The Scottish chanson of Siobhan Wilson

If there’s anything that embodies the phrase ‘a certain je ne sais quoi’, it’s the French chanson. Originating in early France as an epic poem, what makes la nouvelle chanson so different from modern-day pop is its theatricality, high standard of lyrics and the fact that it follows the rhythms of French language rather than English. All these things hold Siobhan Wilson in their thrall.

"Do you not think the French have a way of making things unsettlingly beautiful?" she asks. We’re talking about Barbara, a singer who came to prominence in the 60s; renowned in her native France, but not as well-known here. On Wilson’s new album, The Departure, she covers Barbara’s Dis, Quand Reviendras-tu?, an achingly beautiful tune that seems handcrafted for Wilson’s haunting voice. "She’s quite gothy. She’s got this weird curly sideburn that’s stuck to her face and big 60s eyeliner," says Wilson. "She’s just so creepy, everything she sings is so beautiful."

Barbara is someone Wilson has been watching for years, being inspired by her style and sound. It’s easy to see why she’d be an influence on any young singer-songwriter, but it makes even more sense when it comes to Wilson in particular, given her love of French music. "I record French music, I sing in French, and I kind of see it as a part of my musical identity. I lived there, and that part never left me." In fact, just before we speak Wilson was visiting the country, seeing her mum and dad and recording some live videos in a Parisian studio. "It’s still a huge part of my life, it’s this parallel that’s kept on going.

"I don’t write lyrics in French," she continues, "I’d say I’m fluent, but not bilingual. I think when you’re writing poetry that’s not in your native language, it’s just really funny. I always think, 'that just sounds wrong and weird.'"

Wilson takes everything that’s good about the chanteuse and manifests it in her own work. Blessed with a voice that’s sweet and poignant, she’s known for indie-folk that’s ever teetering on the edge of melancholy. But Wilson doesn’t consider herself to be part of ‘a scene’. This is most evident in how the road to The Departure was paved through community: loyal fans who knew what they wanted and trusted Wilson to give it to them. In 2017, she began a Kickstarter to raise funds to create a new record, and ended up sourcing a couple of grand more than she originally needed.

"I don’t know how to be a folk singer or how to be a rock singer, I’m just being myself," she says. "I’m not competitive, I’m not working to top the charts, and that’s why the Kickstarter community was so valuable. I’m not a part of a scene trying to make fashionable music, but I do have my own team and my own community I feel very involved in and appreciative of."

The sense of community is further speckled throughout the album in the form of collaborations. On Little Hawk you can hear the lyrics of Jo Mango, while on Reflections there’s Rachel Sermanni, and on Unconquerable Wilson shares the mic with Honeyblood's Stina Tweeddale. This lends the album a unique twist: while the songs by other artists don’t stand out as being obviously ‘other’, there’s still a clear demographic whose voice is being shared here.

"I wanted to document a part of my life and my surroundings. And I think it sounds like a woman approaching her 30s in Scotland. Me," says Wilson. "I suppose we’re all singers, we’re roughly the same age, we all live in Scotland. All four of those people are really, really different. I think it’s built like a tapestry. I didn’t set out to do that, but that’s what it sounds like to me when I listen to it."

Wilson is an incredibly thoughtful person, considerate of each question and keen to ensure she says exactly what she means. Asked about what it means to be brave – inspired by lyrics from Northern Clouds – there’s a long pause before she answers. "It’s a very brave process, just putting anything out," she says. "It’s like if you had a normal job working at a desk and creating reports – and then everyone saw it. Literally anyone. That’s a really brave thing to do, and I really enjoy that." Women can often be perceived, she says, as "whimsical" or "emotional" when they’re doing the sort of thing she does: putting out albums, making music and poetry, crafting a creative life for themselves. "It’s brave to say: 'This is what I’m doing.' Essentially just being yourself and not trying to copy other people."

The pressure to adhere to standards – of music, beauty, femininity, whatever – in an industry that values and is driven by money and looks seems difficult to ignore, no matter how secure in your identity you are. But Wilson has always railed against it – whether intentionally or otherwise. "I can’t understand what not being like that would be like. I’ve always had a flair for making things in as unique a way as possible," she says. "There’s always going to be a degree of emulation; that’s inevitable because you’re influenced by what you’ve been listening to that day and what you’ve been listening to that year, and over the duration of your life. So there’s always influence there. But it’s just never been an option for me to be any part of any kind of hype. I just don’t find it inspiring or artistic."

Instead, Wilson is quietly creating her own following. The Departure is set for release on Suffering Fools Records, a label Wilson set up herself. The demise of her previous Edinburgh label, Song, by Toad, she says, gave her a nudge to formalise her projects and set up an online shop. "Most of those who have already ordered a vinyl will have most likely met me in person at a gig and seen me at various stages in my musical journey so far. Starting up my own record label was a natural progression from already being mostly DIY for years.

"I’ve kept everything about the label as creative as possible, I’m rejecting pre-existing industry requirements I don’t conform to or agree with, and I’m keeping everything happy, safe and organised. I’ve never been in music for money, obviously, so starting up a new label is mostly a means to facilitate making my new works accessible to my own community – who I appreciate massively."

So, while it’s not the sort projected by the industry, LA or mass production, there’s a growing hype around Wilson nonetheless. It feels more authentic, however, bolstered perhaps by her own sincerity: emails that go out to the Kickstarters who helped fund The Departure are shot with genuine appreciation and candour, Wilson’s public-facing social media is full of support and gratitude for Scotland’s artistic community. And her new record is much the same: a snapshot of space and time in one person’s life, made beautiful through pathos and charm.

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The Departure is released on 10 May via Suffering Fools Records

Siobhan Wilson plays VoxBox, Edinburgh, 12 May; Summerhall, Edinburgh, 7 Aug

siobhan-wilson.net