Rockin' new year for Kim
Oban's Kim Carnie is heading to home territory to kick-start her happy new year.
The Gaelic songstress, who still has a little sister and tons of cousins around the town, will be at the Corran Halls on January 2 with folk supergroup Mànran.
You will also be able to see Kim on this year's BBC Alba Hogmanay Show.
Kim was one of two new band members, along with her good friend and guitar maestro Aidan Moodie from Orkney, announced as joining Mànran in time to celebrate their 10th anniversary at the heart of the Scottish traditional music scene.
'It's going to be wild and wonderful,' she said.
Being signed to the band came as a total surprise for Kim and the invite came over a coffee with Mànran accordion player Gary Innes, who she has also been touring with this year. 'A lot of people are emphasising a female joining the band,' Kim told The Oban Times. 'A lot of people were surprised by that, but the boys did not think about it as a big move – they just though I was the right fit.
'I'm good pals with Aidan, the other new member. It feels right to be going into this new project with him, the dynamics are perfect.'
Recording a new solo album is also on the 2020 horizon for Kim.
She said: 'I've got some cool ideas for it but I'm keeping that under wraps for now.'
Kim also has Mànran's twoday festival in Fort William coming up on Friday April 10 and Saturday April 11 when they will be joined by a line-up of musician pals and longtime-cohorts, including Skerryvore.
Taking place at the foot of Britain’s tallest mountain, Mànran: 10 by the Ben will take over An Aird shinty field, with two of the band’s founding members, Ewen Henderson and Gary Innes, being local Lochaber lads, bringing the weekend celebrations back to their hometown.
Looking back on 2019, it has been a busy year for Kim, who only got back from Germany last month with her Highland Blast Tour.
Other highlights for the singing star, who also fronts music show Alt on BBC Alba, and has a presenting spot on Finnish TV, included time with her own band and other friends in Norway and the Basque country. One of the most memorable gigs was in a Basque cave that sold out to 500 people.
Despite a busy schedule ahead, Kim hopes to push on with a project she calls VOX and one she started in early 2019 by bringing together a mix of singers in harmony from varying influences – Gaelic, English folk, jazz and Canadian.
'We are going to keep the collaboration up in 2020. We are all so busy but there are dates in the diary and we hope the five of us will do some recording,' she said.
'I've had a really nice year and I've a feeling 2020 is going to be even better,' she added.