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TICKETS: $10 advance | $15 day of show
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Crosstown Arts is requesting proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test for this event. Please be prepared to present your vaccination card or a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours at check-in. Masks are required.
Marcella Simien was born into one of the first Creole families to settle St. Landry Parish. Daughter of two-time GRAMMY™ Award-winning Zydeco luminary Terrance Simien, Marcella was practically born on-stage and grew up immersed in sound and performance. Visits to the family home from legends such as David Hidalgo of Los Lobos or Taj Mahal, who once sang her “Happy Birthday,” were not uncommon.
Simien holds a degree from Memphis College of Art, which is what originally brought her to Memphis, Tennessee. Feeling a kindred connection to the city’s rich history and bustling community of working musicians, she began planting the seeds of her South Louisiana heritage in the Bluff City. She has since forged her own pathways in the local, national, and international music scenes, following her heart as an artist while wielding the torch of a Creole dynasty.
Simien founded and serves as bandleader in Marcella & Her Lovers—a hybrid of classic Memphis soul with the freewheeling swagger of New Orleans funk. Featuring an ensemble cast of Memphis musicians, Simien emerges as an undeniably powerful frontwoman. Her lyrics explore themes of love, loss, and healing, and her vocal work embodies feminine strength. With each angelic holler and pump of the Creole accordion, she reinvents the mold of Memphis music while giving a wink and a nod to her ancestors.
Confident, composed, and courageous, Simien is a bona fide artist in her own right with musical wisdom beyond her years. As legendary record producer and owner of Royal Studios Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell puts it, “Marcella is one of the most soulful artists I’ve heard since the glory days of Memphis soul music. Her sound and stage presence are constant reminders that soul music is still alive and well.”
Simien’s selected career milestones and accolades to date include: “Meet Me In Memphis”—a one-on-one interview feature produced by Southern Living & IKEA USA that has reached over 1.5 million views on Facebook; the honor of being one of only 500 artists in America nominated for a $50,000 USA Artists Fellowship; a feature on the nationally-syndicated radio program Beale Street Caravan; a feature in the Memphis Flyer’s “20 Under 30” cover issue; performing twice on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise alongside such greats as Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, and Irma Thomas; and lending guest vocals to her father Terrance Simien’s album Dockside Sessions, which won a 2014 GRAMMY™ for Best Regional Roots Album of the Year.
In addition to Marcella & Her Lovers, Simien performs with Gumbo, Grits & Gravy, Marcella & Les Vagues, Magnolias, and Terrance Simien’s Krewe De Monifique. Recently, Simien made her New York City debut at Joe’s Pub and her London debut as a duo with Mark Black of Sweet on drums. She signed with a new management team, Yonas Media, in June of 2020.
