One sentence bio
Merlyn Driver is a singer songwriter and nature-focused musician.
One paragraph bio
Merlyn Driver is a singer songwriter and nature-focused musician whose approach draws on folk, contemporary music, and a wide range of other influences and sounds. Born in Orkney in the north of Scotland and raised in a house without electricity, Merlyn’s island upbringing, passion for nature, and thirst for interspecies and intercultural exploration continues to shape his work.
Detailed bio
Merlyn Driver is a singer songwriter and nature-focused musician.
His passion for the natural world goes back to childhood. Born in Orkney (an archipelago in the north of Scotland), and brought up on a smallholding without electricity and other modern conveniences, Merlyn spent much of his time outdoors and only started attending the local school in his teens. Later, as a student on the Scottish mainland, he got his hands on a portable soundscape recording device and a pair of headphones. This led to a transformative experience with a small migratory songbird called a whitethroat - a moment that sparked Merlyn’s enduring focus on listening, nature sounds, and interspecies exploration.
Merlyn’s music, which draws on folk, contemporary, and a wider range of other influences and sounds, has been featured across BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC 6 Music, RTE, and elsewhere. His latest project is a groundbreaking multi-artist album of newly-commissioned music and soundscape recordings, inspired by one of the UK’s most iconic and endangered birds, the Eurasian curlew. The project was inspired by Merlyn’s memories of curlews calling out in the ‘simmerdim’ - the night-long twilight found in the Northern Isles around midsummer. In collaboration with the RSPB, ‘Simmerdim: Curlew Sounds’ was released in 2022, to widespread critical acclaim from The Guardian, Mojo Magazine, and others.
Merlyn’s debut solo album will be released in the autumn of 2025.
Selected quotes
“His atmospheric songs evoke the curlews of his native island, and the soaring vocal flights of Tim Buckley” - Songlines Magazine"
“Fascinating and unique" - BBC Radio Scotland
“Destined for great things as a songwriter” - Musicport Festival
"Haunting and beautiful" - Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2)
"Expertly crafted songs ... expect to hear a lot more from this chap" - fRoots Magazine
"This is the dog’s bollocks! ... it knocked me sideways" - Alex Gallacher (Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Folk Radio UK)
"Totally beguiling stuff" - Roddy Hart (BBC Radio Scotland)
All social network tags: @merlyndriver
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