Cara Dillon

Cara Elizabeth Dillon (born 21 July 1975, in Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish folk singer.

In 1991 she formed a band called Óige (an Irish word meaning 'youth') with school friends Murrough and Ruadhrai O'Kane, bringing her take on Irish traditional songs to Ireland, Scotland and further afield.

During this time she also performed with big names such as De Dannan and Phil Coulter.

Óige recorded two albums with Dillon: a studio and a live album.

Inspiration was recorded in 1992 to sell at concerts in Europe.

The live album, simply called Live, was recorded at a concert in Glasgow on 15 August 1993.

A cassette tape version also exists under the name Live in Glasgow.

In 1995, she joined the folk supergroup Equation and signed a record deal with Warners Music Group.

After leaving the group, she collaborated with Sam Lakeman under the name Polar Star.

Dillon left Óige in 1995 after being asked to replace Kate Rusby in a so-called folk supergroup Equation; however, she guests on their second studio album, Bang On, playing fiddles on the last track, "Maids of Mitchelstown".

Equation comprised five members: Sean Lakeman, Sam Lakeman, Seth Lakeman, Kathryn Roberts and Dillon.

They signed a major record deal with Blanco y Negro (part of Warner Music Group) and recorded an album at Peter Gabriel's Realworld Studios in winter 1995–'96.

The album, entitled Return to Me, was produced by David Bottrill.

There was a single release, "He Loves Me", with an accompanying promotional video.

The band performed on MTV and VH1, but weeks before the release of the album the record label shelved it.

It was not released in 1996, but in 2003 it saw a release under Rough Trade after Geoff Travis (the band's former manager) bought its rights.

Dillon left Equation with original band member Sam Lakeman because of musical differences and together they immediately signed a separate deal with the same label.

In 2001, she released her first solo album, Cara Dillon, which featured traditional songs and two original Dillon/Lakeman compositions.

The album was an unexpected hit in the folk world, with Dillon receiving four nominations at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Dillon's second album, Sweet Liberty (2003), entered the Irish album charts and UK Indie album charts.

In 2004, Dillon received the Meteor Irish Music Award for Best Irish Female.

Her third album, After the Morning, was released in 2006.

The album's opening track “Never in a Million Years” gained Radio 2 Airplay, while other tracks featured the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Paul Brady.

Also in 2006, Dillon sang at the opening of the Ryder Cup in Ireland.

In 2009, Dillon released her fourth album, the award-winning Hill of Thieves.

The record marked a return to Dillon's traditional roots with a purer production and arrangement style.

The titular track “Hill of Thieves”, a Dillon\Lakeman original, was voted by BBC listeners as one of the “Top 10” original songs to have come out of Northern Ireland.

The album also won 'Folk Album of the Year' at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Dillon's fifth solo album, A Thousand Hearts, was released in 2014.

Prior to the album's release, Dillon discovered that her music enjoyed a dedicated following in China, where her first album featured in English curriculums.

She has since embarked on several popular Chinese tours.

Her next release was the Christmas themed album, Upon a Winter's Night which was followed in 2017 by Wanderer.

Despite her relatively low profile in the world of mainstream music, Dillon’s voice has been acclaimed by notable artists such as Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding.

As of 2023, Dillon continues to tour regularly and work with her husband, Sam Lakeman, who backs her on piano and guitar.

Dillon is the sister of fellow folk singer Mary Dillon, formerly of Déanta.

Dillon comes from an area steeped in Irish traditional music.

Since she was a schoolgirl she has sung and performed.

She learned local folk songs from teachers and workshops held in the town.

She can also play the fiddle and whistles.

At the age of 14 she won the All Ireland Singing Trophy at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.