“There’s a cosy intimacy and honesty throughout Gillian’s songs”
Gillian Tuite is a fingerstyle guitarist, singer and songwriter from the area of Cavan/Meath, Ireland. She began playing guitar at the age of ten and soon developed a passion for the music of artists such as Paul Simon, Alison Krauss and James Taylor.
Having completed a law degree at Trinity College Dublin, Gillian changed direction and attended the Ballyfermot Rock School. In this creative environment she discovered her love of songwriting, and she hasn’t looked back.
Upon leaving music college, Gillian worked on further developing her craft and appeared regularly at open mic nights and festivals throughout the country. In 2012, she recorded her self-titled debut EP with a number of top Irish musicians including Michael Buckley and Noel Bridgeman.
In recent years, Gillian has played alongside some of her songwriting heroes (Charlie McGettigan, Buddy Mondlock, Dana Cooper) and opened for others (John Spillane, Eleanor McEvoy, Mick Hanly). Through her live performances, which are typified by creative and tasteful guitar playing, strong vocal melodies and heartfelt lyrics, she has gained a reputation for captivating a live audience.
“An ethereal and angelic voice capable of speaking directly to the soul”
In 2017, Gillian fulfilled a lifelong dream in travelling to Nashville, Tennessee to take part in a Randy Newman tribute night ‘Nashville Sings Newman’. She also began to collaborate with renowned Nashville songwriters such as Fred Koller and Cyndi Torres.
In 2019, Gillian released her single ‘Something We Should Try’, co-written with Fred Koller and recorded in Nashville with Thomm Jutz and a cohort of Nashville’s finest musicians. From the same studio session came ‘The Way You Smile’, a co-write with Irish folk legend Charlie McGettigan.
Gillian’s 2020 release ‘Who I Am Today’ was written with American songwriter Gary Ferguson and recorded at the Sessions in the House studio in Northern Ireland. It was, in her own words, “a song I have wanted to write for a long time”. She followed it up with an appearance on the official James Taylor Instagram page with her cover of his song ‘Only One’.
Gillian’s recent projects include a Christmas 2021 tribute to Nanci Griffth with her version of ‘On Grafton Street’, and a 2023 single ‘Secret Sign’ co-written with Irish songwriter Matt McGinn, both of which earned her a spot on the RTE Radio 1 Recommends List. Gillian is currently recording her debut album.