Flautist and composer Eliza Marshall’s debut release in her own name is the single New Birth, available to hear now. It is the first track to be released from a forthcoming EP out on Real World X on 23 May, 2025.
Renowned for her work with the award-winning folk group Ranagri, Eliza is also an in-demand session player contributing to records by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, First Aid Kit, Florence & The Machine and The White Stripes. She was a member of Peter Gabriel’s New Blood Orchestra and also appears on his current album i/o.
First single New Birth is available now on all digital platforms and the New Birth EP follows in May.
Classically trained, Eliza grew up listening to Steve Reich, Paul Simon and the aforementioned Gabriel, along with traditional music from all over the world. Her passion for defying genres is put into play on this first single New Birth – that weaves layers of percussion, haunting flute melodies and hypnotic balafon rhythms, shrouded in tribal chants and electronics – and the subsequent EP.
The tracks were recorded at Real World Studios, England and Dakar, Senegal with world class musicians from Senegal and The Gambia (Ady Thioune and Ansumana Suso) and the UK (Andrew Morgan and Dònal Rogers), and production from Ivor Novello recipient Graeme Pleeth.
New Birth is about new beginnings, new life, new ideas
Eliza Marshall
Ady Thioune & Eliza Marshall. Real World Studios. Photo: York Tillyer
“New Birth is about new beginnings, new life, new ideas,” says Marshall. “It looks to this time, 2025, in the life of our planet; Our Times, our era, the way we connect and interact, and who we share our lifetimes with. In Spring, I imagine new life beneath the soil, roots quietly intertwining and nurturing one another, while above, new shoots grow. What is the first light for a plant or a child? A beautiful, yet daunting, world to behold?
This EP is unlike anything I’ve written before. It pushes me far beyond my comfort zone. It’s filled with tribal chanting vocals, powerful percussive layers, lots of whistles and electronics.
I’ve had a whole range of influences in my life that are beyond classical music, which have shaped the musician I am today – a mix of many different genres. I don’t believe artists need to be confined to a single style. I love the idea of cross-pollination, of sharing influences and ideas across cultures globally. I hope this spirit of openness and exchange comes through in my EP.”
