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.
Miniature Disasters
KT Tunstall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't wanna stand in line,
Don't wanna fall behind.
Don't wanna get caught out,
Don't want to do without.
And then the lesson I must learn
Is that I've got to wait my turn.
Gotta be taught and told,
Got to be good as gold.
But perfectly honestly,
I think it would be good for me.
'cause its a hindrance to my health if I'm a stranger to myself
(Whoa whoa)
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophes,
Bring me to my knees.
Well I must be my own master,
Or a miniature disaster will be,
Will be the death of me.
I don't have to raise my voice,
Don't have to be underhand,
Just gotta understand.
That it's gonna be up and down,
Gonna be lost and found.
And then I can't take to the sky
Before I like it on the ground
And I need to patient, And I need to be brave,
I need to discover how I need to behave,
And I'll find out the answers when I know what to ask,
But I'm speaking this wrong language,
And everybody's talking too fast
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophes,
Bring me to my knees.
Well I must be my own master,
Or a miniature disaster will be, will be (yeah yeah)
Well I've got to run a little faster
Or a miniature disaster will be, will be, oh,
Well I need to know I'll last if a little
Miniature disaster hits me,
It could be the death of me.
In this song, KT Tunstall talks about the pressure she feels to always excel and not fall behind in life. She doesn't want to be second best or do without anything. She wants to be her own master and not be a stranger to herself. She acknowledges that there will be ups and downs in life but she needs to be patient and brave to figure out how to behave and what questions to ask. She also talks about how miniature disasters and minor catastrophes can bring her to her knees and she needs to learn to deal with them or risk them being the death of her.
The song is essentially about the human struggle for perfection and control. It's about the pressure we put on ourselves to always be on top and not make mistakes. The lyrics are a reminder that life is full of ups and downs and it's important to learn from the little mistakes and not let them become major catastrophes.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't wanna be second best,
I don't want to be in a position where I am not the best I can be.
Don't wanna stand in line,
I don't want to follow what others are doing.
Don't wanna fall behind.
I don't want to lose my position or be left behind.
Don't wanna get caught out,
I don't want to be caught off guard or unprepared.
Don't want to do without.
I don't want to be without something important.
And then the lesson I must learn
Is that I've got to wait my turn.
I need to be patient and wait for my time to come.
Looks like I've gotta be hot and cold,
I need to have flexibility and be able to adjust to different situations.
Gotta be taught and told,
I need to be open to learning from others.
Got to be good as gold.
I need to be at my best.
But perfectly honestly,
I think it would be good for me.
Although it may be challenging, I believe it would benefit me.
'cause its a hindrance to my health if I'm a stranger to myself
It is not good for my well-being if I do not know myself well.
(Whoa whoa)
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophes,
Bring me to my knees.
Small problems can have a big impact on me.
Well I must be my own master,
Or a miniature disaster will be,
Will be the death of me.
I need to take control of my own life, or small issues will have a negative effect on me.
I don't have to raise my voice,
I do not need to be loud or aggressive to be heard.
Don't have to be underhand,
I do not need to be sneaky or deceitful to achieve my goals.
Just gotta understand.
I just need to have knowledge and awareness.
That it's gonna be up and down,
Gonna be lost and found.
Things will not always go smoothly, and setbacks are a part of life.
And then I can't take to the sky
Before I like it on the ground
I need to be comfortable with where I am before moving on to the next step.
And I need to patient,
And I need to be brave,
I need to have patience and courage.
I need to discover how I need to behave,
I need to figure out how to act in different situations.
And I'll find out the answers when I know what to ask,
When I ask the right questions, I will discover the solutions.
But I'm speaking this wrong language,
And everybody's talking too fast
I may not understand what others are saying, or they may be moving too quickly.
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophes,
Bring me to my knees.
Small problems can affect me deeply.
Well I've got to run a little faster
Or a miniature disaster will be, will be the death of me.
