“Little Simz asked me to play some shows, but the dates clashed with a family holiday. She asked again a month later, and I ended up playing Glastonbury”: How Marla Kether landed the Little Simz gig and made her debut on the UK’s biggest festival stage

Marla Kether performs onstage during a concert at Electric Brixton on April 22, 2026 in London, England.

Marla Kether's Congolese heritage and a musical upbringing in the University of Bristol's Jazz, Funk and Soul Society has given her a unique feel for blending Afro-Brazilian rhythms with dancefloor-inspired grooves.

“My approach is instinct-driven,” says Kether. “I play whatever feels right in the moment. Most of the time, consciously or not, my goal is to emulate James Jamerson. I truly prioritise feel and placement over all else.”