[1][2] Fowlis was born and grew up on North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides, in a Gaelic-speaking community.

From 2001-2004, she was music development officer at the Gaelic language and culture organisation Fèis Rois in Dingwall.

[1][4] She began her professional music career as a member of the Scottish sextet Dòchas[9] which included Shetland fiddle player Jenna Reid.

She was also accompanied by Kris Drever, Ross Martin of the Gaelic super group" Dàimh, John Doyle, Iain MacDonald, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh of Danú, and many other performers prominent in the traditional Irish and Scottish music scenes.

[12] Her second solo album Cuilidh was released in March 2007, becoming a worldwide top-seller in the Traditional and World Music charts.

[14] She appeared on Later With Jools Holland on BBC Two on 25 May 2007, and performed Hùg air Bhonaid Mhòir on the show.

Notable fans of Fowlis include Björk, Ricky Gervais and Radiohead's Phil Selway.

[9] In 2008, Fowlis recorded an album with long-time friends and collaborators Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Ross Martin and husband Éamonn Doorley.

On 24 April 2009, Fowlis announced that she would begin recording her third studio album in May and that she would preview tracks from the project on her May 2009 tour of England.

The piece, "half-documentary, half-arthouse meditation", celebrated "the history, landscape and legend" of the now-uninhabited Heisgeir, as part of the six "Blas 2011" concert series.

[16] In 2012, Fowlis contributed to the Pixar film Brave with the songs "Touch the Sky" and "Into the Open Air", sung in the off-screen musical thoughts of the lead character Merida.

[21] In 2012, a short documentary on Fowlis, her family, and her band broadcast on the United States television channel PBS as part of an episode of the program Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders.

The programme is narrated by Fowlis in Scottish Gaelic and Nic Amhlaoibh in Irish, with English-language subtitles.