Mae Karthauser is a British songwriter with a rich, acrobatic voice and a distinctive yet unplaceable songwriting style. Raised in a musical family, her debut performance came in 1990, aged 5, when she sang a solo as a policeman on the Abbotts Ann village hall stage.

With “The Midnight Fairground” band and in collaboration with European circus companies, she's played whilst harnessed off the edge of BBC Television studios, whilst flying over the Mont Blanc range in a paraglider (her red painted keyboard held tightly on her lap!), as well as multiple solo tours in France and Belgium. Mae has been featured on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 6 and has performed live on BBC2's The One Show, as well as winning the stage at Glastonbury Festival and TEDx.

As the world plunged into lockdowns in 2020 new songs with a different feel began emerging; back to her roots, to melody, simplicity and fragile honesty. With flautist Ronja Schlumberger and cellist Ben Roberts they have explored the edges of their instruments. These new songs dance childlike through tender, magical and dark terrain and explore both experimental and simple organic tones. The latest album “August” was released on 17th March 2023 to a sell-out audience at The Great Hall, Dartington.

"Epic... gorgeous... ethereal" - CLASH

“Her voice soars like a nightingale” – FATEA

“Colourful, captivating, atmospheric” – FOLK RADIO