WOMAD headliner Cerys Matthews said this is the perfect time for her first appearance at the world music festival.

The 41-year-old musician, who rose to fame with rock band Catatonia in the 1990s, has recently released an album of Welsh roots music and is excited about performing at the festival, which runs at Charlton Park, near Malmsbury, from July 23 to 25. She said: “I had been asked to play at WOMAD before but it didn’t work out.

“But this is the perfect time for me to play because I’ve just released a new roots album. There are some really old songs in there from the 1700s, some hymns, some folk songs, a real mixture.”

A lover of music festivals, Matthews enjoys discovering new acts and sounds, something WOMAD’s eclectic performances are famous for.

She said: “I really love it when you get people coming along who wouldn’t normally come to festivals and they discover all this new music.

“It’s great as a performer to catch roving audiences and see the crowd swell as they hear something they like.

“I really like council run free music festivals but with all the cuts happening it might be harder to pay for those events.”

The Cardiff-born mother-of-three is also a big fan of WOMAD founder Peter Gabriel.

She said: “He is someone who has appreciated music from all over the world for years. He has a fantastic studio and I know a lot of people who have made great music there.”

Despite being known for her indie rock days with Catatonia, Matthews has always been a fan of traditional songs from around the world.

She said: “I loved what we did in Catatonia but when you’re in band you’re defined by the band’s sound.

“I don’t like the term ‘world music’ I think that is a bit too narrow, but roots music from all over the world is what excites me the most at the moment.

“That was where it all began for me, I’ve been collecting traditional folk songs since I taught myself the guitar when I was nine.”

As well as touring and recording Matthews presents a Sunday morning show on 6 Music, which has been saved from closure by the BBC Trust.

She said: “Its rare these days that the good side wins.

“There is so much repetitive, monotonous, formulaic, crap on radio stations these days, 6 Music is just about the only light at the end of the tunnel. It is exactly what the BBC should be producing and it would have been awful if it had closed.”

She added: “I actually play a lot of different music from around the world on my show.”

Matthews will be performing on Saturday July 24 on the Radio 3 stage.