Recording and performing career
She started her career in 2000. Throughout her twenties, she played in indie bands including Elia Drew and Tomoko, and focused on songwriting, as well as performing with members of the fledgling Fence Collective including work in the Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra with King Creosote, who recently supported her UK tour. She also lived with Gordon Anderson (The Beta Band and The Aliens), whom the song Funnyman, on the album Drastic Fantastic, is about. She toured with the Klezmer band Oi Va Voi, and guested on their album, Laughter Through Tears.
Music career
Eye to the Telescope (2004–2006)
Her debut album, Eye to the Telescope, was released in late 2004. Tunstall's style of music varies from folk to pop. In Edinburgh and St Andrews, she played in a band called Red Light Stylus, which was regarded as one of the better bands to emerge from the limited Fife scene.
Tunstall's first appearance of note was a solo performance of her famed blues song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland.[10] The performance was notable as she had only 24 hours to prepare after scheduled performer Nas cancelled. Her performance caught the eye of many viewers, although she had previously performed it on French television only some weeks before, upstaging more established acts such as The Cure, Embrace, and The Futureheads; she then went on to top the post-show poll on the website for that episode.
Shortly after the "Later" appearance, Eye to the Telescope was re-released and shot up the UK charts, eventually peaking at #3 (on its first release it had entered at #73); it was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize. It was released in the U.S. on 7 February 2006.
Tunstall's North American break came when American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee contacted her asking to use "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" as her choice for a Billboard-themed week. At the time, the song was #79 on the Billboard charts. Tunstall had not been shy with her opinions regarding shows like Idol saying "The major problem I have is that it's completely controlled... they're told what to say. They're told how to sing." She chose to license the song as she felt that "no one on that show told Katharine McPhee to sing my song because no one knew it" Tunstall's belief was correct—the song was suggested to McPhee by Billboard columnist and author Fred Bronson. The song immediately jumped to #23 on the Billboard charts the week following McPhee's performance. She has later said "My status as a musician in America is pretty much cemented by Katharine McPhee, which is really interesting and funny for me because I've never been polite about how I feel about shows like that."
KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza (2006–2007)
Tunstall released a new acoustic album in May 2006, KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza, which was first only available via mail order from her website. The album was re-released in stores worldwide in October 2006.
Tunstall sang with Scottish band Travis on their 2007 album "The Boy With No Name", on the track "Under The Moonlight", a song written by Susie Hug (late of Katydids).
Drastic Fantastic (2007–2008)
Tunstall's third album, Drastic Fantastic, premiered on 3 September 2007 in Scotland, followed a week later on 10 September 2007 with the London release for the UK and 18 September 2007, in the US. In its first week, Drastic Fantastic reached #1 on the Scottish Album Charts, #3 on the UK Charts, and #9 on the U.S. Charts. The album's lead single "Hold On" was released in August 2007, debuting at #34 in the UK, before peaking at #21 in the United Kingdom. The song was also very successful in certain European nations peaking at #19 in Italy, #19 in Norway, #26 in Switzerland and #39 in Ireland. The album's second single "Saving My Face" was released in December 2007. The song did not make the UK Top 40 Singles Charts, but however did managed to peak at #50 on the UK Singles Charts, managing 3 weeks on the UK Charts. Despite missing the UK Top 40, the song made the Top 40 in Italy, making #23 and in Switzerland peaking at #93. The album's third single, and final worldwide single, "If Only" was released in March 2008, becoming the second single from the album not to make the UK Top 40, it managed #45 in audition.
On 5 October 2007 the U.S. discount department store chain Target, in association with NBC, released a special KT Tunstall Christmas EP on CD. Sounds of the Season: The KT Tunstall Holiday Collection contains six exclusive tracks:
* "2000 Miles"
* "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
* "Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas In Hawaii)"
* "Sleigh Ride"
* "Fairytale of New York"
* "Lonely This Christmas"
On 10 December 2007 it was released in Europe through Relentless Records as a digital download only, under the title Have Yourself A Very KT Christmas.
In 2008 KT Tunstall recorded a song for the album Songs for Survival, in support of the indigenous rights organization Survival International. In a video for Survival International, she speaks of music as being a force for good, and about what she has learned about tribal people on this project. She also discusses various issues concerning our culture of consumption and greed, our relation to the earth and the importance of indigenous rights in the world today.
Tunstall also worked with Suzanne Vega on her 2007 album Beauty & Crime, singing backup on songs "Zephyr and I" and "Frank and Ava". It was revealed in the booklet by Vega that the two had never met during the process of making the album.
