Julie Fowlis praised for Oscar nomination 27/12/12
North Uist Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis has been recognised in the Scottish Parliament
for her efforts to promote Scotland’s native tongue and congratulated for her Oscar
nomination.
SNP MSP Rob Gibson has lodged a motion in Parliament to congratulate Ms Fowlis on
making the best song list of seven – which will be whittled to five – for Touch the
Sky, from the Disney Pixar film Brave.
The singer and multi-instrumentalist has been nominated alongside Katie Perry, Jessie
J, Scarlett Johansson, as well as an offering from Les Miserables.
The film Brave has brought worldwide attention to Scotland. VisitScotland are to
invest £7m in a tourism marketing campaign on the back of the film, which bosses
predict could bring £140m to the Scottish economy.
Rob Gibson said: “To make the long-list nomination is a great achievement and I warmly
congratulate Julie on that.
“She is a fantastic ambassador for Gaelic music and Scots music in general, putting
it on the world map.
“Julie should be proud of her efforts to raise the profile of Scots song around the
world. This nomination is a reflection of her hard work and talent for writing beautiful
songs.
“Julie and her music have been great ambassadors of Gaelic and Highlands and Islands
culture around the world. This latest advancement seems a world away from the Féis
Rois offices in Dingwall where she worked so effectively.
“Since then her career has continued to blossom and I look forward to many more years
of excellence from Julie – and who knows perhaps a gold statuette to go with it.”
Ms Fowlis is no stranger to winning awards having won a host of them including newcomer
at the scot trad music awards in 2004 as well as BBC radio 2 Folk Singer Of The Year
in 2008, she also co-hosted those awards this year. She has also appeared on the
BBC's music flagship programme Later with Jools Holland in 2007.