Ever since she first appeared as a solo artiste on the music scene in the early 1990s, award-winning singer Frances Black has enjoyed an enduring popularity that is as much attributable to her enchanting personality as to her beautiful voice.

Frances musical career began at 17, when she began singing with the Black Family, which consisted of her older musical siblings, brothers Shay, Michael and Martin, and well-known sister Mary. The Black Family, who are renowned for their sublime musical abilities and amazing harmonies, recently made a welcome return to the spotlight with the release of their third album, Our Time Together.

Frances gained confidence in her singing abilities and enhanced her performing skills through joining the band Arcady in 1988, in addition to her subsequent successful collaboration with acclaimed Newry singer-songwriter Kieran Goss. However, it was her involvement in the Woman's Heart albums and tours that placed Frances firmly in the public eye, and led to the release of her first solo album, Talk to Me, which was the number one best-selling album in Ireland for ten weeks. She has just released her eighth solo album, This Love Will Carry. Having decided to go back to her roots in traditional and folk music, Frances recently released a stunning collection of 25 tracks, comprised of new tracks. and tracks taken from her days in Arcady, the Black Family, and compilation albums such as A Woman's Heart and Eist.

It is quite a challenge to reconcile the vision of this charming and confident performer on stage with the knowledge that she has fought a huge personal battle to overcome the shyness and insecurity that were the hallmarks of her childhood and early adulthood. Frances sings with a passion and depth of emotion that reflects the inner strength and spirit that has helped her come through a series of personal difficulties. In tandem with her flourishing musical career, she qualified last year as an addiction counsellor and works part-time in this area.

Frances is renowned for creating a magical connection with her audiences wherever she goes, and the ease with which she achieves this is borne out by the reaction of audiences around the world, who have been unfailingly captivated by her natural warmth and honesty. Her gigs are a unique mixture of songs, stories and great music, with audiences being moved to tears by the poignancy of her songs and stories one minute, and are rolling in the aisles with laughter at her witty anecdotes and self-deprecation the next.

The extent of Frances' popularity and talent has been reflected in the awards and accolades she has received for her albums and live performances. She has twice been the recipient of one of the highest honours in Irish music, the prestigious Irish Recorded Music Associations, Best Irish Female Award. As a testament to the excellence of her live performances, she recently won the Best Solo Artiste and was the Overall Winner at the Celtic Fusion Festival Awards in conjunction with Irish Music Magazine, from over 40 nominated acts. See www.celticfusion.co.uk.