Cara Dillon

One of the most admired singers in the modern wave of folk stars, Cara Dillon's pure, sweet voice has an appeal well beyond the British folk music scene in which she originally emerged. From Dungiven, Co. Londonderry in Northern Ireland—an area steeped in folk music and tradition—she'd already built a big reputation locally, winning awards at Irish fleadhs and performing with the band Oige when she moved to England in 1995 to join the young folk group Equation (replacing Kate Rusby); a much-touted young group signed to the Warners label who also featured Kathryn Roberts and three Lakeman brothers: Sam, Seth and Sean. Cara Dillon ended up marrying Sam Lakeman, collaborating closely with him as she launched her solo career with her self-titled album, a mix of traditional and contemporary songs, which included her award-winning version of "Black is the Colour." She cemented her reputation and broadened her appeal with subsequent albums Sweet Liberty (2003), After the Morning (2006)—including two tracks featuring the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and a duet with Paul Brady ("The Streets of Derry" )—Hill of Thieves (2009) and A Thousand Hearts (2014). Along the way she and Sam Lakeman became parents of three children (including twin boys), played with the Ulster Orchestra at Belfast's Ulster Hall, narrated the opening sequence and sang the opening song for Disney's Tinker Bell & The Great Fairy Rescue and sang alongside Peter Gabriel, Hayley Westenra and others on the 2009 Children in Need charity single, "All You Need is Love." Cara Dillon's sixth and seventh studio albums, Upon a Winter's Night and Wanderer, were released in 2016 and 2017, respectively, with her eighth studio album arriving seven years later. Her first full-length to feature all original material, Coming Home was released in February 2024. The LP was produced by Sam Lakeman with Kevin Killen on mixing duties.

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