Portuguese musician Nico Paulo moved to N.L. and fell in love with a Scottish classic

When musician Nico Paulo moved to St. John's last summer, she had never heard the traditional song Wild Mountain Thyme. Now, it's the anchor of a new live EP scheduled to be released later this year.

"We went to Brigus to hang out with some family friends, [and] there's always a singalong," Paulo, who grew up in Portugal and Toronto, told CBC Radio's Weekend AM. "I didn't really grow up with that heritage, a family that was very musical and had singalongs. So I've been appreciating that a lot here in Newfoundland."

It was at this singalong that Paulo first heard Wild Mountain Thyme and was mesmerized by the song and its performance. She kept the song in the back of her mind, and was reminded of it months later during a Facetime call with a friend in Portugal.

"He was like, 'I heard this song the other day and I thought of you. It's like an old Scottish song,'" she said. "And I was like, 'I heard this song in the summer!' I was so excited about it, and this was all happening around the same time [my] Lawnya Vawnya residency was happening. And I was like, 'I think I want to record this song.'"

LISTEN | Nico Paulo speaks with the CBC's Paula Gale about her newest EP, Live at First Light:

As part of her residency with the non-profit arts organization, Paulo was able to record her newest EP, Live at First Light. The three-track release was recorded at First Light's performance space at Cochrane Street United Church, and features collaborations with Tim Baker, Adam Hogan, Steve Maloney and others.

"Everything kind of aligned. We did the three songs, and it all kind of worked really well," she said.

"We did a couple takes per song, because I didn't want to force anything. It was more fun and for the project than anything else. But it went so well that we were like, 'I think we can share this properly.' There was almost no tweaking, it was just kind of holy in a way."

Aside from Wild Mountain Thyme, Paulo tells stories of finding focus and stability in Warrior, and the idea of home in Here, Home, which came from a walk on LeMarchant Road in St. John's. Paulo has been considering the idea of where home is since her arrival in Newfoundland.

"Moving here in the summer, the pandemic, everything kind of places you in like a fragile limbo," said Paulo, who had been living in Toronto for the preceding seven years. "No one knows where we're going … but a lot of people are focusing more on themselves and their homes. I feel like this song was something I wanted to share. I feel like home is Portugal, but it's also here."

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