ST ANDREWS University student and part-time model Chloe Matharu makes her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut at 19 – and is set for a big future both on and off stage.
The Edinburgh-born singer is studying molecular biology and Italian at university but is booked into The Acoustic Music Centre @ St Bride’s from August 23 to 25 (18:30).
Chloe, who has recently recorded her debut album, Next Market Day, which will be released on her own label in October, has cultural roots in Scotland, Wales and India.
She said: “I consider myself lucky to have grown up in a city as diverse as Edinburgh with such a vibrant traditional music scene.
“I can’t remember a time when I was not singing. I sang in choirs and at school. My family would never consider themselves as musical, but someone was always singing around the house.
“My mother has a lovely voice and used to teach us songs a lot as children.
“Although I always loved singing folk songs, my passion for performing traditional music was only truly fired when I began practising an unaccompanied folk ballad when I was preparing for a school exam.
“It was incredibly liberating to be able to share the song with the audience in my own time, without any support from instruments, and watch their reaction as the story unfolded.
“I was completely hooked by the combination of story and music. It’s the element of timelessness that captured my imagination. Each song you learn has its own history.”
Chloe was hugely influenced by the Folk Revival of the 1960’s and ‘70’s. She said: “The atmosphere caught in recordings and videos of these artists, particularly Pentangle, paint a vivid picture for me.
“I was struck with the sweetness and purity. Writing my own songs, I look to song writers from this period for inspiration, such as Shelagh MacDonald, Anne Briggs and Sandy Denny.
“There are also many contemporary Scottish singers that influence me in their performance style. Singers such as Julie Fowlis and the singer from Edinburgh, Katie Targett-Adams. They are just brilliant to watch at their concerts, they grace the stage.”
She added: “Many people are curious as to how I can claim cultural roots in Scotland, Wales and India.
“My mother is from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire and I spend a lot of time there.
“I view South West Wales as my second home. My father’s family come from the Punjab, Northern India. I consider places and eras in time very important and I love hearing the stories older relatives tell me about their youth.
“Stories played a huge role in my childhood; my grandmother is from Greenock and brought us up on stories of her life there during the War. “The stories that people share with you in obscure moments, perhaps the first and last time they will share that experience with someone, are very precious. It’s these stories that illustrate the lifestyle and living conditions of certain time periods and should be acknowledged with the right spirit and passed on.
“At the moment I am studying Molecular Biology and Italian at the University of St Andrews but singing is my passion and I travel to perform at concerts in between studies.
“I’m enjoying university life. St Andrews is a small town with a fantastic vibe and there are many students from overseas, which I love. It’s great to have so much diversity in one town.
“Being next to the sea is very important for me and I was considering joining the Navy for a while.
“Going swimming in all weathers is a way I keep active. This year I took my first dip in St Andrews in February. I don’t use a wetsuit since I think it’s healthier to get your body to cope with the cold sometimes.
“It’s important to do sport and this year I have been enjoying fencing and yoga at university.
“I plan to take up golf and also to get more involved with Amnesty International, which I was really involved with at school, when I return. “This summer I have started Pilates which I will definitely be continuing in my spare time.
“At the beginning of my summer break I was asked to help promote the fashion range from the Scottish Textile House ANTA and have also been approached by Thistle and Broom who I look forward to modeling for.
I chose to study biology because I am fascinated by plant science and so was considering doing a postgraduate in that or something related to agriculture after I finish at university.
“However there is nothing I love more than singing, which will always take priority. I really enjoy the opportunities that performing brings, traveling and meeting new people.”
Incidentally, her new album was recorded at Castlesound Studios, Pencaitland, and features the playing of Ewan MacPherson on guitar, Lauren MacColl on fiddle and Ailig Hunter on double bass and sitar.
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