Loreena McKennitt

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Loreena McKennitt is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician who makes world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. She is known for her clear, high soprano voice and has sold more than 16 million records worldwide.

She was born on February 17, 1957, in Morden, Manitoba, and has Irish and Scottish roots. Her family and the local music traditions helped spark her love of music. While studying to be a veterinarian at the University of Manitoba, she discovered folk music and Celtic sounds. She began busking to save money to record her first album, and in 1981 she moved to Stratford, Ontario, to join the Stratford Festival acting company.

McKennitt released her first album, Elemental, in 1985, followed by several others including To Drive the Cold Winter Away, Parallel Dreams, The Visit, The Mask and Mirror, A Winter Garden, and The Book of Secrets. She released these albums on her own label, Quinlan Road. She also wrote music for films and TV, and many of her songs appeared in movies and series. Her version of the traditional Irish song “Bonny Portmore” and the single “The Mummers’ Dance” brought her wide attention.

In 1998, a family tragedy deeply affected her: her fiancé and two others died in a boating accident. She started the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety in his memory, and the proceeds from her Live in Paris and Toronto album helped fund the charity. After this, she reduced her public performances for a time.

McKennitt returned with new work in 2006, releasing An Ancient Muse and touring many countries. She also released a live album from the Alhambra in Spain and later projects inspired by the Mediterranean and the Silk Road. Her album The Wind That Shakes the Barley came out in 2010, and a live performance album, Troubadours on the Rhine, earned a Grammy nomination in 2012. She continued releasing music, including Lost Souls in 2018 and a live album from London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2019.

Her music blends Celtic, world, and folk influences, and she often uses literary and historical themes as the basis for her songs. She writes, records, and performs on her own label, Quinlan Road, which is now distributed internationally by Universal Music Group. McKennitt is known for researching a topic deeply before creating an album, which leads to rich, storytelling music.