Born into a formidable musical dynasty, her mother Norma was one of The Watersons and her father Martin Carthy is a hugely influential singer and guitarist. Eliza was championed from an early age by the likes of John Peel, Andy Kershaw, Billy Bragg and Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis and has moved through English folk music like a force of nature, both stirring it up and putting it back on the map through television, radio and live performance.
She has been a judge at both the Q Awards and the Ivor Novello Awards, and in 2005 co-presented the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards with Benjamin Zephaniah. Her achievements have been acknowledged with numerous BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, two Mercury Prize nominations, and in 2003 she was the first English traditional musician to be nominated for a BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music. Her own vastly eclectic tastes, along with her knowledge of (and interest in) musical traditions from all over the world continues to fuel her creativity to this day.
As well as recording numerous albums at home, in recent years she has worked on several high-profile commissions for theatre and film. A fruitful working relationship with the respected Shakespearean director Barrie Rutter OBE led to her composing music for The Two Noble Kinsmen at London’s Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and – closer to home – for Jack Lear at Hull Truck Theatre. She has also acted as a musical consultant and made important contributions to the soundtracks of two Hollywood movies: Far From The Madding Crowd (2015) and Tulip Fever (2017).
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Do you want to be a better songwriter, or maybe want to know why your songs aren’t getting in the charts when others are? Do you have a catalogue of songs, but don’t know how to get them ‘out there’? If yes, read on, this is the course for you! If you don’t think there’s anything else you need to learn, please move on. We’re only looking for serious songwriters, artists and producers to be part of this group.
The most important thing I’ve discovered over the decades of being a hit songwriter is that we never can know enough about this beautiful craft. I never stop learning and it still gives me a massive buzz when I discover new techniques from other writers and producers. I know I can’t maintain chart success all on my own, and I know that neither can you.
Since starting The Songwriting Academy I’ve also realised that many people do not have the funds to pay for expensive University courses, and if they do, the course often falls short of the mark with an out of date syllabus, and an out of date tutor…
That’s why I’ve created this affordable course for dedicated songwriters anywhere in the world. I want to make this affordable so you can have success. Why? Because when you succeed so does The Songwriting Academy. I want to be able to say “That’s one of our students!” when you are storming the charts.
