A busy summer of festivals lined up for Nathan Carter

Nathan Carter must surely be one of the hardest working performers in Irish country music.

As well as a summer packed with festival appearances, Nathan has also just released his new album ‘Livin the Dream’, has been shooting a television chat show, has a tour of the United States lined up, and, on top of all of that, he is already planning concerts for Christmas.

Born and bred in Liverpool, Nathan grew up firmly planted in his Irish roots (his parents are from Newry) and played traditional Irish music from the tender age of four. “I asked for an accordion when I was four,” he recalled.

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“My nan and grandad used to take me to the Liverpool Irish Centre, There were ceili bands playing and they always had an accordion player. I started playing traditional Irish music and competed in all Ireland festivals for about 10 years, playing accordion and singing.”

Nathan admits that he wasn’t very academic at school and when he left at the age of 16 he started gigging around pubs and clubs in the North of England, never believing that one day he would be a best-selling artist with legions of fans following his every move. “I always knew this was what I would end up doing but I didn’t know at what level,” he continued. “I was happy playing pubs and clubs and stuff like that.”

But fate had other ideas.

And at the age of 18 Nathan was playing a charity gig in Donegal when he met his manager John Farry, who convinced him to move to Ireland and start a band. The rest, as they say, is musical history.

Nathan’s first big steps into the world of Irish country music came at a time when more and more young people were beginning to tap into the genre and a new generation of country music lovers was born. “The new country music generation kicked in and introduced me to a lot of people who wouldn’t have heard of me before,” explained Nathan.

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Over the years Nathan has continued to tour extensively, building on his loyal fan base, and has released nine studio albums, three live albums and three live DVDs. In Ireland he outsold One Direction, Pharrell Williams and Michael Buble, and in 2013 became the first country act to reach number one in the Irish charts since Garth Brooks, six years before.

Just last month Nathan added to his music catalogue with the release of his new album ‘Livin The Dream’, which went straight into number one in the UK and Ireland country music charts.

“I was absolutely thrilled,” said a delighted Nathan. “I had written a few songs on the last albums but not as many as this one.

“I am forever writing things down in a notebook or on my phone; just little ideas that come to me now and again.

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“To have people talking about my songs in a really positive way is great.”

Fans will have the opportunity to hear Nathan live in concert when he headlines the Dalriada Festival on Friday, July 14.

This will be his third visit to the festival and he is thrilled to be kicking off the weekend in style. There will be no rest for the singer over the summer as he plays a host of festivals, as well as a long list of concerts throughout Ireland.

And he will also be jetting off for his first Stateside tour in September. “This is my first time ever going to the States and I am really excited,” he added. “It’s somewhere every performer dreams of going to.”

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On top of that fans can also get up close and personal by joining Nathan for ‘Carter on the Costa’ and special guests, including Lisa McHugh, Philomena Begley, Cliona Hagan, Gerry Guthrie, Johnny Brady, Cliona Hagan, Barry Kirwan, Shane Owens, Hugo Duncan, and many more, for six days in Benalmadena, Spain.

As well as releasing hit albums, performing to thousands of fans, and touring the world. Nathan has also been recording his very own chat show for RTE, which will be screened later this year. “I have a lot of guests on, including Shane Filan, who will be singing their own songs and I will be collaborating with them as well,” he explained.

Without a doubt, 2017 is shaping up to be one of Nathan’s busiest and most successful years to date.

Keep up to date with Nathan’s news and tour dates online at www.nathancartermusic.com.