‘ Traditional and Gaelic music had an equal standing in terms of acceptance and usage’
absolutely exposed to modern music and the music of my parents’ generation. So I feel that we had a very healthy musical upbringing.
One of the most important things, to my mind, was that traditional and Gaelic music was given equal standing in terms of acceptance and usage. It was just as important as any other genre. It never felt like a minority language or culture. It wasn’t until we left the islands when I was 13 that I realised not everyone had that. That was a strange feeling. So, in that sense, growing up on Uist completely shaped my relationship with traditional culture and the respect I have for it and how close I feel to it.
Learning Gaelic songs was par for the course at school and I learned to play the pipes too, partly because that’s what other folks at school were doing. We were part of a tiny school – there were only 12 pupils in the whole school at one point – so we were all in one classroom. Some of us did dancing and piping, and we all did singing. I just took it for granted. We were so, so fortunate to have it.
My teachers at school would have been among my earliest influences on Gaelic music. They gave us the chance to develop our skills in singing and music. They are also great tradition-bearers in their own right. Our teacher, Isa
McKillop, remains a friend and mentor, and I always go to her for help and advice. Catriona Garbutt also inspired and helped me over the years, while her late brother Calum Campbell taught me to play my first notes on the chanter before I was given lessons by Donald ‘ Bàn’ MacDonald. I feel very lucky that they shaped my formative years, and singers like Isa still play a big role in my development as a singer and in my learning of songs from North Uist.
Traditional music also had an influence on the early mainstream and modern music that I was listening to, such as Capercaillie and Runrig – Calum and Rory Macdonald from Runrig both grew up down the road from us on North Uist. They were these huge stars.
It was a powerful message for me as a young person to see these great musicians and singers taking traditional music and placing it on a contemporary stage. As an islander, they gave me a little bit of confidence and encouragement by making a statement about their culture and being proud of it.
Apart from music, my main interest at school was sport. I loved running, especially cross-country and long-distance running. At one point I even considered studying sports science so I could become a PE teacher. Being a musician and being sporty don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand in some people’s minds (I don’t think!), but there is nothing I love more than getting out on the bike, running or hill-walking.
I moved away to the mainland with my parents at 13. My dad had been working on the mainland and coming home to North Uist every other weekend. But we missed him so much that it made sense for us all to move to be with him. We moved to Strathpeffer, north of Inverness in the Highlands. I guess the biggest contrast was just the sheer number of people.