The nu-folk kid on the block

Great things are expected of singer and songwriter Rachel Sermanni, who is only 19, says Ed Power

IT’S a small world, if, like rising Scottish folkie Rachel Sermanni, your family roots stretch to an obscure village in deepest Tuscany. “My grandfather moved to Glasgow to open a fish-and-chips shop,” says the husky voiced, hazel-eyed crooner. “It’s remarkable, because Paolo Nutini’s family are from the same town. As is the family of [Scottish violinist] Nicola Benedetti. I have no idea why, but we all originate from there.”

Nutini is a superstar and, it seems, Sermanni, a native of the Scottish Highlands, is on a similar trajectory. Only 19, she’s been championed by Mumford and Sons and, still at school, performed at the prestigious Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. With her debut album, Under Mountains, just released, Sermanni is widely tipped as the next big thing in ‘nu-folk’.