Beth hits the right note with award win

lot of people in the competition – five people play each night for the whole two weeks, and only five or six are chosen to win the award.

“I didn’t expect to win, I just thought it was good to do the gig, so I am really chuffed.

“Those who win get to play at the closing night of the festival and at next year’s Celtic Connections I will get to do a support slot.

“Getting to play next year really stretches out the win.

“I had entered the competition a few times before, and it is always a good experience, but I have never won before.

“I am genuinely delighted to win because I am a big folk fan and I have been really focusing on it for the past couple of years.”

The competition was in front of around 300 folk fans and Beth was able to meet with other musicians who also play folk songs.

The former Perth High School pupil now wants to focus on writing her album and hopes to collaborate with other musicians she met at Celtic Connections on her new tunes.

She continued: “Celtic Connections is such an amazing festival, and although I went to uni in Glasgow I feel I never really got into the folk scene.

“But now I have won this award, I really feel I am on the scene now, especially as I am getting to go back next year and be a part of it all again.

“I released my first EP last summer so this year I will be writing a lot more and starting to play with a lot more musicians.

“I am hoping to write the whole album in the next year and a half and it will be folk-based.

“Hopefully I can ask some people I have met in Glasgow to play on the album – that is the fun thing about all of this, everyone gets involved.

“But apart from that, it is just trying to build myself up and gig as much as I can.”