Liam on tour in Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg. Photo by Sofia Melia

Ghent, 2020. Photo by Hannelore Karmel Juurikas

Who is Worldwide Welshman?

Worldwide Welshman is Liam Rickard, a Welsh singer-songwriter & illustrator on a mission to save the world. This has proven rather difficult, so in the meantime he's been collaborating with a host of international musicians to entertain audiences around the world with his multilingual musings on modern life.

"Humour is an integral part of my artistic output, as is celebrating diversity of language & culture, and trying to do something different that challenges the mainstream but also appeals to a wide range of people."

Liam comes from from a rich musical heritage on both sides of the family – his father is a singer-songwriter from Lancashire and his maternal grandmother was a Russian-Jewish folk singer, herself the granddaughter of the famous cantor, Yankel Der Heizeriker Gottlieb. Liam & his brother, Siôn, got into alternative pop & rock music in their teenage years, forming the folk-rock band Naughty Magic Simon with their best friend, Rob. In 2010, Liam went to university to study architecture, and formed his second band, Timestealers, with uni friends Nick, Adam, Jess & Paul.

In 2015 Liam moved to London, and Worldwide Welshman & Beyond were formed out of the jamming scene of East-London. During this period, he discovered "Ethno" - a global music network -and became a regular participant of international folk music exchange camps, performing in festivals throughout Europe and beyond. He also joined London's Flotsam Orchestra.

The Rickard brothers' most recent project is the Welsh alt-folk duo Lo-Fi Jones, formed in Cardiff towards the end of 2019, and debuted at Folk Marathon Gent in Belgium and St Canna's Ale House in Cardiff.

In addition to his artistic exploits, Liam has worked as an Architect Intern at SHiFt in New Delhi, volunteered with Servicio Internacional Britiancio in La Paz, and worked as a teaching assistant and special needs music teacher in London.
Prior to the great lockdown of 2020, Liam was working as an IT hardware support assistant at UCL.

He is currently based in North Wales and studying a masters in Green Building at the Centre For Alternative Technology.

The Rickard brothers at Ethno Catalonia, 2018