Cara Dillon, Irish singer-songwriter
Cara Elizabeth Dillon (born 21 July 1975, Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland) is an Irish folk singer. 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. 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. In 2012, Dillon performed two concerts with the Ulster Orchestra.
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. As of 2017, Dillon continues to tour regularly and work with her husband, Sam Lakeman, who backs her on piano and guitar. Her most recent release is the album, Wanderer (2017).
Dillon is the sister of fellow folk singer Mary Dillon, formerly of Déanta.