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Kathryn Williams
kathryn williams Hypoxia
Background information
Birth name	Kathryn Williams
Born	(1974-02-15) 15 February 1974 (age 50) Liverpool, England
Genres	accoustic folk rock altfolk folkpop chamberpop
Occupations	Musician singer-songwriter record producer
Instruments	{{flatlist| Vocals guitar keyboards vocallooping electricshrutibox
Years active	1998–present
Labels	{{flatlist| cawrecords netwerk cheaplullaby OneLittleIndian
Website	www.kathrynwilliams.co.uk

Kathryn Williams (born 1974, Liverpool, England) is an English singer-songwriter.

Introduction

Kathryn Williams is a singer, musician, songwriter and record producer, who lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, a home she adopted after earning an art degree in the city.

Williams is renowned for her accomplished lyric writing, and often sparse music style. Alongside her solo career, she is a sought-after musical collaborator and co-writer for and with other artists. Williams also teaches song-writing and runs retreats for fellow song-writing professionals.

Early Career

Williams began writing songs as an art student. After playing a few songwriters' nights, A&R men began to show interest in her shows, and an early mention in the NME brought further label interest.

For her first professional gig, at Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, she made 50 CDR copies of a collection of home-recorded songs. Each cover was hand painted by Williams herself, with titles in lettraset. They all sold that night, except one, which remains in Kathryn's collection.

After being offered several record deals, Williams decided to go it alone instead, and set up her own micro-label, Caw Records. Williams released her first album, Dog Leap Stairs on her own Caw Records label in 1999, recording the entire collection on a budget of £80.

Shortly after this release, Kathryn was booked for the first Nick Drake tribute concert at The Barbican, London, having previously only played in tiny venues. She shared the bill with David Gray, Bernard Butler, Robin Hitchcock, Beverley Martin, amongst others. This show was pivotal at this early stage, and became the surprise hit of the show, with Caitlin Moran writing in The Times newspaper that Williams's appearance was "a genuine star is born moment" and that she "should be paid a million pounds a year to never stop singing".

Williams released her second album Little Black Numbers, again on her own label. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2000, bringing her to the attention of a wider public.

Warner Brothers

The then MD of EastWest Records (a division of Warner Bros, later to become Atlantic Records) saw Williams perform at The Mercury Music Prize ceremony, and offered her a three album deal, beginning with the UK re-release and first international releases of Little Black Numbers, putting the clout of a major label behind a record which was already getting a lot of media attention.

EastWest released Williams's third album, Old Low Light, in 2002, and a covers album, Relations, in 2004. All three albums charted in the UK.

From around the release of Old Low Light, and for three subsequent albums, Williams was managed by Alan McGee (Creation).

Caw Records

Williams returned to her independent roots with 2005's Over Fly Over, departing from her previous acoustic folk style, experimenting with a harder sound, electric guitars and a rockier feel. She released her sixth album, Leave to Remain, on Caw in 2006. Leave To Remain returned, once more, to a more intimate musical setting, incorporating pastoral string, woodwind and horn arrangements by Kate St John. The sound of this album was described by David Pesheck in The Guardian newspaper as "chamber-pop".

Still on her own label, but taking a break from her usual backing band, Kathryn co-wrote an entire album with Neill MacColl. The resulting album, Two, was released under the artists' joint names in 2008.

One Little Indian

Now a mother, Williams needed more time to be musically creative and to spend less time running a label, and found a home at One Little Indian records.

Her first release for OLI was 2010's The Quickening. Recorded live over four days in rural Wales, the album a stellar cast of musicians, including former collaborators Neill MacColl and Kate St John, alongside Leo Abrahams, Anthony Kerr, Simon Edwards and Martyn Barker.

Williams's ninth and tenth albums (both released on OLI) were band projects under different names- The Crayonettes and The Pond.

