London-based singer/songwriter Olivia Chaney has signed a worldwide deal with Nonesuch Records. The deal coincides with the announcement of the 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, for which Chaney has received two nominations—the Horizon Award for best emerging artist, and Best Original Song for “Swimming in the Longest River.” Chaney will release her debut album in 2014. Further details about the album and its release will be announced shortly, as will upcoming tour dates.

A self-taught multi-instrumentalist and accomplished lyricist and vocalist, Olivia Chaney graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and learnt the guitar from her father's renditions of Bob Dylan, Fairport Convention, and Bert Jansch, among others. Since then she has built a loyal and growing following, both in the UK and internationally, through her acclaimed live performances, as a solo artist and also in collaboration with a diverse range of artists, including Alasdair Roberts, Zero 7, and The Labèque Sisters. In February 2013 she self-released her eponymous debut EP, which has found her further fans with media and public alike. Co-produced with Leo Abrahams, it included the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards nominated-song "Swimming in the Longest River," as well as "The King’s Horses," a track that "confirms Chaney’s arrival as a major talent," according to BBC Music.

Olivia Chaney commented, "I grew up listening to Nonesuch's eclectic output, from Steve Reich, Kronos Quartet, and Laurie Anderson to traditional American music, Emmylou Harris and Oumou Sangaré; and not least my two heroines, the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Joni Mitchell. Nonesuch encompasses everything I've searched and stood for since I was a child. To be welcomed into such a great musical ethos is a dream come true."

David Bither, Senior Vice President of Nonesuch Records, added, "We are very happy to begin working with Olivia. She possesses a remarkable wealth of talents, as a singer, a musician, a songwriter—those moments of hearing such an artist for the first time are specially momentous and we look forward to presenting her debut album next year."

Chaney was the subject of the cover article for the June issue of fRoots magazine, which you can read here.