Lisa Knapp (born 1974 in

Balham Balham () is an List of areas of London, area in south-west London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, with small parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. It has been settled since Saxon times and appears in t ...

) is an English folk singer, songwriter, fiddle player and

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as woodwind doubler, doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and mor ...

. Her singing voice has been described as "crystal clear" and reminiscent of

Anne Briggs Anne Patricia Briggs (born 29 September 1944) is an English folk singer. Although she travelled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in Britain and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achie ...

Jeannie Robertson Regina Christina Robertson (21 October 1908 – 13 March 1975) was a Scottish folk singer. She is known for her version of the traditional song " I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day", otherwise known as "Jock Stewart", which was covered by ...

. Two of her three albums have received five-starred reviews in the British national press.

Early life

Lisa Knapp was born in 1974 in

in South London and raised in

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times. The name is of Anglo-Saxon ori ...

, also in South London.

Albums

Her debut album, ''Wild and Undaunted'', released in 2007, was ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'' 's Folk Album of the Year. It includes a cover version of

Lal Waterson Elaine "Lal" Waterson (15 February 1943 – 4 September 1998) was an English folk singer and songwriter. She sang with, among others, The Watersons, The Waterdaughters and Blue Murder. She was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. In 1998, s ...

's song "Black Horse". Colin Irwin gave her 2013 album ''Hidden Seam'', which included contributions by

Martin Carthy Martin Dominic Forbes Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in English folk music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as later ar ...

and

Kathryn Williams Kathryn Williams (born 15 February 1974, Liverpool, England) is an English singer-songwriter who to date has released 14 studio albums, written and arranged for a multitude of artists, and was nominated for the 2000 Mercury Prize, Mercury Mus ...

, five stars in a review for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

''. The lyrics of the album's opening track, "Shipping Song", derive from

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

Shipping Forecast The ''Shipping Forecast'' is a BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the British Isles. It is produced by the Met Office and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The for ...

. Another song from the album, "Two Ravens", took the award for Best Original Song at the

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British rad ...

in 2014. ''Till April is Dead – A Garland Of May'', Knapp's 2017 concept album about the month of May, "twists tradition... mixing in interviews about May Day rituals and samples of birdsong, buzzing flies and cuckoo clocks". It received a five-starred review in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' from

Jude Rogers Jude Rogers (born 1978) is a Welsh journalist, lecturer, arts critic and broadcaster. She is a music critic for ''The Guardian'' and also regularly writes features and articles for ''The Observer'', ''New Statesman'' and women's magazines such a ...

who described it as "overflowing with warmth, light and waywardness". "Knapp’s voice throughout", she said, "is a revelation, both pure and wild, springing free". Writing in ''

'',

Neil Spencer Neil Spencer is a British journalist, author, broadcaster and astrologer who lives in north London. He edited the ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') from 1978 to 1985 and was a founding editor of the men's magazine ''Arena'' and of the jazz/art ma ...

gave four stars to ''Till April is Dead – A Garland for May'', which he described as completing "a trio of extraordinary albums". Thomas Blake, for

Folk Radio UK ''KLOF Magazine'' is an independent online music and culture magazine launched in 2004 by Alex Gallacher. Content ''KLOF Magazine'' primarily features writings on music as well as interviews with a wide range of notable artists and musicia ...

, said that the album "seeks to understand old songs and traditions in modern and often highly original ways. It is a real step forward from a genuinely groundbreaking artist".

Personal life

Knapp is married to musician Gerry Diver, who co-produces her albums.

Discography

Albums

* ''Wild and Undaunted'' (2007), Ear to the Ground Music ETTGCD 001 *''Hidden Seam'' (2013),

Navigator Records Navigator Records is a small independent record label in the United Kingdom, specialising in folk and roots music. It is wholly owned by Proper Music Distribution and was launched in 2008. Musicians who have recorded on Navigator Records incl ...

NAVIGATOR 084 *''Till April is Dead – A Garland Of May'' (2017), Ear to the Ground Music ETTGM 003CD *''Hinterland'' (with Gerry Diver) (2025), Ear to the Ground Music BODQTSR7S6

EPs

* ''Hunt the Hare – A Branch Of May'' (2012), Ear to the Ground Music

Other musical contributions

Knapp sang "The Blacksmith" and "Bonnie at Morn" on Gerry Diver's album, ''Diversions'' (2002) and also performed on two of the tracks on

David Rotheray David Rotheray (born 9 February 1963) is an English rock and pop musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for The Beautiful South. Rotheray was born the last of five children. His parents were both intellectuals and had met through th ...

's 2013 album ''Answer Ballads''. She also sang "A Promise That I Keep" for the theme song for ''

Wolfblood ''Wolfblood'' is a British fantasy teen drama television series. Created by Debbie Moon, it is a co-production between CBBC and ZDF/ZDFE. The television series revolves around the life of the species known as wolfbloods. They are creatures tha ...

'' series 1–3. She is also a member of the trio Hack-Poets Guild; their album ''Blackletter Garland'' was named one of the ten best folk albums of 2023 by Jude Rogers of ''The Guardian''.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Lisa 1974 births Living people 21st-century English musicians English women singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English folk musicians English multi-instrumentalists People from Balham 21st-century English women musicians 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Musicians from the London Borough of Wandsworth Singers from the London Borough of Wandsworth People from Tooting