Williams collaborated with friend and former member of punk band Delicate Vomit, Anna Spencer, on a new project entitled The Crayonettes. Williams and Spencer, both tired of the same old children's CD format, decided to make their own record using their own children as an inhouse focus group. The results mixed folk, 1950s crooners, electro and hip-hop with songs touching on topics such as robots in the rain, brushing your teeth and pirates on the bus.

The Pond saw Williams team up with Simon Edwards and Ginny Clee for an album of experimental beats, world music and loops, featuring rapper Kirsch and mixed by Adrain Utley of Portishead.

Returning to her solo work in 2013, Williams released Crown Electric, to much critical acclaim. The album, produced my Neill MacColl with string arrangements by Ben Trigg, featured the single Heart Shaped Stone, co-written with MacColl, which was play-listed by BBC Radio 2. Williams co-wrote two other songs on the album, Sequins and Morning Twilight, with Ed Harcourt.

Following a New Writing North commission to write songs to commemorate Sylvia Plath for the Durham Book Festival, Williams continued to write on the theme, culminating in 2015's Hypoxia. This, her twelfth album, inspired by Plath's The Bell Jar, was produced by Ed Harcourt.

Other Labels

Internationally, Kathryn Williams's work has been released on NetWerk, Cheap Lullaby, Playground, as well as the international operations of Warner Brothers and One Little Indian.

Live Shows

Williams has toured extensively in the UK, Ireland, France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, USA.

Collaborative Shows

Williams has collaborated on a number of shows.

Nick Drake tribute 1999 at the Barbican London.

Daughters of Albion, BBC Folk Brittania 2006 at The Barbican London.

Twisted Christmas, at The Barbican London.

Rogues gallery, at The Barbican London and The Sage Gateshead.

The Poetry Olympics at The Royal Albert Hall.

Thompson Family Christmas at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank London.

Songs in the key of London at The Barbican and Grenwich Old Royal Navy College.

Earthly Life at The Eden Project.

Cape FarewellThe Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank London.

Lal Waterson tribute BBC Electric Proms at Cecil Sharpe House London.

Tom McRae Hotel Cafe Tour various.

Nick Drake Tribute at The Sage Gateshead.

Lee Hazelwood Tribute at The Barbican London.

Ewan MacColl Tribute Concert at The Sage Gateshead.

6Music Festival with Maximo Park at The Sage Gateshead.

Supports

williams has supported many diverse artists including:

John Martyn

Beth Orton

David Gray

Damien Rice

Damien Dempsey

The Be Good Tanyas

Ray Lamontagne

Melanie

David Gates (bread)

Tom Mcrae

The Riptide Movement

Billy Bragg

Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell

Howe Gelb

Ryan Adams

Jackie Leven

Songwriting

Williams songwriting, in particular, her lyric writing, has become a larger part of her career, writing for and with artists from wide and diverse musical genres.

Co Writes

Williams has a long term writing collaboration with Rak studio writer David Saw. Along with Jonathan Quarmby they co wrote "you are the one" for finalist french artist ,Emji, who won the Tv show, Nouvelle Star (the french factor) with the song.The Artist Essame, has also covered the song.

Alongside producer Tobias Froberg, Williams has been writing with Peter Joback, the Swedish platinum selling artist for his new record.

Williams wrote tracks for the asian dance group Badmarsh and shri, and late for Shri's two consecutive solo albums.

Williams also contributed to electronic artist Pedro's ep demons in cases.

