PizzaExpress Live (Holborn)

The UK-singer fuses Mexican folk sounds into her brand of soulful pop infused jazz. Ayala, (compared to artists like Nancy Sinatra and Amy Winehouse) brings new songs from her upcoming album home to the UK. Ayala is preparing to release her second album which features an all-star line-up of award winning musicians and featured guests, and offers a strong set of songs combining British Jazz and pop with Mexican folk influences. Singles such as La Luna (fusing Mexican Huapango with jazz), 'Que Quieres De Mi' (which combines Mexican 'banda' sounds with pop and jazz), and Uphill, a cumbia fusion duet with Los Rumberos.

Other collaborations include a duet with Gilbert O’Sullivan ‘I Guess I’ll Always Love You’ which saw Ayala performing live for BBC Radio 2 with the BBC Concert Orchestra earlier this year for Friday Night Is Music Night. She has a duet project with Mexican Regional music super star (grammy winner and Billboards Latin American songwriter of the year) Horacio Palencia.

At the start of her singing career, Ayala was flown all over the world to sing at private events. She was handpicked by Sir Paul McCartney to sing for and share the stage with him at his private MPL Christmas party, and this is how she ‘cut her teeth’ as a singer and live performer. Now a few years on, Ayala is the latest in a rich heritage of talent to emerge from an exciting music scene in London -but her music comes with an interesting twist. Ayala and producer Juan Luis (who grew up in Mexico surrounded by its rich musical history) are pushing new frontiers exploring and fusing traditional Mexican folkloric music with Ayala’s own brand of jazzy pop in a way that has never been done before.

Band Lineup

Ayala (vocals)

Ross Stanley (piano)

Andy Hamil (bass)

Chris Draper (drums)