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.
Girl And The Ghost
KT Tunstall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sit in the corner
The girl and the ghost
Seem to have a lot to say
The girl and the ghost
Haven't seen each other in three years
The girl and the ghost
Slipped away
The ghost and the girl
Commonly connected by something bigger
A phenomenon that sets off the eternal trigger
And lets the light through that usually goes around
And around and around
The girl and the ghost
Meet in the corridor
The girl and the ghost
They touch fingers and walk right through
The girl and the ghost
Feel so familiar and fearless
The girl and the ghost
Know each other like other people do
Other people do, other people do
The ghost and the girl
Commonly connected by something bigger
A phenomenon that sets off the eternal trigger
And lets the light through that usually
Ghost and the girl
Commonly connected by, well, something bigger
A phenomenon that sets off the eternal trigger
And lets the light through that usually goes around
And around and around
Usually goes around and around and around
Usually goes around
Goes around, it goes around, it goes around
It usually goes around
It goes around, it goes around, it goes around
It usually goes around
It goes around, it goes around, it goes around
It usually goes around
It goes around, it goes around, it goes around
It usually goes around
It goes around, it goes around, it goes around
It usually goes around
The song "Girl and the Ghost" by KT Tunstall tells the story of two beings - a girl and a ghost - who are connected by a force bigger than themselves. The lyrics suggest that they have a lot to say to each other, but it's been three years since they last met. They finally reunite in a corridor, where they touch fingers and walk right through each other, feeling familiar and fearless. The lyrics emphasize that the bond between the two is not typical or mundane, but rather something "phenomenal" that sets off an eternal trigger and "lets the light through that usually goes around and around." The repetition of the line "usually goes around" seems to suggest that the connection between the two defies conventional expectations and limitations.
The song can be interpreted in many different ways, but it seems to be about a profound, inexplicable connection between two people or beings. The use of the image of a ghost also adds a sense of mystery and otherworldliness to the lyrics. The song leaves many questions unanswered - Who are the girl and the ghost? What is the force that connects them? - but it creates a haunting, dreamlike atmosphere that draws the listener in.
Line by Line Meaning
The girl and the ghost
Two entities, one of them being human, the other being a supernatural being without a physical body.
Sit in the corner
Currently positioned in a location where they are not in the spotlight or drawing attention to themselves.
Seem to have a lot to say
There is potential for them to communicate with each other and exchange significant ideas or sentiments.
Haven't seen each other in three years
They have not had any interaction or communication with each other for an extended period of time, specifically three years.
A few simple seconds slipped away
A small and insignificant amount of time has passed, yet there is still a sense of the missed opportunity or loss.
Commonly connected by something bigger
Both characters share a bond or trait that is not immediately evident or tangible, but is significant in their relationship.
A phenomenon that sets off the eternal trigger
This shared bond or trait triggers something undefined and infinite in nature.
And lets the light through that usually goes around
This phenomenon allows for a new perspective or knowledge to be revealed that would normally remain hidden or inaccessible.
Meet in the corridor
They encounter each other in a space that serves as a transitional area between different places or realities.
They touch fingers and walk right through
There is a brief and subtle physical interaction that occurs before the two characters continue moving forward together.
Feel so familiar and fearless
Both characters have a comfort and confidence in their relationship, feeling like they have known each other for a long time without it being a source of anxiety or fear.
Know each other like other people do
Their relationship is similar to the kind that two ordinary humans could have with each other.
Commonly connected by, well, something bigger
The bond or trait that connects them is not easily described or defined, but it is still something significant and powerful.
Usually goes around
Something often repeats in a certain pattern or cycle.
Goes around, it goes around, it goes around
This pattern or cycle is ingrained and familiar.
It usually goes around
This pattern or cycle is predictable and consistent.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KT Tunstall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind