Congratulations to Heather Cartwright who has / have been nominated in Up and Coming Artist of the Year sponsored by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2026. Vote for Heather Cartwright now! It’s going to be another great night at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday 5th December in Paisley Arena, Lagoon Centre. Why not join us for a brilliant night of music and awards. Buy a ticket here.
We asked Heather of Heather Cartwright the following questions.
Tell us about yourself
Heather Cartwright is a Glasgow based folk guitarist and singer-songwriter from Cumbria. Her detailed fingerstyle and flat-picked guitar playing provides a vibrant backdrop to her self-penned songs and interpretations of traditional material. Aside from performing solo, Heather is regularly seen performing with her longstanding bandmate Beth Malcolm, and is a member of Kathryn Tickell and the Darkening. In between, she is often spotted accompanying singers on the Scottish folk circuit, singing harmonies and playing a mixture of acoustic and electric guitar.
Any particular career highlights?
Her budding solo career has lead to her supporting Kris Drever in his Autumn tour (2024) and performing at the likes of Warwick Folk festival and Ullapool Guitar Festival. The ensembles with Beth Malcolm and Kathryn Tickell have taken her playing all over the UK, such as at Orkney and Shetland Folk Festival, Edinburgh Tradfest, Celtic Connections, as well as internationally, including festivals such as Rudolstadt, Glatt & Verkehrt, and Lorient. Earlier this year, she released 'Mars Rover', a song she wrote about a lonely Mars Rover robot who passes the time by dreaming about being best friends with Neil Armstrong, a fellow explorer.
What are your plans for the future?
I am working on a record of guitar duets at the moment, where each track features a different guitar player, which is exciting! I'm also nearly ready to release an EP of original songs that I recorded earlier this year. Another project in the pipeline is 'Swinging on Birches', a trio with Madeleine Stewart and Juliette Lemoine. We plan to record and release our debut album in 2027, as well as write a suite of music to the poem 'Birches' by Robert Frost, which is what inspired our band name.
Heather Cartwright Social Media
Website: http://www.heathercartwright.co.uk
Facebook: @heathercartwrightmusic
Instagram: @heathercartwrightmusic
YouTube: @heathercartwrightmusic
Listen to music: http://heathercartwright.bandcamp.com
The 2026 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards are on the 5th December 2026 in Paisley Arena, Lagoon Centre! You will be able to watch it live in person (buy a ticket here).
Hosted by Scottish personalities Alistair Heather and Mary Ann Kennedy, the night will welcome live performances from some of the brightest lights on the thriving trad scene today including Valtos, Gnoss, Sian, Fèis Phàislig, Spodo Komodo and BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Rachel Groves and many more!
If you would like to support Hands Up for Trad in their work with Scottish trad music and musicians why not become a friend of Hands Up for Trad. In addition to our high profile events like the Scots Trad Music Awards, we also deliver a less well known, education programme for young people from 8yrs right through to young adults at the start of their careers. Read more here.