Skint quango rapped after paying for singer to follow in footsteps of hero Patsy
The cash – which totalled £ 6252 – came from Creative Scotland’s Open n Project Fund, which includes money y from the National Lottery.
Last month, the quango warned they y will have to slash funding to more than 100 institutions across Scotland due to a cash shortage.
Healy’s debut album, Better Days, was produced in Nashville by David Spicher in 2014 and she has made several trips to the US, writing and performing at the Folk Alliance festival in Kansas last year.
She documented her stay in Nashville on social media, thanking her sponsors.
She wrote: “The new album is under way in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Massive thanks to Creative Scotland for their help and support towards making this happen. I truly couldn’t have done this without them.”
She also enjoyed a trip to the Patsy Cline Museum. She said: “I just loved reading her old letters which she faithfully wrote to her fans throughout her career. Her version of Crazy is the most-played song on jukeboxes all over the world.”
On her return, she posted on Instagram: “There is no f i lter to disguise the amount of wine and beer we’ve consumed, the southern food we’ve eaten or the tears we’ve cried leaving you.”
Approached by the Sunday Mail, she said: “I’m not up for talking to you.”
In October, Creative Scotland said they will have to reduce their network of 119 regularly funded organisations because of declining lottery funding. They will receive £28.5million from the lottery in 2017-18, about 38.5 per cent of their income.
Their head of music, Alan Morrison, defended the award. He said: “Connecting Scotland’s artists to the world is one of our published ambitions.
“Our funding will enable Healy to work with highly respected country and bluegrass producers and musicians in Tennessee.
“Recording in the home of country music will enable Healy to develop her artistic practice and move forward on her second album, gaining recognition within the wider country music genre. “At home, Scotland’s music sector will benefit from the knowledge and contacts gained in the US while ensuring mastering of the album will be done in Scotland.”
I could not have done this without them