LAURA MVULA (UK)

Viru Keskus presents!

Fenomenal British singer-songwriter Laura Mvula will perform in Estonia for the first time! Her style combines soul with orchestral arrangements and mystical sounds which together with her one of a kind and powerful voice clearly make her stand out from all the other jazz ja pop artists. Mvula’s vitality and talent has been compared to the legend Amy Winehouse and her success has been crowned by two-time Mercury and MOBO awards.

Laura’s voice trainings got a strong basis during her childhood at church, later she continued to sing in a women only a capella group Black Voices. Her music is connected to the afro-american music heritage as her own roots come from Jamaica and Saint Kitts. In year 2008 she founded the group Judyshouse, for which she herself composed music for in jazz and neo-soul styles. Her talent is astonishing – she has studied composition in Birmingham Conservatory, written music for Royal Shakespeare Company’s play “Antony & Cleopatra”, conducted many choirs and worked as a music teacher. Mvula considers legendary artists like Nina Simone, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill as her main influencers.

Mvula’s husband encouraged her to send record companies her home-recorded demos and soon a contract was made with record label Sony. Her debut album “Sing to the Moon” (2013) earned various nominations, won the hearts of the listeners and favor from the critics. Her debut single of the same title earned a wider recognition of her as an artist and the following hit single “Green Garden” assured the singers growing popularity even more. Prince was one of the many adorers of the album, he encouraged Mvula and they performed together many times. He even managed to listen through most of her second album material before his death. A year late, the orchestrarl version of her debut album was released in collaboration with Metropole Orkest and Jules Buckley. The same programme was also performed at BBC Proms in the reputable Albert Hall together with Esperanza Spalding and Electric Vocals. In 2016 she recorded her single “Sing to the Moon” together with the American group Snarky Puppy, which was released on their album “Family Dinner – Volume 2”.

The same year Mvula released her second album “The Dreaming Room”, which songs reflected her self-finding after difficulties in her personal life and with her health. Album’s last track “Phenomenal Woman” marks as though the retrieval of her inner power, it’s an apotheosis for the elation and energy of life. The Guardian magazine has said: “Mvula grasps her listener unnoticeably: all the beautiful melodies end on a bright note, and even in the musical mood swings she always manages to stay stylish and striking.”

“I have been influenced a lot by those women around me. The women who through their vulnerabilities and ridiculous strength move mountains every day and accomplish extraordinary things.” Laura’s talent, too, is extraordinary and she always finds the way to the listener’s hearts with her music and beautiful voice. She likes to remember how during her summer performances, no matter the weather, the sun always came out just before her concert. Estonian audience is very much looking forward for her arrival in Tallinn and waiting for her to bring the sun with her.