Marta Popovici

Marta Popovici is a singer and songwriter who uses strong imagery to create emotional journeys towards cathartic release. Her sound is alternative - rooted in jazz and moving between pop, folk and spoken word. Ranging from hopeful to fearful, from delicate to heavy, her music is an invitation for listeners to open up to their own vulnerability.

Born in Iași, Romania, Popovici started singing at the age of four and took part in television shows and national competitions throughout her childhood. She later studied jazz vocals and composition at the National University of Music in Bucharest, before completing the New York Jazz Master’s programme at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, the Netherlands.

In 2018, she formed her own group, Marta Popovici & On the Fly, becoming one of the active voices in the Romanian jazz scene. For several years, she was also a member of the a cappella group Jazzappella. She has performed at major jazz festivals in Romania, including JazzX, Jazz in the Park and Gărâna Jazz Festival, as well as at festivals and venues in Turkey, the United States, Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. Her performances in the Netherlands include De Roode Bioscoop in Amsterdam, Neushoorn in Leeuwarden, and stages in Groningen such as EM2, SimplonUP, Framed Festival, Swingin' Groningen, Smederij and Zolder.

In 2022, she released her debut album, ROUND DANCE. The title track, a four-part suite, presents one story from four different points of view, exploring love, death, transformation, surrender, hope and the search for peace.

Inspired by artists such as Becca Stevens, Meshell Ndegeocello, Esperanza Spalding, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell, Popovici fuses the harmonic richness of jazz with the poetic lyricism of storytelling and folk.

Her current project, CHRYSALIS, began as the idea for a concept album inspired by the image of the butterfly chrysalis. As a symbol of ambivalence, it is both a place of safety and a force that threatens to constrict. The project explores themes of growth, isolation, introspection, metamorphosis and reclaiming inner power and will grow into her second album.

Through her music, Popovici explores the complexities of being human, finding beauty in vulnerability and release in transformation.