FATEA Tradition Award
January started with me being nominated for the FATEA Magazine “Tradition Award” which was an amazing way to start the year! Never in a million years did I think I could win it.
The Tradition Award is presented to the act or organisation that have traditional folk at their root and use it to inspire new songs, tunes and arrangements in the traditional spirit.
The shortlist was EFDSS (The English Folk Dance and Song Society) formed in 1932 and the Feis Rois music school in the Scottish Highlands which has just celebrated it’s 30th anniversary... and me!
When I look back on the last couple of years and look ahead to the year we’re just beginning… I feel a bit dizzy.
When I won the FATEA Award in 2013 for “Female Vocalist of the Year” on the strength of “Bare Foot Folk” - an album I recorded in just 4 days - I didn’t expect to win it. I didn't believe it was possible. Not by a long way. But that one event started opening the doors that gave me the confidence to throw everything I could at “The Lament of The Black Sheep”… when that album won the 2014 “Album of The Year” I really started to believe that I could make a career of this.
But I never expected to be standing in the company of giants.
Winning this award was another of those hugely significant steps in my journey.
Yup. I won! Standing shoulder to shoulder with those huge folk organisations I managed to walk away with the award. EEEEEK!
To all who have been part of my journey so far: thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Whether you’ve been to a gig, booked me for a gig, bought a CD, been a friend, told me to keep going when I wanted to give up… you’re all part of my journey and part of my folkie family.
But above all of that thanks must go to FATEA, for the work they do they deserve huge recognition. Listening to and championing new music takes a huge amount of time. The team at FATEA listen to the thousands of CD’s they are sent continuously throughout the year. They engage with the artists. They foster links between musicians and radio stations. They encourage development and progress.
So, let's all raise a virtual toast to Neil King and everyone involved with FATEA! Thank you!
Posted by Ange Hardy on January 25th 2016
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