5 Contemporary Folk Music Artists You Need to Know
Folk music has been making a comeback in recent years, with a new generation of artists carrying on the tradition. If you’re looking to get into folk music, here are five contemporary artists you need to know.
Sam Lee
From England, multi-instrumentalist and singer Sam Lee performs contemporary and traditional folk music. His unique style has been described as a mix of Gypsy, Eastern European, and British folk music. He has won numerous awards for his music, including the BBC Folk Award for Singer of the Year in 2012.
Marlon Williams
Marlon Williams is a New Zealand singer-songwriter who draws inspiration from country, rock, and pop music. His self-titled debut album was released in 2014 to critical acclaim, and he has since toured extensively throughout New Zealand and Australia. His unique voice and songwriting style have earned him a dedicated following, and he is one of the most promising young artists in the contemporary folk scene.
Aldous Harding
Aldous Harding is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Born in Lyttelton, she moved to Australia to pursue a career in music, and released her self-titled debut album in 2014. The album was met with critical acclaim, and Harding was subsequently nominated for the New Zealand Music Prize. She released her second album, Party, in 2017 to further acclaim.
Harding is known for her unique voice and songwriting style, which often incorporates elements of folk, country, and blues music. She has been compared to artists such as Nina Simone and Loretta Lynn.
Courtney Marie Andrews
Courtney Marie Andrews is an Arizona-born singer-songwriter currently based in Seattle, Washington. After releasing a couple of well-received LP’s on Mama Bird Recording Co., Andrews signed to Fat Possum Records and released her latest album, May Your Kindness Remain, in March 2018. The album has been widely praised by critics, with Paste Magazine writing that it “finds Andrews at the peak of her powers as a songwriter.”
Lisa Hannigan
Lisa Hannigan is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. She is best known for her work with Damien Rice, with whom she collaborated from 2001 to 2007, and for her solo work since 2011. Hannigan began her musical career as a member of Anthony Thistlethwaite’s band Her in the 1990s. She met Rice while they were attending Trinity College Dublin and subsequently joined his band Juniper. After Rice disbanded Juniper, Hannigan and Thistlethwaite formed their own band, The Balloon Factory.
In 2001, Hannigan and Rice’s musical collaboration began when they started working on the album O. Rice invited Hannigan to sing backing vocals on the album; however, she ended up co-writing and singing lead vocals on several tracks, including the singles “Cannonball” and “Volcano”. Due to the success of O, Rice put his solo career on hold and invited Hannigan to tour with him as part of his live band. The live shows led to the release of the live album 9 (2004), which featured performances of songs from O as well as new material written by Hannigan.
Hannigan parted ways with Rice in 2007; however, they remained on good terms, with Hannigan later saying that she “wouldn’t have had any career without Damien”. In 2010, she appeared as a guest vocalist on his album My Favorite Faded Fantasy.
Hannigan’s solo debut album Sea Sew was released in September 2008 to positive reviews. The album peaked at number 30 in Ireland and number 41 in the UK. In 2012, she released her second solo album, Passenger; it charted at number one in Ireland and number 13 in the UK. To date, Hannigan has released three solo albums: Sea Sew (2008), Passenger (2012), and At Swim (2016). All three albums have been nominated for Grammy Awards in the category of Best Folk Album.”
