Cathy Davey

Catherine Davey (born 1979) is an Irish singer-songwriter.

Davey signed to EMI/Parlophone in 2003 in a deal which Hot Press later described as having "eclipsed even the high-profile signing of The Thrills".

Her rise had been low-profile; she did not perform live until she had signed her record deal.

She has released one extended play, "Come Over" (2004), and four albums, Something Ilk (2004), Tales of Silversleeve (2007), The Nameless (2010) and New Forest (2016).

Her four-track debut EP, "Come Over", released in 2004, and in which she "swoops and yelps her way through proceedings with her distinctive voice", was described by the magazine as "inviting comparisons with others before deciding that she'd rather be completely unique if it's all the same with you".

Davey's debut album, Something Ilk, was recorded at a studio in Wales, produced by Ben Hillier whose previous credits included Blur and Elbow, and released in 2004.

RTÉ reviewer Harry Guerin said it was "high on presence and very low on filler" and gave it three out of five stars.

Hot Press remarked, "Not only is her voice elfin, immediate and distinct the songs are also hugely compelling. They are digestible without being lightweight, austere in places without seeming detached".

The Irish Independent's Paul Byrne described it as "one of the best Irish albums of 2004".

Davey performed a nationwide tour in September 2004.

She also supported Graham Coxon and Supergrass during tours they undertook that year.

The singer later dismissed Something Ilk, saying "I think the record company [EMI's Regal Recordings] thought I was an indie rock chick when they signed me and that album is very much other people's idea of what I should sound like. [...] I didn't have the confidence to say no to some of the things [Ben Hillier] suggested".

Davey claimed not to "know my arse from my elbow when I signed for them" and did not like performing those songs in a live arena.

Her second album garnered her a 2007 Choice Music Prize nomination and the 2008 Meteor Award for Best Irish Female and spawned a number of successful singles, including "Reuben", "Moving", and "Sing for Your Supper".

The Nameless was the top selling album in Ireland upon the week of its release.

It was also nominated for the Choice Music Prize.

Davey has performed at several international events, including representing Ireland at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, the Netherlands, and performing at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

She has also performed at other large exhibitions and festivals in Ireland, including Electric Picnic, Indie-pendence and The Music Show.

Davey has worked with Autamata, Elbow and The Duckworth Lewis Method as well as providing support for Graham Coxon, R.E.M. and Supergrass.

Tales of Silversleeve was named sixth best Irish album of 2007 by John Meagher of the Irish Independent and ninth best album of the decade by Jim Carroll, Tony Clayton-Lea and Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times.

Davey was born in Dublin, daughter of composer Shaun Davey and sculptor Agnes Conway.

At the age of ten she moved with her mother to Wiltshire, where they lived for several years.

On their return to Dublin they settled in Monkstown.

where Davey spent the rest of her teenage years.

The first live performance Davey attended was An Emotional Fish with The Stunning on St Stephen's Green.

She initially intended to be an artist and to develop her interest in music in her leisure time but the offer of a record deal changed that.

Davey has been referred to as "Ireland's Björk".

The magazine's reviewer also compared her to Joni Mitchell after one 2007 show in Cork.

Davey's second album, Tales of Silversleeve, based its sound on the rhythm of the drums.

Notable fans of Davey's music include broadcaster Síle Ní Bhraonain.

Her records have achieved platinum sales.

Davey was initially uncomfortable with being described as a singer-songwriter but is now more accepting of the term.

She describes her songwriting style: "I write in short quick spurts of manic creativity, which are followed by spells of borderline writer's block where the writing comes really painfully and laboriously. I’m sure it's a universal experience for anyone who writes, but it's difficult to get out of, you can't just wish it away—it just disappears when it's had enough. It’s completely independent of whether I’m happy or blue, up or down. It tends to lift as soon as I stop fixating on it—I remember thinking my house was the problem, and I'd need to go to France in order to write, and I would have been scared without Rex [her dog]. I got through it. You can't chase the muse, or you'll scare it away."

Cathy Davey first came to be known as a backing vocalist alongside Carol Keogh for Ken McHugh's project Autamata.

McHugh and Davey subsequently collaborated on what Hot Press described as "a mixture of otherworldly indie and soft space age melodica".

The Irish Times placed Davey third in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009, saying "There's no better female songwriter in Irish music right now".

The comparison caused the Irish Independent's Ed Power to comment in one 2009 review: "Alas, such comparisons are probably inevitable when your favourite mode of communication is an ethereal yelp and your songs are populated with a raggle-taggle of yearners, outsiders and freaks".

His colleague John Meagher opined, "you won't see Björk heft a guitar half so diligently".

Hot Press compared the music on Something Ilk to the works of PJ Harvey and Nina Hynes.

She appears prominently on the 2016 album Foreverland by The Divine Comedy.