Zoë Bestel

Zoë Bestel was born in Liverpool, England in 1997 and aged 8 moved with her family to Wigtown, Scotland. Prior to taking up music professionally she won awards for the piano, recorder, oboe and singing at the Galloway Music Festival. In 2011, aged 13, she started teaching herself the Ukulele.{{cite web |title=Featured Band – Zoe Bestel |url=https://www.dgwgo.com/music-festivals-news/zoe-bestel/ |website=Dumfries and Galloway! What’s Going On? |access-date=19 June 2020}}

Bestel's first EP ’35 Missed Calls’ was released by Distilled Records in 2012, reaching No.3 on the Amazon Folk Chart. In the same year she was named as Dumfries and Galloway Life Magazine's Performer of the year and supported the Peatbog Faeries. In 2013 she was awarded the chance to appear on the Danny Kyle Open Stage at Celtic Connections.{{cite web |title=Zoë Bestel at Celtic Connections |url=https://www.gallowaygazette.co.uk/arts-and-culture/zoe-bestel-celtic-connections-2357058 |website=The Galloway Gazette}}

In 2014 Bestel released the album 'Sir Lucas & The Moon', featuring entirely original songs and produced by Huey Dowling. Bestel self-released the album, designing her own artwork.{{cite web |title=Zoe Bestel Interview |url=https://ukulelego.com/interviews/zoe-bestel-interview/ |website=Ukulele Go! |access-date=19 June 2020}} The album was chosen as the Daily Record's album of the week.{{cite web |title=Zoe Bestel |url=https://www.smalltownsounds.co.uk/band-profiles/zoe-bestel/ |website=Small Town Sounds |access-date=19 June 2020}} Reviews praised the expressiveness and passion of her singing and ukulele playing.{{cite web |title=Zoë Bestel – Sir Lucas And The Moon |url=https://www.ukeplanet.co.uk/ukulele-music/zoe-bestel-sir-lucas-and-the-moon/ |website=Uke Planet |access-date=22 June 2020}}{{cite web |title=Reviews: Zoe Bestel |url=http://www.fatea-records.co.uk/magazineOld/2014/ZoeBestel.html |website=Fatea Records |access-date=22 June 2020}} In September of the same year Bestel took part in a three-date tour as part of the 'Hit the Road' project run by The Scottish Music Centre. She played in Dumfries, Edinburgh and Fort William alongside Lewis Capaldi and Jacob and Rory Green. The project offered the young musicians the chance to go on a small tour, headlining one gig while supporting the other artists at two other dates.{{cite web |title=Fort date as three young acts Hit The Road |url=https://www.whatson-north.co.uk/whats-on/music/fort-date-as-three-young-acts-hit-the-road-166126/ |website=What's On North |access-date=27 May 2020}}

In April 2015 Bestel attended an event called 'A&R You Brave Enough', organised by Wide Days, a music industry convention. At the event she was the only artist to receive praise from all the industry guests.{{cite web |title=Zoë Bestel, Scotland on Sunday, 17 May 2015 |url=http://www.newfoundsound.co.uk/blog/zoe-bestel-scotland-on-sunday-17-may-2015 |website=New Found Sound |access-date=22 June 2020}} In June of that year she attended a Prince's Trust reception at Holyrood Palace and performed a song for Prince Charles. Bestel received £1,000 from the trust to aid in becoming a professional musician.{{cite web |title=Zoe hits a right royal note |url=https://www.dng24.co.uk/zoe-hits-a-right-royal-note/ |website=DNG24 |access-date=22 June 2020}}

Bestel contributed a song to the charity album Songs for the Sea Vol. 1, released on 4 May 2017.{{cite web |title=Songs for the Sea Vol. 1 by Ukulele Sirens |url=https://ukulelesirens.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-the-sea-vol-1 |website=Bandcamp |access-date=29 October 2020}} As of February 2020 the album had raised over $3,650 for Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Coral Reef Alliance, Orange County Coastkeeper and One Percent for the Planet.{{cite web |title=Ukulele Sirens: Songs for the Sea |url=https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1531752096973052&id=569709893177282 |website=Facebook |access-date=29 October 2020}}

