Cerys Matthews facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cerys Matthews
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Matthews at Glastonbury in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cerys Elizabeth Matthews |
| Born | 11 April 1969 Cardiff, Wales |
| Origin | Swansea, Wales |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Associated acts | Catatonia |
Cerys Elizabeth Matthews (born 11 April 1969) is a talented Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and radio host. She is famous for being a founding member of the Welsh rock band Catatonia. Cerys was a big part of the "Cool Cymru" music scene in the late 1990s.
Today, Cerys hosts several popular music shows on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 2. She also presents a weekly show on BBC Radio 4 called Add To Playlist, which won big awards in 2022. She creates TV and radio documentaries and was a reporter for The One Show. In 2014, she started "The Good Life Experience," a festival celebrating culture and the outdoors. Cerys has also written books, including children's stories like Tales from the Deep.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Cerys Matthews was born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1969. She was the second of four children in her family. When she was seven, her family moved to Swansea. Cerys went to Welsh language schools and later attended St Michael's School, Llanelli and Ysgol Bro Gwaun. She also studied at Bryanston School in England.
Cerys is very good with languages. She can speak English, Welsh, Spanish, and French fluently. As a child, she looked up to characters like Pippi Longstocking. She also admired famous writers such as William Butler Yeats and Dylan Thomas.
She started playing the guitar at age nine. Cerys loved singing Welsh folk songs and taught herself traditional tunes from around the world. These included blues and Irish folk songs. She was also a member of the West Glamorgan Youth Orchestra. Before her music career, she worked as a nanny in Spain. There, she learned to speak Catalan.
Music Career
Catatonia Days
The band Catatonia started in 1992. Cerys met Mark Roberts and became the lead singer. She helped write the music and lyrics for many of the band's hit songs. Some of these popular songs include "You've Got a Lot to Answer For" and "Mulder and Scully". She also co-wrote "Dead from the Waist Down" and "Road Rage".
Cerys played guitar on some of Catatonia's early songs. Later, another guitarist named Owen Powell joined the band. She also sang a duet with the band Space called "The Ballad of Tom Jones". This song is about two people who are angry but feel better after hearing a Tom Jones song. Cerys later sang with Tom Jones himself. They recorded "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for his 1999 album, Reload.
Catatonia became very famous with their second album, International Velvet. They had more success with Equally Cursed and Blessed. In 2001, they released their fourth album, Paper Scissors Stone. The band officially broke up in September 2001.
Solo Music and More
After Catatonia, Cerys continued her music journey. In June 2000, she joined the Pet Shop Boys at Glastonbury Festival. They sang a duet of "What Have I Done to Deserve This?". In 2001, she sang for a children's cartoon series called Sali Mali. She also sang on a song called "Cyclops Rock" for the band They Might Be Giants.
Cerys moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2001. There, she started playing music with Bucky Baxter, who had worked with Bob Dylan. She had planned to record an album of traditional folk songs. However, her first solo album, Cockahoop (released in 2003), mostly featured her own songs. She toured Britain to promote the album.
In 2005, Cerys recorded a song called "1-2-3". All the money from this song went to a children's charity. In 2006, she released her second solo album, Never Said Goodbye. She toured the UK and Ireland, playing songs from her solo albums and some Catatonia hits.
Cerys appeared on the TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2007. She finished in fourth place. She also performed at a concert in London, singing famous songs like "Total Eclipse of the Heart". In 2007, Cerys became Vice-President of Shelter Cymru, a charity that helps people experiencing homelessness in Wales.
In 2008, Cerys sang with the Manic Street Preachers at The O2. She sang "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" with them. She also started hosting shows on BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 4. In 2009, Cerys released her album Don't Look Down. It came out in both English and Welsh versions.
Since 2010
Cerys has continued to be very busy since 2010. She has reported on Glastonbury Festival for BBC TV and Radio. She has also created and presented many TV and radio documentaries. These include shows about poetry, the Mississippi River, and early blues musicians. She often contributes to BBC Radio 4 programmes and writes for Songlines magazine.
