Origins and originality : Authenticity in the media representation of Julie Fowlis

Abstract

This article examines the ways in which Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis is constructed ‘authentic’ in the media. Two narratives that I call ‘narrative of origins’ and ‘narrative of professionalism’ construct her authenticity as a representative of the folk music scene. Fowlis represents the new Gaelic speaker, but is presented in terms of stereotypical imagery connected to Scotland, which portrays tradition as stagnant, quaint and in need of preservation. However, she is also presented as a professional artist, remaking and reinterpreting the tradition of a living culture that she represents. Thus, here authenticity ascribed on the artist is viewed as a cultural memory device, built on the interaction of individual collective levels of remembering and the process of premediation with it. The material analysed consists of printed and electronic articles, concert and album reviews, and interviews written about Fowlis. The theoretical framework is based on the discussion on the concept of authenticity and on memory studies.