Rianne Downey still pinches herself. Just a few years ago, she was busking on Sauchiehall Street, guitar case open for coins. This Sunday, she’ll stand under the bright lights at TRNSMT, her name sharing the bill with some of the biggest acts around. It’s the sort of leap that doesn’t sink in overnight.
Busking Beginnings That Shaped a Star
Downey’s story kicks off with the clang of spare change. She was just another hopeful voice echoing off Glasgow’s concrete, her blonde hair catching the eye as much as her raw, smoky vocals caught the ear.
Back then, she’d lug her guitar from Bellshill to the city centre, claiming a patch outside Primark or Buchanan Street subway. A couple of hours. A handful of coins. Maybe a pint later if she was lucky.
One day, though, she sang Rotterdam by The Beautiful South. It’s funny how one tune can change the weather of your life.
“I remember people just stopped in their tracks. That song did something,” she’s said in old interviews.
By 2020, Paul Heaton — the man behind The Housemartins and The Beautiful South — found her cover online. He shared it with his thousands of fans, calling her “a voice you can’t ignore.” She didn’t really know what to say. Heaton would come knocking again.
From Streets to Pyramid Stage
Fast forward three years. Downey’s busking days were behind her — at least in the sense of passing the hat. She was standing on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, mic in hand, next to Paul Heaton himself. Her name wasn’t top billing, but she was there. Singing Caravan of Love to a field of thousands.
She’s only 26, but that sort of moment can age you in the best possible way. Not with lines on your face — but with the grit that comes from looking out at a sea of people and knowing you belong up there.
Sometimes she still forgets.
“Sometimes I’m cooking my dinner, and I just remember what I do for a living,” she told the BBC. “It takes my breath away.”
It’s worth mentioning she did it her way. She didn’t go down some reality TV route. She didn’t have a label throwing cash at her from day one. She earned every note, every clapping hand.
Recording in an Enchanted Forest
Her debut album drops in October, but it’s not just the music that’s got people talking — it’s where she made it.
Downey packed her bags for America, landing near Seattle. Not Seattle proper — not grunge bars or neon signs. A forest. Seriously.
“It was in the middle of a forest and I lived there the whole time. Like I was living in a fairy tale,” she laughed.
Imagine that. A Lanarkshire lass in wellies wandering pine trails by day, laying down vocals by night. There’s a hint of Kate Bush about the whole thing. Maybe that’s why her songs have this dreamy, otherworldly pulse.
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Surrounded by nature
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Cut off from distractions
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Entirely focused on the music
Would she do it again? She says absolutely. It’s the solitude that gives the songs teeth.
Gearing Up for TRNSMT
Now she’s back home. And the forest has given way to Glasgow Green.
This Sunday afternoon, she’ll walk out onto that TRNSMT stage. It’s a big slot, afternoon sun hopefully beaming down. Her name sits just below heavyweights on the festival poster, but in her mind, the jitters are the same as busking outside Greggs.
She’s not trying to reinvent herself. Her setlist blends the new album’s tracks with the folk covers that made people pause on Buchanan Street.
There’s a freedom in that.
No giant pyrotechnics. No auto-tune tricks. Just Downey’s voice, carrying all that forest magic and city grit in the same breath.
The Folk Scene’s Newest Darling
Scotland’s music scene has no shortage of rough diamonds, but Downey is the one you keep hearing about down the pub.
Critics call her sound “new folk.” It’s honest, but not too sweet. It’s rough round the edges in the best way. You can hear Glasgow in her vowels. You can feel that forest cabin echo in the reverb.
She talks about heartbreak and working-class struggles, but also about daydreams and fleeting hope. It’s the contrast that sticks.
She’s shared stages with the best. But her feet are still muddy from those busking days. That’s why people keep rooting for her.
What’s Next After Sunday?
After TRNSMT, Downey won’t have much time to bask. She’s got festival slots stacked up and a headline tour planned for November.
In between, there’s promo for the debut album. Early reviewers who’ve heard sneak peeks say it’s a gem — think Laura Marling meets a bit of Mazzy Star. Big praise for a wee lass from Bellshill, right?
Here’s what we know so far about her year ahead:
| Month | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| July | TRNSMT Festival | Glasgow |
| August | Support slots with indie artists | Various UK cities |
| October | Debut album release | Worldwide |
| November | UK Headline Tour | Glasgow, Manchester, London |
Her fans are ready. She’s ready-ish. But she’ll probably still feel the same thrill walking down to her corner shop, realising her busking days somehow paved this path.
A Voice You Can’t Ignore
One thing’s for sure — Rianne Downey isn’t going anywhere. Not back to the streets, anyway. She’s the voice that makes you stop mid-scroll, or mid-step on a shopping run.
There’s something magic about watching someone’s fairytale unfold in real time. It’s not spotless. It’s not easy. But it’s honest.
And sometimes, honest is enough to fill a festival field with believers.
