Marcella’s To Bend To The Will.. Receives Critical Acclaim
Marcella Simien is a Louisiana-born artist, a proud ninth-generation Creole, and daughter of GRAMMY™-winning zydeco legend Terrance Simien.
After 15 years of working in bands (Marcella & Her Lovers, Terrance Simien), in 2024 Marcella began tracking her debut solo work, To Bend to the Will of a Dream That’s Being Fulfilled. The album captured her deeply personal journey of self-discovery, spirituality, and identity. It was widely praised.
Including being featured on NPR’s World Cafe . Prompting NPR to post the performance Facebook remarking: “Simien’s music takes the swamp roots of her upbringing and mixes it with some sweet Memphis soul.”
The album was featured in the print version of Songlines Magazine read the piece here , No Depression featured the album in their Roots Album of the Week post alongside Neil Young & Yola. The album was met with acclaim from The Daily Memphian, OFFBeat Magazine, Memphis Flyer, and Shangri-La Magazine's 2024 Q3 issue. In March, Marcella was mentioned as a new artist to watch in SPIN Magazine by Jared “JayB” Boyd from WYXR.
UK blog Music Love Music went the most in depth on the album, providing a rave review from Mike Bradley (former long time journalist at The Guardian, UK).
Bradley wrote “A proud, loud, triumphant voice for her family’s roots, it’s easy to believe the spirits of America’s Deep South, with their hands gently on her shoulders, have guided Simien throughout her career.”
Calling the album: “A raw, emotive, powerful mix delivered with a rare blend of genius and humility by the Louisiana born, Memphis resident.”
“To hear music as intense, as moving, as powerful as Simien’s is nothing less than a privilege, that this also includes the faintest touches of Aretha Franklin, Grace Jones and even Bob Marley is a bonus we barely deserve.”
Known for her genre-defying sound that blends traditional Creole influences with contemporary production, Marcella is a passionate advocate for artistic development and community outreach. Her music is a soulful reflection of her deeply personal journey through spirituality and identity. With a genre-defying sound that blends Soul, American Roots, Blues, Jazz, and more, Simien crafts a sonic experience that is both timeless and uniquely her own. Drawing from the rich cultural heritage of her lineage, she bridges tradition and innovation with powerful authenticity and heart.
In January 2025, she performed her first iteration of her interdisciplinary performance of the album to a sold out Crosstown Theater. With support from her long time friend and collaborator Talibah Safiya. Simien performed inside a structure she designed and built with her creative partners Dustin Reynolds and Graham Burks II (aka Infinity Stairs). Read coverage on the show here. Legendary music writer Bob Mehr helped to spread word about the show with this article in Commercial Appeal.
Bob Mehr of the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper named Simien the Best Newcomer of 2013. Mehr calling Simien “one of the most exciting talents in the city.”