Tiger Suit (2009-present)
On February 11, 2010 The Daily Record reported that, " 'KT TUNSTALL has recorded her new album in Berlin's famous Hansa studio. The studio, beside the site of the Berlin Wall, was used to make legendary albums including David Bowie's Heroes and U2's Achtung Baby. Kt said: "I had an amazing three weeks recording in Hansa in Berlin in January and am finishing it all off in London." The Scots singer, who has been quiet of late, reassured fans she has been busy. She added: "I am still very much alive and have every music-making limb and muscle working in my laboratory of fierce-new-album-ness." Before her album comes out, KT will be playing a stripped-down set at the Haiti fundraising gig at the Roundhouse in Camden on Thursday February 25. She hopes to jump up with her old pal Seasick Steve for a song or two. Kt added: "My shizzle will feature some new faces and definitely some new songs, so come and have a listen and chuck some dough at a good cause." '
According to her website, Tunstall has finished recording her third studio album. The album has been titled Tiger Suit.
False Alarm
KT Tunstall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I drugged it in it's sleep
There isn't many memories I'm comfortable to keep
This ball keeps rolling on
It's heading for the street
Keep expecting you to send for me
The invitation never comes
There's nothing there at all
So tell me why I feel like
I'm up against a wall
But maybe it's a false alarm
And every answer sounds the same
Just colors bleeding into one that hasn't got a name
Maybe I can't see
Maybe it's just me
Another curtains coming up
The audience is still
I'm struggling to cater for
The space I'm meant to fill
And distance doesn't care
No distance doesn't care
Each time I turn around
There's nothing there at all
So tell me why I feel like
I'm up against a wall
But maybe it's a false alarm
And every answer sounds the same
Just colors bleeding into one that hasn't got a name
Maybe I can't see
Maybe it's just me
I'm trying to put this thing to bed
I drugged it in it's sleep
Remember what you said.
Are you comfortable to keep it?
Keep it?
The lyrics of KT Tunstall's “False Alarm” delve into the anxieties of knowing when to let go of something or someone that is no longer in our lives. She opens the song by saying that she is trying to put something to bed, that she drugged it in its sleep, implying that it's something that she wants to forget or let go of. She then reveals that there are not many memories that she is comfortable keeping, suggesting that whatever she is referring to holds a painful or uncomfortable memory for her.
The song's chorus talks about feeling claustrophobic and helpless at the same time. She says that every answer sounds the same, and everything blends together with no distinct names. It's a very disorienting feeling, and it's making her question whether or not she is the one that can't see the problem or if there ever was a problem to begin with. The uncertainty that she feels in the chorus is an essential part of the song, as she's not sure where to turn or what to think.
In the bridge of the song, she speaks about having an audience to entertain, but she struggles to fill the space she's been given. Despite the distance, she still feels stuck up against a wall, trapped in indecision, and unsure of what to think or do. The song ends just as it begins, with her attempting to drug the memory that's keeping her up at night, but she asks the question of whether it's worth keeping. It's clear from the lyrics that despite her seemingly confident exterior, she is struggling to process her emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm trying to put this thing to bed
I'm trying to move on from this situation
I drugged it in it's sleep
I tried to ignore or forget about it
There isn't many memories I'm comfortable to keep
There aren't many good memories I want to hold on to
This ball keeps rolling on
This situation keeps going
It's heading for the street
It's going towards an unpleasant outcome
Keep expecting you to send for me
I keep waiting for you to contact me
The invitation never comes
You never reach out to me
Each time I turn around
Whenever I look for something
There's nothing there at all
I can't find what I'm looking for
So tell me why I feel like
I don't understand why I feel like
I'm up against a wall
I'm facing a difficult situation where I have limited options
But maybe it's a false alarm
Maybe it's not as bad as I think
And every answer sounds the same
I keep hearing the same unhelpful responses
Just colors bleeding into one that hasn't got a name
Everything seems jumbled and unclear
Maybe I can't see
Maybe I'm not understanding the situation clearly
Maybe it's just me
Maybe the problem is with me instead of the situation
Another curtains coming up
A new situation is beginning
The audience is still
People are watching and waiting for what's next
I'm struggling to cater for
I'm having a hard time meeting the expectations of others
The space I'm meant to fill
The role I'm supposed to play
And distance doesn't care
The passage of time and space doesn't care about my problems
No distance doesn't care
It doesn't matter how far I go, the situation remains
Remember what you said.
Do you remember what you said?
Are you comfortable to keep it?
Are you okay with holding on to it?
Keep it?
Do you want to keep it?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KATIE TUNSTALL, KT TUNSTALL, MARTIN TEREFE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind