Featured Vocalists

Photography by Rory Raitt

Adele Henderson

Adele Henderson is a 33-year-old mother of two who grew up and still lives in Aberchirder in Banffshire. Rather than relying on industry networks, her name emerged through local recommendation and community connection — reflecting the project's belief that talent often sits quietly within communities, waiting to be found. Her selection as the first live voice on AON: THE GATHERING offered early proof that the Social Compact model is already working in practice. The song and the project were showcased on BBC Radio Scotland's Off the Ball with Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove.

“Foggie is where I grew up and where I still feel most at home. My family are here, my pals are here, and it's a place where people really do look out for each other. When I first heard the song, it gave me shivers. I felt a huge sense of pride that someone had written a song about Foggie and that I had been trusted to sing it.”

Video Interview

Photography by Rory Raitt

Rhuaridh McHardy

Rhuaridh McHardy is a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Netherley near Stonehaven. Currently studying Business at Edinburgh Napier University, he remains closely connected to the north-east and was selected following a competitive review process focused on vocal quality, authenticity and connection to place. His deep connection to the area made him a natural fit to carry I'm The Bridge, one of two songs rooted in Aberdeen within the fifteen-track album. His full interview, led by BBC presenter Richard Gordon, gives audiences a closer look at both the young singer and the wider cultural ambition behind AON: THE GATHERING.

“To be chosen to sing I'm The Bridge is a real honour. I come from a small place just outside Stonehaven, and this feels like a chance to represent the north-east properly. The project is about more than music. It is about identity, pride and giving something back.”

Video Interview

Photography by Rory Raitt

Lisa Manson

Lisa Manson from Shetland completes the opening trio of live voices on AON: THE GATHERING. She will perform Muddy Bay (Blood & Bone), the track rooted in Lerwick and the islands. The song's title draws on the Old Norse origin of the name Lerwick — 'Muddy Bay' — and the lyric reaches deeper still, into the salt, stone and stubborn pride of a community shaped by centuries of North Sea weather and Scandinavian heritage. Her selection brings the islands into the heart of the album and signals that the Social Compact music project has crossed a defining threshold.

“I'm proud to be part of Finn Moray and honoured to be one of the voices on AON: THE GATHERING. The Social Compact is the kind of idea you want to stand behind. When I heard Muddy Bay for the first time, I felt it. The islands are in that song. The strength, the history, the pride. I want to do it justice.”

Video Interview

Terry McDermott

Terry McDermott is a Pitmedden-raised, New Orleans-based singer who first came to prominence as the vocalist of Driveblind, the Aberdeen band who went to America and signed a major record deal with Geffen Records. He went on to reach a major American audience as runner-up on Season 3 of NBC's The Voice. A lifelong Aberdeen FC supporter, Terry brings international stature, north-east roots and a proper red heartbeat to Two Stars On Our Chest, the song written about the club and its immortal 1983 European triumph. His selection was made possible through the connection between Ally Begg, David Sheret and the wider Aberdeen community that surrounds the project.

“It's fantastic to sing Two Stars On Our Chest. I'm a Dandy through and through, and I used to work at the club, so to be asked to sing a song about Aberdeen's greatest era means a huge amount to me. There's pride in that story, there's emotion in it, and I wanted to do it justice. To be part of Finn Moray and what this project stands for makes it even more special. We all need to give back a bit more.”

Photography by Rory Raitt

Eilidh Harper

Eilidh Harper is a Caithness-born singer and Home Economics teacher at the Thurso school she once attended. She began performing at the Caithness Music Festival at the age of seven and continued until she was 17. After stepping back from performing with her sister, she returned to music through the Caithness Big Band and was in Dunbeath when the invitation to audition for Finn Moray came through, passed on by her former music teacher Heather Lewry. Her return to the project coincides with the Caithness Music Festival's 70th anniversary year.

“It means so much to sing for the people you love, especially when the songs hold personal meaning. Growing up in Caithness, with the cliffs, the sea, and the landscape of Dunbeath and its castle sitting in my imagination, this song feels like it belongs to a place I know. Coming back to music through Finn Moray, in the festival's 70th year, feels like a full circle moment for me.”

Video Interview