Mary Epworth is an English singer, songwriter, and composer. In 2012, Epworth unveiled her debut album, ''Dream Life'', receiving significant radio backing. Singles such as "Black Doe" and "Long Gone" were featured on

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

playlists, with "Black Doe" selected as

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

's Hottest Record in the World on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

Career

In 2008, Epworth introduced her debut single "The Saddle Song" on 7. It garnered recognition by being featured in a top 100 poll conducted by readers of German ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine. Additionally, she participated in "The Lady: A Tribute to

Sandy Denny Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny (6 January 1947 – 21 April 1978) was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as " guably the pre-eminent British folk-rock sin ...

" concert at

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

, where she was supported by

Bellowhead Bellowhead is an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical sty ...

. The event also featured performances by

Marc Almond Peter Mark Almond (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop/ new wave duo Soft Cell. He has a distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has had a diverse career as a ...

Jim Moray Jim Moray (born ''Douglas Oates''; 20 August 1981) is an English folk music, English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Recording artist While studying classical composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Moray release ...

Dave Swarbrick David Cyril Eric Swarbrick (5 April 1941 – 3 June 2016) was an English traditional folk musician and songwriter and one of the greatest fiddlers in the world. He was one of the most highly regarded musicians produced by the second Bri ...

, and PP Arnold. In 2009, Epworth participated in a

St. George's Day Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, regions, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, England, Ethiopia, Greece, Georgia, Port ...

celebration concert at Cecil Sharp House and also performed at the Camden Crawl. She was interviewed by Tom Cox for ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' on August 2, 2009. Additionally, she released her second single, "Black Doe," on Hand of Glory Records. Her debut album, ''Dream Life'', was released in June 2012, once again under Hand of Glory Records in the UK. It earned the singer-songwriter exposure on BBC 6 Music and Radio 1, along with performances at Bristol Ladyfest, Hop Farm Festival, and

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. The name Bestival is a portmanteau of the words best and festival. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festi ...

in the same year. The album was subsequently released by Highline Records in North America in the spring of 2015. Her brother,

Paul Epworth Paul Richard Epworth (born 25 July 1974) is an English record producer, songwriter, musician, and remixer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Florence and the Machine, Rihanna, and Maxïmo Park, among many others. He is a member of th ...

, is a music producer, musician, and songwriter. In 2013, Epworth released a one-off single titled "September," accompanied by a music video. The single debuted on August 22, 2013, on BBC Radio 6 Music during the Radcliffe and Maconie show, with Epworth as a studio guest for an interview. Subsequently, the single was included in the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist, and Epworth performed live in session with

Lauren Laverne Lauren Cecilia Fisher (née Gofton; born 28 April 1978), known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, model, television presenter, author and singer. She was the lead singer and guitarist in the alternative rock band Kenicki ...

on September 30. In 2014, Epworth undertook a 20-date UK and European tour in support of the US podcast phenomenon

Welcome to Night Vale ''Welcome to Night Vale'' is an absurdist supernatural fiction podcast created by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. It is presented as a community radio show in the fictional American desert town of Night Vale, with the eccentric local radio ho ...

for their stage show. During the tour, Epworth also joined them onstage. The tour featured four shows in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, including two at Union Chapel and two at

Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...

. Subsequently, in 2015, Epworth embarked on a 36-date US tour with Welcome to Night Vale. In 2014, Mary Epworth participated in a unique collaboration curated by Steve Levine. This collaboration featured Epworth alongside

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

Bernard Butler Bernard Joseph Butler (born 1 May 1970) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation; BBC journalist Mark Savage called him "one of Britain's most origina ...

, Tim Burgess, Mark King, Hollie Cook, and Natalie McCool. The event, known as Steve Levine's Assembly Point Sessions, occurred at St George's Hall as part of the Liverpool International Music Festival.

's Chris Hawkins hosted the event. In the 2014 Christmas compilation album ''Christmas Joy in Full Measure'', Epworth's track "The Wolf and the Woods" serves as the opening track. Other contributors to the album include

Young Knives Young Knives are an English indie rock band from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, currently based in Wantage, Oxfordshire. The group consists of brothers Henry Dartnall and Thomas Bonsu-Dartnall (the latter known professionally as "The House ...

, The Webb Brothers, and Kiran Leonard. The album received a rating of 8/10 from

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

. Epworth, along with Young Knives and Kiran Leonard, were featured as special guests on

's Radcliffe and Maconie show on New Year's Eve. In 2016, Epworth composed the score for the podcast Within the Wires, created by the team behind

and Alice Isn't Dead. In September 2016, Epworth was selected by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

as the inaugural artist to record at Visconti Studio, a newly established facility at Kingston University London. In February 2017, Rob da Bank's record label Sunday Best announced the signing of Mary Epworth, with plans to release her second album later that year.

Discography

Singles

* "The Saddle Song" (2008) * "Black Doe" (2009) * "September" (2013) * "Snow Queen" (2014) * "Me Swimming" (2017) * "Surprise Yourself" (2017)

Albums

* ''Dream Life'' (2012 UK / 2015 USA) * ''Elytral'' (2017)

Compilations

* ''Christmas Joy In Full Measure (2014) – The Wolf And The Woods''

References

External links

Official website

Hand of Glory Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epworth, Mary English women singers Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) English women in electronic music English electronic musicians British autoharp players