Williams has also co written tracks on albums with

Marry Waterson

Joel Sarakula

RM Hubbert

Josh Kumra

The Riptide Movement

Tobias Froberg

James Yorkston

Williams has also written with:

Ed Harcourt

Paul Smith (MaximoPark),

MartinCarr (Boo Radleys)

Steve Naive

Boo hewerdine

Loreen

Josh Mclury (The Strypes)

Romeo Stodart (magic Numbers)

Michele Stodart (Magic Numbers)

Chris Helme (The Seahorses)

Ren Harvieu

Peter Moren (Peter, Bjorn and john)

Oystein Greni

Raevenan Husbandes

Andy Bruce (The Flutes, Erland and the carnival)

Paul Aiden (Chimes)

Retreats

Teaching/Workshops

Featured Artist Appearances

Artwork/Album covers

miscellaneous

Discography

albums

singles

Commercial success

Kathryn started out recording some of her music onto CD. These quickly sold at her gigs, so Williams set up her own record label, Caw Records, to release her music. After her second album, Little Black Numbers, was nominated for the Mercury Prize, she signed a licensing deal with Eastwest Records. Little Black Numbers reached No. 70 in the UK Albums Chart in 2001. The follow-up, Old Low Light reached No. 56 in 2002.

Her influences include Nina Simone, Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Simon And Garfunkel and Velvet Underground. She listens to classical and Cuban music, as well as artists such as PJ Harvey and Nick Cave, though she says she will always go back to the influences she grew up with.

She has sung on the Badmarsh & Shri album and worked with Twisted Nerve artist Pedro. In 2006, she was a special guest on Tom McRae's, Hotel Cafe Tour, joining the band on a singular song at their Newcastle Academy show. Following this, Williams completed a tour with Tobias Froberg as support, to promote her album Leave to Remain. Williams released Two on 3 March 2008, written with and featuring Neill MacColl.

In 2010, Williams signed with One Little Indian Records, who released her album The Quickening that year.

The Crayonettes

.

Personal life

Williams is an alumna of Northumbria University. and lives in Newcastle with her two children and husband Neil Le Flohic who is the owner of Settle Down Café.

Discography

Albums

• Dog Leap Stairs (1999)
• Little Black Numbers (2000)
• Old Low Light (2002)
• Relations (2004)
• Over Fly Over (2005)
• Leave to Remain (2006)
• Two (2008) with Neill MacColl
• The Quickening (2010)
• The Pond (2012)
• Crown Electric (2013)
• Hypoxia (2015)

Singles

• "The Fade EP"
• "Soul to Feet"
• "Jasmine Hoop"
• "No One Takes You Home"
• "In a Broken Dream"
• "Shop Window"
• "Beachy Head"
• "Hollow"
• "When"
• "Come With Me" (2008)

B-sides

• "The Fade EP" – "Kiss the Forehead", "Some Kind of Wonderful"
• "Jasmine Hoop" – "Foreign Skies"
• "No One Takes You Home" – "Without Beat of Drum"

Miscellaneous

Her track, "Night Baking", appeared on the charity album, Colours Are Brighter, in October 2006. 'Words from the Garden' is a poets in residence involving Williams, Nev Clay, Emma McGordon and Anna Woodford. This CD is a selection of their writings from The Alnwick Garden over the winter of 2006/07, set in a soundscape by Caroline Beck, with music by Williams and Clay. In addition, Williams recorded a cover of Tim Buckley's "Buzzin' Fly" for the 2005 tribute album, Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley.

She also sang the title song "Beyond the Sea" for The Cafe, first screened on Sky 1 in the last quarter of 2011.

References

1. Ents24.com
2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 604. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
3. ^ Hasty, Katie (20 May 2010). "Song Of The Day: Kathryn Williams gives a 'Little Lesson' for our love". HitFix. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
4. "Famous Alumni". Northumbria University. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
5. Knott, Alex. "Kathryn Williams – new band, new album, new single + tour details | Music News". Frost Magazine. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
6. http://kathrynwilliams.co.uk/music

External links

• Official website for Kathryn Williams
• Official website for Kathryn Williams & Neill MacColl
• Video interview with Kathryn Williams and Kathryn Williams acoustic session from BBC Liverpool08
• Folk Radio UK Interview by Colin Irwin

Template:Persondata

• 1974 births
• Living people
• English female singers
• English songwriters
• Rough Trade Records artists
• Music in Newcastle upon Tyne
• Musicians from Liverpool
• Alumni of Northumbria University