I need to be proactive and move quickly to avoid small problems from escalating.
Well I need to know I'll last if a little
Miniature disaster hits me,
I need to trust that I can handle small setbacks.
It could be the death of me.
If I do not handle small issues properly, they could have a negative impact on my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KATIE TUNSTALL, KT TUNSTALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juliana Ferreira
Miniature Disasters
Canção de KT Tunstall
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I don't want to be second best
Don't want to stand in line
Don't want to fall behind
Don't want to get caught out
Don't want to do without
And the lesson I must learn
Is that I've got to wait my turn
Looks like I got to be hot and cold
I got to be taught and told
Got to be good as gold
But perfectly honest
I think it would be good for me
Cause it's a hindrance to my health
I'm a stranger to myself
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophes
Bring me to my knees
Well I must be my own master
Or a miniature disaster will be
It will be the death of me
I don't have to raise my voice
Don't have to be underhand
Just got to understand
That it's gonna be up and down
It's gonna be lost and found
And I can't take to the sky
Before I like it on the ground
And I need to be patient
And I need to be brave
Need to discover
How I need to behave
And I'll find out the answers
When I know what to ask
But I speak a different language
And everybody's speaking too fast
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophes
Bring me to my knees
Well I must be my own master
I've got to run a little faster
I need to know I'll last if a little
Miniature disaster hits me
It could be the death of me
Traduzir para o português
Fonte: LyricFind
Compositores: Katie Tunstall / Kt Tunstall
Tina Weiss
Don't wanna be second best
Don't wanna stand in line
Don't wanna fall behind
Don't wanna get caught out
Don't want to do without
Oh and the lesson I must learn
Is that I've got to wait my turn
Looks like I gotta be hot and cold
Gotta be taught and told
Got to be good as gold
But perfectly, honestly
Oh, I think it would be good for me
'Cause it's a hindrance to my health
If I'm a stranger to myself
Oh, miniature disasters and minor catastrophes
Bring me to my knees
Well, I must be my own master
Or a miniature disaster will be, oh
It will be the death of me
I don't have to raise my voice
Don't have to be underhand
Just gotta understand
That it's gonna be up and down
It's going to be lost and found
Oh, and I can't take to the sky
Before I like it on the ground
And I need to be patient
And I need to be brave
Need to discover
How I need to behave
And I'll find out the answers
When I know what to ask
But I speak a different language
And everybody's talkin' too fast
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophes
Bring me to my knees, yeah
Well, I must be my own master
Or a miniature disaster will be, will be, yeah, yeah
Well, I've gotta run a little faster
Or a miniature disaster will be, will be
Oh well, I need to know I'll last
If a little miniature disaster hits me, oh, oh
It will be the death of me
Writer(s): Kt Tunstall Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Nandan Merchant
2020 and still not tired of this song! My favourite!
momsLife1218
I never understood why she wasn't HUGE! She has such TRUE talent!!!
Rachel Fox
Ikr she's a great singer
Rachel Fox
Beaten by no one
chris errickson
and guitar player.... great voice and very creative on guitar, bluesy as f*ck
Andrew Wright
momsLife1218 She’s one of those artists whose first album is so perfect, an instant classic, and then they can never really follow it up. But yeah, she rocks.
Steve Williams
She is huge.
Felipe C.
She is incredible! Hey you, go support her in every single social media, buy her things, show to your friends. Lets make KT big again, the world is in need of real artists. Please, please, PLEASE!
Random Things
I love that her voice is the main instrument instead of an accompaniment drowned out by background music. Her voice is stand alone which seems rare these days.
akgrizzly2006
This is really what gets me too, across all genres I gravitate to musicians who are actually musicians and not marketing products. Whenever I find someone who writes their material and is capable of performing live I go right to that. KT is such an out of place item in my collection but I can't help but simply love to watch and listen because like so many greats before her it's simply a true pleasure to enjoy, so real and unadulterated, a rarity it seems.