About Zoe Bestel
Ethereal vocals, poignant melodies and stirring lyrics describes award winning nu-folk singer/songwriter and musician, Zoë Bestel, hailed as one of Scotland’s most exciting emerging talents. With her first EP, 35 Missed Calls – released in 2012, when she was just 14 – reaching number three in Amazon’s folk chart, two years later her self released debut album, Sir Lucas and the Moon awarded Album of the Week by the Scottish Daily Record, followed by the critically acclaimed album, Transience, released on vinyl on record store day 2018, Zoë is winning admiration nationally and internationally with fans eagerly awaiting a fourth release.
The anticipated new single ‘Utopia’ released in Winter of 2022 to high acclaim from FolkRadio UK: “Zoë’s ethereal and delicate-sounding vocals that transport you, adding weight to her dreams of a world which is in touch with nature”.
Having been invited to support such artists as The Peatbog Faeries, Paul Brady, Chris Wood, Bella Hardy, and Snow Patrol’s Nathan Connolly, as well as numerous BBC radio and TV performances, Bestel has captivated audiences across Denmark, Germany, Finland, Norway, and the Czech Republic as well as leading UK festivals including Celtic Connections, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Stonehaven Folk Festival, Orkney Folk Festival, and headlined The Ukulele Festival of Scotland.
With plans to self release a third album through crowdfunding, Bestel is enthusiastic to share her new writing which she claims is more self reflective than previous work. “The past four years have been a journey of discovery to unearth who I am as a person, as with all people in their early twenties.” The album is set to explore themes of mental health, guilt surrounding heartbreak, and modern folk tales of the elusiveness of a creative spirit.
“Audiences are fast catching up with the fact that, in Bestel’s hands, the ukulele shrugs off its stereotypical comedy baggage and becomes the instrument of choice for one of Scotland’s most fascinating young singer-songwriters.” – The National