Nathan Evans: Embracing Scottish identity was the turning point

When Nathan Evans went viral with his TikTok sea shanty Wellerman five years ago, the question was always going to be 'what next?'.

His 2024 hit Heather on the Hill appears to have provided the answer.

The distinctively Scottish folk feel of the song, with its mentions of Aberfeldy and amber whisky under a Caledonia sky, confirmed to Evans that he should embrace the sound of his home country.

"That song was the turning point," he says.

"It made us realise Scottish culture and folk music should be at the heart of what we do."

The track, which has had 63 million plays on Spotify, was a collaboration with Scottish brothers Alan and Stevie Jukes, the duo behind pop band St Phnx.

They have been around the scene since 2016, touring with artists such as Imagine Dragons, Yungblud and Lewis Capaldi.

For Evans, who was a postman in Airdrie when Wellerman catapulted him to international fame, Alan and Stevie's experience in the industry has been a massive support.

"I was thrown in at the deep end, and the boys took me under their wing," he says.

"Everything they've learned over 10 years of touring, they shared with me. It's been invaluable."

Evans and the St Phnx brothers have been writing and performing together for a few years, but now they are cementing their relationship with an album that carries both their names.

Angels' Share, released on Friday, is the product of 18 months of "touring, drinking whisky, becoming fathers and being best friends," Stevie says.

"We've been writing together for years but Heather on the Hill was the moment everything shifted.

"Before that we had a transatlantic sound but this song brought us home. It made me realise how powerful embracing our Scottish identity could be."

The song that took Evans to rapid worldwide fame was not Scottish.

He jumped on the sea shanty craze that was sweeping TikTok during the Covid pandemic and posted a version of a song that was most associated with New Zealand whalers.

He admits he struggled to work out how to follow it up.

"At the beginning it was easy to get caught up in the race to recreate that success," he says.

"People sticking around after Wellerman showed me it wasn't just about one viral moment. Everything is growing, getting bigger and better."

The new album features songs such as Blood and Bone, of which Stevie says "tells the story of the three of us as brothers on a journey."

"It sums up everything we've been through and everyone who's come along for the ride."

The title track - Angels' Share - is a toast to everyone who has helped along the way, Alan says.

"It celebrates brotherhood and friendship and honours those who aren't here to see the success," Alan says.

The launch of the new album will be followed by a world tour kicking off in February in Los Angeles, before heading across North America, the UK, Europe, and Australia.

The trio say they are looking forward to getting on the road again, especially after the triumphant hometown gig at the Hydro in Glasgow at the end of October.

"The more you do this, the more you realise how special what we have is," says Stevie.

"You can't fake chemistry.

"The fact that people see it and feel it means the world to us."

Germany will be one of the stops on their tour, a welcome return for Evans, whose connection with the country began when Wellerman topped the German singles chart in 2021.

"At first it made sense because of the sea shanty connection, but now they're staying for the band and the community we've built," Nathan says.

"The support is incredible."

Later this year, Evans and St Phnx will be returning to Scotland for their own festival at the Royal Highland Centre near Edinburgh, which is named after their biggest hit.

"Heather on the Hill was the catalyst for everything," says Alan.

"Naming the festival after it felt very fitting, it started this whole journey. We wanted something family-friendly, whether you're 30 or 70.

"That song became an anthem and hearing 14,000 people singing it back at the Hydro was surreal."

They hope the festival will be such a success that it can become an annual tradition.

And their pride in Scotland could also find another outlet this summer with the trio hinting that they are working on song to mark Scotland appearing in the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

"We've definitely got something cooking up," Stevie says.

"We know how important it is to get it right, and we're working on something because we know a lot of people will be putting stuff out, but we think we can top them."