TERMS OF THE PARTNERSHIP WILL SEE THE PUBLISHER ACQUIRE A STAKE IN TUNSTALL’S MUSIC PUBLISHING CATALOG
SONGS INCLUDE “SUDDENLY I SEE,” “OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD,”
AND “BLACK HORSE AND THE CHERRY TREE”
Grammy and Mercury Prize-nominated singer KT Tunstall is the latest songwriter to join the Primary Wave Music Publishing family. In a deal that was announced today, the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music will partner with the singer on her music publishing catalog. In addition to music publishing, the deal includes a 50% share of all royalties from Tunstall’s master recordings, which continue to be distributed by various labels across the globe. This exciting new partnership between Primary Wave and Tunstall includes her hit songs “Other Side of the World,” the Grammy nominated “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” and Ivor Novello winning “Suddenly I See.”
Both “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See”, written solely by Tunstall, were featured on her debut album, 2004’s Eye to the Telescope. A memorable TV performance of “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” on Later….with Jools Holland debuting her signature loop pedal helped launch the album and single, gaining a ton of attention and accolades from viewers across the U.K. Upon its release the song debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts, ultimately reaching the Top 20. It was awarded Best Track by Q Magazine in 2005 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. “Suddenly I See” was the third single from Eye to the Telescope. Released in August 2005, the song became her highest charting single in the U.K. In 2006, the song would see new life after a placement in the opening scene of the film “The Devil Wears Prada.” The song continued to be placed across a variety of television shows and films, including “Ugly Betty,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Blind Dating,” and more, as well as in various commercials for Best Buy, Walmart, and Kellogg’s. With the help of these two singles, Eye to the Telescope went on to be certified multiplatinum, selling millions of copies across the world.
The singer’s partnership with Primary Wave will include access to the company’s marketing and publishing infrastructure, which includes digital strategy, licensing, synch opportunities, and film & TV production. Primary Wave will also work with KT to market her name and likeness, in addition to managing all daily digital marketing activities.
“I have been a fan of KT from the moment I saw her first showcase at Virgin Records in 2005,” says Larry Mestel, CEO & Founder of Primary Wave Music Publishing. He continues, “KT is a rare songwriting talent who writes songs that move you with a story. We are honored to have her in the family.”
“First and foremost, I consider myself a songwriter,” says Tunstall. “It is absolutely re-energizing in today’s challenging music landscape to connect creatively with Primary Wave and to discover our mutual joy for the craft of songwriting, and still hold it in greatest of respect.”
Born in Edinburgh and raised in St. Andrews, Scotland, KT Tunstall picked up piano and flute at an early age. By 16, she taught herself guitar and continued to hone her writing skills, moving from gentle picked love songs to more upbeat original material as she began to cut her teeth busking on the street. A move to Connecticut for school would see her form her first band, The Happy Campers. She enrolled in a music and theatre course at London’s Holloway College before heading back home to Scotland and immersing herself in the local grassroots scene.
Years later, Tunstall returned to London and began writing prolifically, many of which would appear on her first album, 2004’s Eye to the Telescope. Highlighting her soulful voice, sassy attitude, and earthy songwriting approach, comparisons from Janis Joplin, to Dido, to Fiona Apple soon sparked. Following the album’s release, Tunstall toured the globe constantly. 2006 saw the release of KT Tunstall’s Acoustic Extravaganza, a collection of stripped back acoustic versions of songs from Eye to the Telescope (and its single b-sides) – now a fan favorite on vinyl – which harked back to her acoustic roots and included a cover of “Golden Age” by one of her biggest inspirations, Beck. In 2007, she kicked off another studio album cycle with her sophomore rockier effort, Drastic Fantastic. The album peaked at number 3 on the U.K. chart and marked Tunstall’s highest showing to date on the Billboard 200 at number 9. Shortly after the release of Drastic Fantastic, KT released a characterful 6-track festive EP – Have Yourself A Very KT Christmas, which continues to enjoy heavy seasonal radio play in the US and abroad. Three years later she would return with Tiger Suit. She followed the album with Live in London in March 2011 and later that year released the under-the-radar The Scarlet Tulip EP. After a brief break, she returned to the studio in 2012 and recorded Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon, which arrived in 2013. Her second live album – Live in London (from the Islington Assembly Hall) was recorded in 2013. In 2016, marking her permanent move to California, Tunstall released the Golden State EP, a precursor to KIN – the first of a proposed trilogy. KIN peaked at number 7 on the U.K. charts. Her third live album, always very popular with fans due in part to her comedic between-song banter – Live at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire – followed in 2016. The second installment of the trilogy, WAX, arrived in 2018, with striking lead single ‘The River’ being named one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Songs You Need To Know’. A fourth live album titled Live at The Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow was recorded in this beloved Scottish venue with an all-female band behind her and released in 2019.