The not-for-profit record label Last Night From Glasgow announced in late 2017 that in 2018 they would be releasing Zoe Bestel's next album 'Transience'.{{cite web |title=LNFG11 Announced – Zoë Bestel – Transience |url=https://www.lastnightfromglasgow.com/launch-night/lnfg11-announced-zoe-bestel-transcience/ |website=Last Night From Glasgow |access-date=23 June 2020}} The album was recorded in Copenhagen,{{cite web |title=Artists Zoë Bestel |url=https://www.kanileaukulele.com/featured_item/zoe-bestel/ |website=Kanilea Ukulele |access-date=23 June 2020}} produced by Tobias Elof.{{cite web |title=DMC Presents: Zoë Bestel & Tobias Elof |url=https://thestove.org/event/dmc-presents-zoe-bestel-tobias-elof/ |website=the stove network |access-date=23 June 2020}}

The Herald newspaper included three tracks from the album in their 'Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2018', with the Track 'Eye for an Eye' being placed at number six, describing her singing style as a 'soothing, soaring voice'.{{cite web |title=Video: Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2018 Part 4 (25-1) |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17320681.video-top-100-tunes-from-scotland-in-2018-part-4-25-1/?ref=mr&lp=7 |website=The Herald |access-date=20 June 2020}} Reviews of the album were positive, praising "graceful and soothing vocals"{{cite web |title=The Fountain |url=https://thefountain.eu/reviews/2018/05/review-zoe-bestel/ |website=Review: Zoë Bestel |access-date=19 June 2020}} and the "beauty and fragility" of the songs.{{cite web |title=The Tracks Of My Year: SWH!’s 10 Best Songs Of 2018… |url=https://scotswhayhae.com/2018/12/13/the-tracks-of-my-year-swhs-10-best-songs-of-2018/?fbclid=IwAR3R9-ScZHqQpXN9rdc9w2Natyh7FjpDoJgXMcth3eS316OKPlTmeW3Eq6M |website=Scots Whay Hae! |access-date=23 June 2020}} Following the release of Transience, Bestel was nominated for the 2018 Best Acoustic award at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/news/scottish-alternative-music-awards-2018-the-winners|title=Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2018 The Winners|access-date=2019-09-20|language=en}}

A piece of Bestel's music was used for an advert for the Samsung Frame television in 2019, under a Synchronization license.{{cite web |title=Samsung The Frame advert music (2019) |url=http://muzfrom.com/ads/samsung-en/102533-samsung-the-frame-advert-music-2019.html |website=Muzfrom |access-date=29 October 2020}}

Bestel contributed a synth cover of Medicine Men's Show What You're Made Of to Last Night from Glasgow's Isolation Sessions 2020 fundraising album. The track was placed at number six in The Herald's 'Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2020' list.{{cite news |last1=Willams |first1=Martin |title=Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2020 Part 4 (26-1): From Lewis Capaldi to The Blue Nile |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18962160.top-100-tunes-scotland-2020-part-4-26-1/ |access-date=6 January 2021 |work=The Herald}}

In 2020 Bestel announced that she would be recording new music.{{cite web |title=Incredibly EXCITING news! |url=http://zoebestel.co.uk/incredibly-exciting-news/ |website=Zoë Bestel |access-date=23 June 2020}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.zoebestel.co.uk www.zoebestel.co.uk]
• [https://www.youtube.com/user/ZoeBestel www.youtube.com/user/ZoeBestel]
• [https://www.facebook.com/zoebestel www.facebook.com/zoebestel]

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Category:1997 births

Category:Living people

Category:Scottish women singer-songwriters

Category:Scottish singer-songwriters

Category:People from Wigtown

Category:21st-century Scottish women singers

Category:Singers from Liverpool