Marcella Rene Simien is a musician who first came from Southern Louisiana. Surrounded by the traditional Creole musical style of South Louisiana, Marcella went on to take this musical heritage and move to Memphis, where she found the perfect opportunity to combine Memphis soul with that of her Creole heritage. Of course, it also helps to be the daughter of a two-time Grammy award winner Zydeco Luminary Terrace. Even with the musical background though, she didn’t want to simply hop into music from the very beginning. She wanted to explore her artistic side and discover her own personal style of music organically.
Discovering her musical identity
In order to discover herself and her own personal style, Marcella wanted to go about her own path and not simply follow one that had been forged before her. To help, she went to the Memphis College of Art. Here she studied music where she wanted to become a bandleader. She saw her own musical style as a combination of New Orleans funk, Memphis Soul, and just a dash of traditional Creole. From there she took part in numerous competitions and was earmarked by the Memphis Flyer as one of the top performers in the publications “20 Under 30” issue.
Photo: Riggs Entertainment
Starting her musical career
After college, Marcella went on to appear on her father’s album where she sang lead vocals on one of the tracks. This album went on to win a Grammy for “Best Regional Roots Album of the Year” in 2014.
Following the success of her father’s album she continued to work in the music industry. In 2017, she recorded her first full-length album titled “Got You Found” with her own band titled “Marcella & Her Lovers”.
Discovering Marcella
If you are interested in checking out more of Marcella beyond her “Got You Found album”, she has a number of other musical options available on her website. Here you can check out her 2014 EP titled “The Bronze Age EP.” There are also a number of collaborations with her father Terrance Simien here. She even has a handful of tracks and “sketches” (as she likes to call them) listed on the website that were recorded between 2010 and 2013).
You can also check her out throughout the year as Marcella does tour on a regular basis. She performs both with her band and solo in Memphis on a regular basis, so make sure to check her website to see the next time she’ll be performing. She also tours around the United States and has a number of locations currently scheduled, including Minneapolis, Easthampton, Philadelphia, as well as locations in Paris, France and Luzern, Switzerland.
Beyond her website, you can also follow Marcella on most social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and she also has a YouTube channel where you can check out a number of her live performances. To see her live in Memphis, many of the venues do not require a ticket, so if you want to see this performer who has appeared on Grammy award-winning tracks, make sure to come on out.
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