AN ALLOA musician has earned a scholarship to a songwriting workshop in Spain, hosted by one of Scotland’s biggest names in music.

Kieran Fisher leads the Clacks band TONTO, having previously released his own solo album Pay for the Privilege back in 2018.

The songwriter has booked himself a place on the La Sierra Casa songwriting camp in El Xinorlet, Spain, after seeing a callout online.

The workshop will allow artists to take lessons off of professional musicians, with the View’s Kyle Falconer leading Kieran’s sessions.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Kieran said he was buzzing to go over and get started and couldn’t believe he had won the scholarship.

He said: “I saw it advertised online and I had to submit an application about my past experiences with music and what I’d been doing.

“I sent over one of my songs and I got a call back saying I’d won it and I’m absolutely buzzing with it.

“I think this is something that is going to benefit me greatly in my music career and I think it’s going to be an eye opener about what is achievable for me.

“Working with people who have been in the industry at such a high level has helped me learn different skills and this will be great for my songwriting.”

The La Sierra Casa camp is located near Alicante in Spain, which hosts regular workshops to help musicians enhance their songs.

They often attract big names in music to help host the workshops, with Kyle Falconer the next star to be leading the sessions.

Running from September 11 to 16, Kieran will fly out to Spain to join up with the other winner of the competition before getting to work improving his songwriting under Kyle.

Kieran continued: “There’s a studio at the camp so we’ll be recording songs and working with industry producers and Kyle Falconer.

“He’s one of the guys who got me into music so I can’t wait to be knocking heads with him on my songs.”

In addition to working with Kyle, Kieran will also link up with in-house producers and songwriters Cal Roberts and Billy Mitchell.

He will also get the chance to have a virtual Q&A session with Alan McGee, the man who discovered Oasis.

The workshop has been made possible from the work of Oilfast, an independent fuel supplier based in Motherwell.

They launched their Oilfast Trust Fund, designed to support Scottish artists in achieving their fullest potential.

James Hughes, business development manager for Oilfast, said: "We believe that everyone deserves a chance to pursue their dreams, regardless of their financial background.

"That's why we launched the Oilfast Trust Fund - ensuring that talented songwriters from low-income backgrounds can thrive in an environment designed to foster their talents.

"We are now thrilled to have found our winners - Kieran Fisher and Emilie Wilson. Having met them, I believe we have made a fantastic decision and I cannot wait to hear about their experiences and see what the future holds for them."

Kieran has had a long history with music already, starting in his early teens and going on to release numerous singles and releases on streaming services.

He has supported various big Scottish artists in his career including Gerry Cinnamon, the Snuts and even the View.

The singer now fronts Tonto playing alongside Lyle Findlay, Jay Strachan and Lewis McGrandles.

He added: “I’ve been writing songs since I was about 13 and I’ve had numerous releases on Spotify and Apple Music.

“I’ve got a band called Tonto now and we’re in the process of getting our new EP released, we’ve released a couple of singles already.

“Our first two singles were well received and created an amazing buzz getting plenty airplay and then supporting slots with Rianne Downey at St Luke’s and Sneaky Pete’s shortly followed.”

Kieran’s solo music and also his work with Tonto can be found on most streaming platforms.