Kim Edgar
Kim Edgar
Edinburgh based singer-songwriter Kim Edgar is currently recording her debut album, for release in 2008, which owes much to Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns.
Not only was Burns influential in Kim's formative years (along with Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos and Suzanne Vega), but also, a Scottish search for new songwriting talent inspired by Burns brought Kim's songwriting ability and musicianship to national attention.
Burnsong, a project by Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association, supported by the Scottish Arts Council, aims to celebrate Robert Burns by nurturing and encouraging songwriting within Scotland.
After selecting Kim as one of 17 winning unsigned songwriters from over 800 submissions, Burnsong subsequently invited Kim to participate in a week-long Songhouse in December 2006, giving her the opportunity to collaborate with seven established, high quality songwriters.
Karine Polwart performed "One, Two, Three, Four, Five" (which she co-wrote with Kim during the Songhouse) on the Hogmanay Show 2006 for BBC Scotland, as a duet with Paolo Nutini, and invited Kim to record piano arrangements for this song and two Scots ballads for two forthcoming albums.
Mattie Foulds, Karine's producer, offered to produce Kim's own album, and the Scottish Arts Council supported the project with a creative development grant towards the costs of recording. The album, which will be launched in early 2008, will include songwriting collaborations with Sushil K Dade, Chris Difford and Emma Pollock, as well as musical contributions from other "house mates".
Kim's songs are now reaching wider audiences, with live performances at UK music festivals including Celtic Connections (supporting Maria McKee), The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Big In Falkirk, The Two Rivers Folk Festival and Buxton Fringe, and live sessions on BBC Radio Scotland, including Travelling Folk. Her recordings have also been broadcast by Iain Anderson and Janice Forsyth on BBC Radio Scotland, and other Scottish stations including Real Radio, Leith FM and ETC FM.
Kim's self released EP, Wee Dote, and her live performances (solo and with a full band) have attracted positive press attention, and recently she was awarded a "Best of the Fest 07!" in recognition of excellence from Buxton Fringe. A distinction in Popular Music & Sound Technology from the Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts (2002), along with a distinction in Grade 8 Piano (1996) are further testament to her commitment to, and passion for, quality songwriting and performance.
Kim is relishing the challenge of creating a debut album that connects emotionally with listeners, and that acknowledges her debt to Robert Burns:
"I'm delighted to bring Robert Burns' words and my music together on The Bonnie Lad. I'm trying to write in a way that people today can relate to, as Burns did in his day. This is a song about loving the wrong person, despite the disapproval of your family and friends. There's a timelessness about the stories Burns tells, and I hope that The Bonnie Lad, and the other songs on the album, will tell stories that move people in the way that Burns did."
The album will be launched in early 2008, and promoted by a UK Tour, with a Scottish Tune Up Songhouse Tour with her fellow Burnsong collaborators in May 2008.
