Julie burst onto the wider music scene in 2006 when she became the first ever Scottish Gaelic singer to win a prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. And since taking that Horizon Award for best newcomer, she has enthralled audiences around the globe, played every major folk festival in Britain, showcased in Texas and New York and is in constant demand as a performer of Gaelic music.

A true pioneer, Julie has helped to take Gaelic music from specialist to more mainstream BBC radio throughout the UK and beyond, recently hosting her own series of folk music programmes on Radio Scotland. The awards have followed; Gaelic Singer of the Year with her album Cuilidh taking Album of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2007, Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Music Awards 2008 and first ever recipient of Gaelic Ambassador of the Year Award in 2008. The wider impact of her music in bringing the Gaelic language to a mainsteam audience was recognised recently when Julie recorded a Gaelic version of the Beatles classic Blackbird as part of a MOJO commissioned compilation to celebrate 40 years since the release of the White Album. She is also an accomplished musician playing highland and small pipes, whistles and button-key accordion. Julie and her band will open the main stage at the Thursday night concert at Speyfest 2009. This will be traditional music at its most seductive.