Matheson grew up in the small village of
Taynuilt in the region of
Argyll, western Scotland. She was appointed an
OBE in the 2006 New Year's honours list. Matheson appeared as a guest musician on
Spirit of the West's 1997 album
Weights and Measures and performed on
Secret Garden's song "Prayer" on their 1999 album
Dawn of a New Century. She is married to fellow Capercaillie member
Donald Shaw; they have a son. In February 2010, Matheson made an appearance on
Celtic Woman 4 and later in the year released her fourth solo album,
Urram on Vertical Records. In support of the new album, she played a series of shows in Scotland and Ireland, and in early 2016 played shows across the UK as part of the Transatlantic Sessions before embarking on an 11-date UK tour. In February 2021, Matheson released her fifth solo album. In September 2022, she sang a
Gaelic psalm as part of a Service of Thanksgiving for the late
Queen Elizabeth II, at
St Giles' Cathedral in the
Old Town, Edinburgh, which was attended by
Charles III and other members of the
British royal family. ==Solo discography==