Cerys Matthews facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cerys Matthews
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Matthews performing at the Glastonbury Festival in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cerys Elizabeth Matthews |
| Born | 11 April 1969 Cardiff, Wales |
| Origin | Swansea, Wales |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Associated acts | Catatonia |
Cerys Elizabeth Matthews (born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of the Welsh rock band Catatonia. The band was a big part of the "Cool Cymru" movement in the late 1990s, a time when Welsh music and culture became very popular.
Today, Cerys hosts several popular music shows on BBC Radio. She has a weekly music show on BBC Radio 6 Music and a blues show on BBC Radio 2. She also hosts Add To Playlist on BBC Radio 4, which has won awards.
Besides her radio work, Cerys makes TV documentaries and has written several books. She started a festival called "The Good Life Experience" in Flintshire, Wales. It celebrates culture and spending time outdoors.
Contents
Early Life and Influences
Cerys Matthews was born in Cardiff, Wales. When she was seven, her family moved to Swansea. She learned to speak Welsh at school. As a child, her heroes were the character Pippi Longstocking and the famous writers William Butler Yeats and Dylan Thomas.
She started playing the guitar when she was nine years old. Cerys loved singing Welsh folk songs and taught herself traditional songs from all over the world. She was also a member of the West Glamorgan Youth Orchestra. Before her music career took off, she worked as a nanny in Spain, where she learned to speak Catalan.
Music Career
Catatonia
Cerys Matthews helped form the band Catatonia in 1992. She was the lead singer and co-wrote many of their biggest hits. These songs included "Mulder and Scully" and "Road Rage".
The band became famous with their second album, International Velvet. In 1998, Cerys sang with the band Space on the hit song "The Ballad of Tom Jones". The song is about two people who are angry with each other but feel better after hearing a Tom Jones song. Cerys later recorded a version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Tom Jones himself.
After releasing four studio albums, Catatonia officially split up in September 2001.
Solo Career
After Catatonia, Cerys continued to make music. In 2000, she performed with the Pet Shop Boys at the famous Glastonbury Festival. She also provided guest vocals for the American rock band They Might Be Giants.
In 2001, Cerys moved to Nashville, Tennessee, a city famous for music. There, she recorded her first solo album, Cockahoop, which was released in 2003. The album featured many songs she had written herself.
In 2006, she released her second solo album, Never Said Goodbye. She toured across the UK and Ireland to perform her new songs, along with some Catatonia hits.
In 2007, Cerys appeared on the TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, where she finished in fourth place. That same year, she released a mini-album in the Welsh language called Awyren = Aeroplane. It won an award at the National Eisteddfod, a major Welsh festival of culture.
Broadcasting and Other Projects
Cerys began a successful career in radio broadcasting. In 2010, she started hosting her own Sunday morning show on BBC 6 Music. She now presents several shows across the BBC, sharing her love for all kinds of music. Her show Add to Playlist, which she presents with Jeffrey Boakye, won two major European radio awards in 2022.
She has also presented many TV and radio documentaries. Her topics have included the history of the blues, the Mississippi River, and famous singers like Dorothy Squires.
Cerys has continued to release her own music.
- Tir (2010): A collection of traditional Welsh songs.
- Explorer (2011): An album inspired by music from around the world.
- Baby, It's Cold Outside (2012): A popular Christmas album.
- Hullabaloo (2013): An album of traditional Welsh songs and dances.
In 2014, Cerys co-founded The Good Life Experience. This festival in Wales celebrates outdoor activities like camping and foraging, as well as music, books, and crafts.
Awards and Recognition
Cerys Matthews has received many awards for her work in music and broadcasting.
- In 2013, she won a gold Sony Radio Academy Award as "Music Broadcaster of the Year".
- In 2014, she received a St David Award from the Welsh government for her contribution to culture.
- She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2014 for her services to music.
- Swansea University gave her an honorary degree in 2014.
- In 2018, she became the new host of The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2.
Personal Life
Cerys has three children: two sons and a daughter. She is married to Steve Abbott and lives with her family in west London.
She is fluent in four languages: English, Welsh, Spanish, and French. For her 50th birthday, she and her family hiked to Everest Base Camp.
Discography
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 (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)
See also
In Spanish: Cerys Matthews para niños
