I didn’t Heid in lockdown
Folk singer Heidi Talbot worked with Mark Knopfler to keep career under remote control
IRISH folk singer Heidi Talbot has created something beautiful out of trauma.
The musician, who lives in Ratho near Edinburgh, recorded her new album Sing It For A Lifetime, which is out today, in a house that was being sold during lockdown, while looking after her two daughters and splitting with their dad, her husband of 11 years.
A planned recording stint in Louisiana was cancelled and instead the album was created remotely over two time zones with a cast of musicians including Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler.
Here Heidi gives the lowdown on her lockdown.
Tell us about how your new album came about?
I had originally planned to travel to Louisiana to record the album. My flights were booked, the studio and the musicians were scheduled but as the dates drew closer it became apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to go to the States due to the Covid rules about entering.
So two weeks before I was due to go, I had a Zoom meeting with Dirk (Powell, the album’s producer). We decided to keep the studio dates and I would record on the dates we had booked, but in Edinburgh. I called Cameron Malcolm, an amazing recording engineer, and we set up a cave of melamine foam in my living room!
And how did you keep the girls from coming in?
We recorded while my girls were in school. Being self employed, it’s a juggling act most of the time but I believe that’s true for all working parents. We arranged the sessions in a way that Dirk would record all day in Louisiana and we would wake up to the files he had sent and I would record my parts, reflect on what had been sent, give my feedback and send them back to Dirk.
Then he and the Louisiana based musicians would record their parts and send them overnight and so on. It was an unorthodox way of making a record but we were in constant communication and had done quite a lot of pre production before we started the actual recording. If someone had told me two years ago I would be making a record with someone in real time on another continent, I would’ve said absolutely no way.
Were you going to make an album before Covid?
I’m always singing. My dad said when I was little, he would hear me before he would see me! This is the first solo music I’ve recorded in seven years – I was planning to record anyway.
I go walking a lot and especially over lockdown, I would walk and sing song ideas into my phone. The title track of the album Sing It For A Lifetime, was written after a walk in the woods where I live. I like to think there’s a little magic in the woods.
Can you tell us about your friendship with Mark Knoplfer who plays on the album?
I met Mark around 13 or 14 years ago when (husband) John was playing in his touring band. I would fly out with the kids to see John when he was on tour, and Mark was always very kind and generous to our family.
He’s got his own magic and of course distinct style. When we had put down the basic track for Empty Promise Land, every time I listened back, I could imagine him playing on it, so I emailed him the track and a couple of others to give him an idea of the sound we were going for.
He sent back the songs with his guitar complementing what we had already done. I am so delighted and grateful for all the musicians on this album.
When you were 18 you moved to New York and
joined Celtic music group Cherish the Ladies. What was that like?
My brother and I went to New York knowing no one, with three nights booked in a hotel and $1000 between us. I got a job as a wedding singer on the second day. I sang at weddings and bars all around New York for a couple of years until I met Joanie Madden and the Cherish the Ladies women. That was such a fun chapter of my life.
Tell us about your link to Glasgow where you launched In Love and Light at Celtic Connections in 2008?
I have so many memories from Celtic Connections – a joyful event in the depths of winter. I have lots of pals in Glasgow – it always feels welcoming. ● Heidi’s Sing it for a Lifetime is out today