Karen Matheson
Karen Matheson OBE (born 11 February 1963) is a Scottish folk singer who frequently sings in Gaelic. She is the lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Héritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lead vocals, either alone or with Elaine Morgan. She and Morgan sang together on the Breton language song "Diwanit Bugale", the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996.
Karen Matheson
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- Name
- Karen Matheson
- Born
- 11 February 1963
- Occupation
- Singer
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Fields
- Celtic music
- Honours
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Karen Matheson OBE (born 11 February 1963) is a Scottish folk singer who frequently sings in Gaelic. She is the lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Héritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lead vocals, either alone or with Elaine Morgan. She and Morgan sang together on the Breton language song "Diwanit Bugale", the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996.
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Note VALÉORINE
Karen Matheson (born 1963) is a British musician and singer. The musician was born in Scotland.
Genres include Celtic music. Languages used include English. Karen Matheson received Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q3193118 · wikipedia · Karen Matheson
In this article
Biography
Biography
She made a cameo appearance in the 1995 movie Rob Roy singing the song "Ailein duinn".
Karen Matheson lors d'un concert de Capercaillie au festival interceltique de Lorient 2013
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Karen Matheson lors d'un concert de Capercaillie au festival interceltique de Lorient 2013
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Karen Matheson • Honorific Suffix — OBE • Born — 11 February 1963 • Origin — Taynuilt, Argyll, Scotland • Genre — Folk • Occupation — Singer • Instrument — Vocals • Years Active — 1980s–present • Current Member Of — Capercaillie • Past Member Of — L'Héritage des Celtes • Website — karenmatheson.com
Biography
Biography
Matheson grew up in the small village of Taynuilt in the region of Argyll, western Scotland. She was appointed an OBE in the 2006 New Year's honours list. Matheson appeared as a guest musician on Spirit of the West's 1997 album Weights and Measures and performed on Secret Garden's song "Prayer" on their 1999 album Dawn of a New Century. She is married to fellow Capercaillie member Donald Shaw; they have a son. In February 2010, Matheson made an appearance on Celtic Woman 4 and later in the year released her fourth solo album, Urram on Vertical Records. In support of the new album, she played a series of shows in Scotland and Ireland, and in early 2016 played shows across the UK as part of the Transatlantic Sessions before embarking on an 11-date UK tour. In February 2021, Matheson released her fifth solo album. In September 2022, she sang a Gaelic psalm as part of a Service of Thanksgiving for the late Queen Elizabeth II, at St Giles' Cathedral in the Old Town, Edinburgh, which was attended by Charles III and other members of the British royal family.
Solo discography
• The Dreaming Sea (1996) • Time to Fall (2002) • Downriver (2005) • Urram (2015) • Still Time (2021)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Karen Matheson”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3193118: Karen Matheson
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Wilson, Louise (2018) Donald Shaw: 10 things that changed my life, The National, 30 December 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- 2.Howard, Ali (2013) In my mother's tongue, The Herald, 10 August 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- 3.Urram (Respect) by Karen Matheson. Vertical Records / verticalrecords.co.uk. 2015.
- 4.5 Karen Matheson Tour Dates. ents24.com.
- 5.Karen Matheson – Tour Dates 2015. bandsintown.com.
- 6.Karen Matheson > Live. karenmatheson.com.
- 7.Still Time by Karen Matheson. karenmatheson.bandcamp.com. May 2021.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
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