Womad

Martha Wainwright

Daughter of folk royalty continues on her own distinctive path

"It's funny. Until recently, I was never sure whether I'd got into the music industry because of nepotism," says Martha Wainwright. Her father's Loudon Wainwright III, her mother's Kate McGarrigle and her brother is the precocious Rufus, so you can't blame her. But, two albums into a startlingly confident solo career, you're left in no doubt that this is a hugely talented singer-songwriter in her own right. Tender, abrasive and fiercely emotional at times (she released a 2005 EP called Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole), there's an overriding wit in many of her lyrics - her latest album goes by the name of I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too, after all. The last three years have seen her collaborate with Pete Townshend, Snow Patrol and Damon Albarn's Africa Express, as well as covering Leonard Cohen for the film I'm Your Fan. But it's Martha's own songs of loss, heartbreak, lack of faith and, eventually, redemptive love that mark her out as an individual voice of rare emotional power.

Biog by Rob Williams