Angeline Morrison

Angeline Morrison is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter whose work combines a deep love of traditional song, respect for the hidden ancestral voices of Old Albion, and re-imaginings of diaspora, nation and history. Through her music and her activism, Morrison is re-examining English folk in the 21st century. Angeline’s work is inspired by deep connections to the land, the ancestors, the seasons and the cosmos. Enchantment, devotion, folklore and ritual run through all of her work, alongside a belief in the sacred healing and whole-making power of song. 

Her 2022 album The Sorrow Songs (Topic Records) draws on research into the lives of Britain’s forgotten Black ancestors – stories often absent from the folk canon. Using the sonic language of British folk and vernacular music, Morrison composed songs that centre Black British experiences within conversations about folklore and tradition. 

The album and its live tour received critical acclaim (Folk Album of the Year, The Guardian) and helped bring these overlooked histories into public debate. It has also opened space for other global majority musicians to explore and reshape folk traditions. 

Morrison’s career highlights include a solo slot on Glastonbury’s Acoustic Stage and appearances on BBC Radio (including Woman’s Hour and Loose Ends). During Black History Month 2022, she performed Unknown African Boy (d.1830) on Later… with Jools Holland, a song telling the story of an enslaved child who died in a shipwreck near the Isles of Scilly. 

Notable recent performances include The BBC Proms, Sidmouth Folk Festival, the Black Mary Project, Broadstairs Folk Festival, Folk East, Manchester Folk Horror Festival. Angeline opened for Hew Locke’s exhibition What Have We Here? at the British Museum, played at the Equinox event at Fat Out Fest (Manchester) curated by Zakia Sewell, and was Artist in Residence at The Dreaming retreat in Wales. Most recently, Angeline curated the first ever Black British Folk Takeover for The English Folk Dance and Song Society at Cecil Sharp House.