Zara McFarlane is a British singer, songwriter and composer whose work has made her one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British music. Drawing on the musical traditions of Jamaica alongside jazz, soul, folk and contemporary composition, she creates work shaped by memory, identity and the rhythms of the African diaspora.

For more than a decade, McFarlane has built a body of work that resists easy categorisation while remaining deeply connected to heritage and storytelling. From her acclaimed debut albumUntil Tomorrow through If You Knew Her, Arise, Songs of an Unknown Tongue and Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan, she has continually expanded her musical language, exploring the relationship between tradition and innovation.

Discovered by DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson and signed to Brownswood Recordings, McFarlane has established an international reputation for performances of extraordinary emotional depth and musical imagination. Her collaborations span jazz, reggae, electronic, orchestral and contemporary music, including work with Hugh Masekela, Gregory Porter, Ernest Ranglin, Shabaka Hutchings, Ezra Collective, Louie Vega, Dennis Bovell, Floating Points and Kwake Bass.

Her artistry extends beyond recording and performance into theatre, film and composition. She has performed with leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra , appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Glyndebourne, and composed music for film and dance, including the award-winning DisInteGraTed.

A MOBO Award winner and two-time Jazz FM Vocalist of the Year and a Rising Star in the DownBeat Critics Poll, McFarlane has performed at major venues and festivals worldwide, including the Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre, Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Love Supreme and SXSW.

Rooted in British and Jamaican musical heritage while constantly pushing into new creative territory, Zara McFarlane has created a catalogue that resists easy classification. In doing so, she has established herself as one of the most distinctive musical voices of her generation.