelsermanni.co.uk/). Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  2. "Rachel Sermanni Interview". James William Houghton. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  3. "The gender reversal challenge". The Pop Cop. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  4. Smith, Aidan (27 December 2012). "Folk Singer Rachel Sermanni on Mumford and Sons and her Debut Album". The Scotsman . Edinburgh. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  5. Roberts, Lynn (21 March 2011). "Interview: Rachel Sermanni". For Folk's Sake.
  6. "Rachel Sermanni". Dublin: Today FM. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  7. "Shockwaves NME Awards Show 2011 with Mumford and Sons". Communion. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  8. "Rachel Sermanni Interview March 2012". More Than The Music. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  9. "Sometimes I think I won't be able to write another song ever again". The Pop Cop. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  10. 1 2 Jamieson, Teddy (7 January 2012). "Stars of 2012: Rachel Sermanni". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  11. "Reading and Leeds: Rachel Sermanni: Scottish Balladeer Poised to Charm". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  12. "BBC Hogmanay Live". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  13. Carroll, Jim (4 October 2012). "New Music: Rival Sons, Rachel Sermanni, Hawklion". Irish Times. Dublin.
  14. Udell, Phil (19 September 2012). "Incoming: Rachel Sermanni". State Magazine. Kildare. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  15. Dingwall, John (3 August 2012). "Teenage Singer Rachel Sermanni Set to Become Scotland's Next Big Musical Export with Release of Debut Album". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  16. "Rachel Sermanni: Under Mountains (Review)" (in German). Hamburg: Musikreviews. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  17. "Rachel Sermanni's Finger That Points to the Moon on Apple Podcasts".
  18. "Adam Holmes". Facebook . Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  19. "2012 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive: 29 September 2012". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  20. 1 2 "Rachel Sermanni songs and albums". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  21. "2012 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive: 29 September 2012". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  22. Folking website, Rachel Sermanni announces her new album, article dated July 2, 2023
  23. Honeycomb, Jay (16 June 2022). "Rachel Sermanni - Every Swimming Pool Runs to the Sea (EP Review)". No Transmission.
  24. Discogs website, Rachel Sermanni