Kris Drever

Kris Drever was born in Orkney in 1973. His father played in a local folk band, and that early exposure to Scottish and Irish traditional music stuck with him. He started playing guitar and singing, and by the mid-1990s he was part of the band Flook, known for their take on traditional tunes.

In 2006 he put out his first solo album, 'Black Water,' which won the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Songs like 'Shining Star' and 'Farewell To Fiunary' show his knack for writing melodies that feel both old and new. He's kept making solo records since, including 'Mark the Hard Earth' and 'If Wishes Were Horses.'

He's also worked with other musicians like Lau and John McCusker. In 2013, his song 'Allegory' drew some attention in the run-up to Scotland's independence referendum, with a few people reading political meaning into it. Drever tends to write about ordinary life and places, without much grandstanding.