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Home K KT Tunstall

Kate Victoria Tunstall was born June 23rd, 1975, in Edinburgh Scotland to her half-Chinese, half-Scottish mother and Irish father. She was 18 days old when she was adopted out to an English family in St Andrews, Scotland.[3] Kate never got to meet her biological father.[4] Her adoptive father was employed as a physics lecturer at the University of St Andrews, and her adoptive mother was a school teacher.[5] Tunstall's family also includes an older brother named Joe and a younger brother named Daniel. Her parents had no interest in music and owned no records—the only tape her father owned was a comedy recording by mathematician and musical satirist Tom Lehrer.[6]

Tunstall grew up in St Andrews, a town in Fife, attending Lawhead Primary, then Dundee High School and Madras College in St. Andrews, but she spent her last year of high school in New England[5] at the Kent School, a selective prep school in Kent, Connecticut.[7][8]

"After school, having learned the piano, flute, and guitar, she left her native St Andrews to take up a scholarship at Kent School in Connecticut, New England, where she formed her first band, The Happy Campers."[citation needed]

She spent time busking on Church Street in Burlington, Vermont, and at a commune in rural Vermont. Tunstall studied at Madras College in St Andrews, Kent School in Connecticut, and at Royal Holloway, University of London. She has said that: "...My earliest memories are Californian...", attributed to a sabbatical that her father took at UCLA in 1979.[9]

Music career

Career Beginnings

Throughout Tunstall's 20s, she played in Indie music bands including Elia Drew[10] and Tomoko. She focused on songwriting, as well as performing with members of the fledgling Fence Collective. KT Tunstall had lived with Gordon Anderson, (The Beta Band, and The Aliens), whom the song "Funnyman", on the album Drastic Fantastic, is about. She toured with the Klezmer band Oi Va Voi, and stayed with them while they were making their album, Laughter Through Tears.

UK-based label Relentless Records heard about Tunstall through their scouts and quickly put forward an independent offer.[11] However, Tunstall had decided to sign with a US major, and initially passed up the offer.[11] That deal did not work out and so she eventually decided to go with Relentless.[11]

Although he recognised the potential in the quality of her voice and songs, at this point Relentless co-founder Shabs Jobanputra's assessment was that she "wasn't ready yet" and so together with her manager, Jobanputra discussed "the process of how we saw her happening and how we would work, why we thought the songs were great, why we thought she was great, and why it could really work if we took enough time."[11] After the signing, a lot of time was spent developing certain songs and honing her live performance before she was ready for release.[11]

Eye to the Telescope (2004–2006)

Her début album, Eye to the Telescope, was released in late 2004. Tunstall's style of music varies from folk to pop. In Edinburgh and St Andrews, she played in a band called Red Light Stylus, which was regarded as one of the better bands to emerge from the limited Fife scene.

Tunstall's first appearance of note was a solo performance of her blues song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland.[12] The performance was notable as she had only 24 hours to prepare after scheduled performer Nas cancelled.[13] Her performance caught the eye of many viewers, although she had previously performed it on French television only some weeks before, upstaging more established acts such as The Cure, Embrace, and The Futureheads; she then went on to top the post-show poll on the website for that episode.

Shortly after the Later appearance, Eye to the Telescope was re-released and shot up the UK charts, eventually peaking at #3 (on its first release it had entered at #73); it was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize. It was released in the U.S. on 7 February 2006.

"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" was one of the most successful singles and most radio-played songs of 2005 in the United Kingdom. On the UK Singles Charts, the single made number twenty-eight on the charts[14] and on the US Billboard Hot 100, charted at number twenty.[15] The next release from the album in the United Kingdom was "Other Side of the World" whilst "Suddenly I See" was released in the United States. Further singles released from the album were "Under the Weather" and "Another Place to Fall" which were also successful.[16][17]

Tunstall's North American break came when American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee contacted her asking to use "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" as her choice for a Billboard-themed week. At the time, the song was #79 on the Billboard charts.[18] Tunstall had not been shy with her opinions regarding shows like Idol saying "The major problem I have is that it's completely controlled... they're told what to say. They're told how to sing."[19] She chose to license the song as she felt that "no one on that show told Katharine McPhee to sing my song because no one knew it".[19] Tunstall's belief was correct—the song was suggested to McPhee by Billboard columnist and author Fred Bronson.[20] The song immediately jumped to #23 on the Billboard charts the week following McPhee's performance.[18] She has later said "My status as a musician in America is pretty much cemented by Katharine McPhee, which is really interesting and funny for me because I've never been polite about how I feel about shows like that."[21]

Acoustic Extravaganza (2006–2007)

Tunstall released a new acoustic album in May 2006, KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza, which was first only available via mail order from her website. The album was re-released in stores worldwide in October 2006.