In 2010, Cerys released Tir. This album is a collection of traditional Welsh songs. It also included old family photos from the 1880s to 1940s. The album featured popular Welsh songs like "Calon Lân" and "Cwm Rhondda". She even sang a duet with the famous opera singer Bryn Terfel.
Her fourth solo album, Explorer (2011), was inspired by music and places she had visited around the world. It included sounds and styles from Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and America. In 2012, Cerys performed music from Tir with Ballet Cymru. She also produced a Christmas album called Baby, It's Cold Outside, which was highly praised.
Cerys sang "Crazy" by Patsy Cline and "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan at a memorial service for war reporter Marie Colvin. In 2012, she was a mentor for Tom Jones's team on the TV show The Voice.
In 2014, Cerys helped start The Good Life Experience festival. This interactive festival is held every September in Flintshire, Wales. It celebrates the outdoors with activities like abseiling, campfires, and axe throwing. It also features cultural activities, crafts, books, and music.
Awards and Achievements
Cerys Matthews has won many awards for her work. In 2013, she won a gold award at the Radio Academy Awards. She was named "Music Broadcaster of the year" for her show on BBC Radio 6 Music.
In 2014, she won a "St David Award" from the Welsh government for her contribution to culture. She was also made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2014 for her services to music. This is a special honor in the UK.
Swansea University gave Cerys an honorary degree in July 2014. In 2016, she won the Best Presenter Music award at the Audio Production Awards. In 2018, she took over as the presenter of The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2.
In 2019, Cerys was one of the judges for the Countryfile Calendar. This calendar is sold to raise money for Children in Need, a charity that helps children. In 2022, her BBC Radio 4 show Add To Playlist won two major international awards: The Prix Italia and Prix Europa.
Personal Life
Cerys Matthews has two sons and a daughter. In 2011, she married her second husband, Steve Abbott. Steve also has two children, and they live in west London.
To celebrate her 50th birthday in 2019, Cerys went on an amazing adventure. She hiked to Everest Base Camp with her two sons and her husband. This shows her love for the outdoors and new experiences.
Discography
Catatonia
As a solo artist
Studio albums
- Cockahoop (2003)
- Never Said Goodbye (2006)
- Awyren = Aeroplane (mini-album) (2007)
- Don't Look Down (2009)
- Tir (2010)
- Explorer (2011)
- Baby It's Cold Outside (2012)
- Hullabaloo (2013)
- Dylan Thomas: A Child's Christmas, Poems and Tiger Eggs (2014)
- We Come from the Sun with the Hidden Orchestra and 10 poets (2021)
Singles
- "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (with Space) (1998)
- "Caught in the Middle" (2003)
- "1-2-3" (2005)
- "Open Roads" (2006)
- "Some Kind of Wonderful" (with Aled Jones) (2007)
- "Arlington Way" (2009)
- "Into The Blue"/"Mae Angen Llong Ar Gapten" (2010)
- "Sweet Magnolia" (2011)
Other appearances
Appearances on other original recordings
- Space – Tin Planet, duetting on "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (1998)
- Tom Jones – Reload, on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (1999)
- They Might Be Giants – Mink Car, guest vocals on "Cyclops Rock" (2001)
- Aled Jones – Reasons to Believe, duetting on "Some Kind of Wonderful" (2007)
- The Fron Male Voice Choir – Voices of the Valley: Home, singing "Calon Lan" (2008)
- MAVIS presents Candi Staton & Cerys Matthews, singing "Nemesis Required" (2010)
Appearances on compilations
- Listen to Bob Dylan: A Tribute (2005) – contributed "I Believe in You"
- Hands Across the Water (2006) – contributed "An Occasional Song"
- Songs for the Young at Heart (2007) – contributed "White Horses"
- Over the Rainbow (2007) – contributed "Secret Love"
See also
In Spanish: Cerys Matthews para niños