Tunstall sang with Scottish band Travis on their 2007 album The Boy With No Name, on the track "Under the Moonlight", a song written by Susie Hug (late of Katydids).

Drastic Fantastic (2007–2008)

Tunstall's second album, Drastic Fantastic, premièred on 3 September 2007 in Scotland, followed a week later on 10 September 2007 with the London release for the UK and 18 September 2007, in the US. In its first week, Drastic Fantastic reached #1 on the Scottish Album Charts, #3 on the UK Charts, and #9 on the U.S. Charts.[22] The album's lead single, "Hold On", was released in the UK in August 2007, débuting at #34 there before peaking at #21. The song was also very successful in certain European nations peaking at #19 in Italy, #19 in Norway, #26 in Switzerland and #39 in Ireland.[23][24] The album's second single, "Saving My Face", was released in December 2007. The song did not make the UK Top 40 Singles Charts, but however did managed to peak at #50 on the UK Singles Charts, managing 3 weeks on the UK Charts. Despite missing the UK Top 40, the song made the Top 40 in Italy, making #23 and in Switzerland peaking at #93.[25][26] The album's third single and final worldwide single, "If Only", was released in March 2008, becoming the second single from the album not to make the UK Top 40, it managed #45 in audition.[27]

In the United States, "Hold On" was moderately successful, charting at number ninety-five on the US Billboard Pop Chart[28] and number twenty-seven on the US Billboard Adult Top 40.[28] However, on the main Hot 100 charts, it stalled, failing to make impact inside the Top 100, causing it to chart at number one-hundred and four on the US Billboard Hot 100. As for Drastic Fantasic, it became one of her best charting albums to date, charting at number three on the UK Album Charts,[29] topping the Scottish Album Charts and making the top ten of the US Billboard 200 album charts, charting at number nine.[30] Further singles released from Drastic Fantasic were "Saving My Face" and "If Only" which were moderately successful, charting at number fifty and forty-five on the UK Singles Charts respectively.[31][32]

Tunstall commented that the photograph for the album cover was influenced by the 1970s rock star, Suzi Quatro.

On 5 October 2007, the U.S. discount department store chain Target, in association with NBC, released a special KT Tunstall Christmas EP on CD. Sounds of the Season: The KT Tunstall Holiday Collection contains six exclusive tracks:

* "2000 Miles"
* "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
* "Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas In Hawaii)"
* "Sleigh Ride"
* "Fairytale of New York"
* "Lonely This Christmas"

On 10 December 2007, it was released in Europe through Relentless Records as a digital download only, under the title Have Yourself A Very KT Christmas.

In 2008, KT Tunstall recorded a song for the album Songs for Survival, in support of the indigenous rights organization Survival International.[33][34] In a video for Survival International, she speaks of music as being a force for good, and about what she has learned about tribal people on this project. She also discusses various issues concerning our culture of consumption and greed, our relation to the earth and the importance of indigenous rights in the world today.[35]

Tunstall also worked with Suzanne Vega on her 2007 album Beauty & Crime, singing backup on songs "Zephyr and I" and "Frank and Ava". It was revealed in the booklet by Vega that the two had never met during the process of making the album.

Tiger Suit (2009-present)

On 11 February 2010, The Daily Record reported that Tunstall had recorded her new album in Berlin's Hansa Studios. The studio, next to where Berlin Wall stood, was used to make legendary albums including David Bowie's "Heroes" and U2's Achtung Baby. Tunstall said, "I had an amazing three weeks recording in Hansa in Berlin in January and am finishing it all off in London." The album, titled Tiger Suit, was released in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2010 and in the United States on 5 October 2010.[36] The album's first single was "Fade Like a Shadow" in the United States and "(Still a) Weirdo" in the United Kingdom.[37] These lead singles were released before the album.[38]

On 8 March 2011, Tunstall recorded her first live record in London.