EFEx 2026 International Partners' Catalan Arts & Music Export Memphis Share Their Showcasing Artists
Pictured: Ferran Orriols
Last month, two of our International Partners for English Folk Expo 2026, Port Fairy Folk Festival (Australia) and Showcase Scotland Expo (Scotland), shared their exceptional showcasing artists, which you can learn more out about here.
Today, Catalan Arts (Catalonia) and Music Export Memphis (Memphis) are announcing the three first-class artists they’ll each be bringing to join us from 18–21 March 2026.
Catalan Arts
Catalan Arts is the brand of the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC) for the international promotion of Catalan creativity, supporting the global growth of professionals and companies in music, performing arts, book publishing, visual arts and digital culture.
Through its activities, Catalan Arts facilitates the presence of Catalan companies and artists at leading international fairs and key events. Acting as the Catalan Music Export Office, it represents Catalan talent at major global gatherings such as WOMEX, ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), Classical:NEXT, Jazzahead and the Folk Alliance International Conference, to name a few.
“At Catalan Arts, we’re delighted to take part in English Folk Expo 2026, supporting the talented ALOSA, El Pony Pisador and Ferran Orriols, outstanding examples of the diversity and richness of Catalonia’s music scene.
Our goal is to build bridges with the vibrant music community gathered at EFEx, fostering new connections and collaborations. This showcase is also part of our ongoing wish to strengthen ties with the city of Manchester, following its role as the guest city at Barcelona’s La Mercè Festival 2025.” — Mar Pérez Unanue, ICEC London office director
Meet The Showcasing Artists
El Pony Pisador
Barcelona’s El Pony Pisador are a high-energy, eclectic band who perform folk sounds from around the world with a humorous and adventurous spirit. Their music spans Catalan songs and dances, Celtic and Mediterranean tunes, yodelling, Tuvan throat singing, Georgian polyphony, and Balkan polyrhythms, resulting in energetic and unpredictable performances.
ALOSA
ALOSA, formed by Giulietta Vidal and Irene Romo, released their acclaimed debut El primer cant del matí (The First Song of the Morning) earlier this autumn. The record showcases their unique sonic universe and creative talent, marking an important step forward in the trajectory of one of the most promising projects on the Catalan scene.
Ferran Orriols
Singer-songwriter Ferran Orriolsweaves together indie-folk, Balkan and Arabic influences, traditional Catalan habaneras, bossa nova and folk-rooted music. His deeply personal yet expansive record, Darrere els horts (Behind the Orchards), was recorded in a repurposed chicken farm and features friends, local musicians and some of his greatest musical heroes.
Music Export Memphis
Music Export Memphis is a non-profit music export office located in and serving the musicians of Memphis, Tennessee. The organisation produces showcases at festivals around the world featuring contemporary Memphis artists, supports export activity year-round through grants for touring, merchandise, marketing and publicity and facilitates cultural and creative exchanges with the global music community.
"There’s such a deep knowledge and reverence for Memphis music in the UK and Europe. Our artists always find incredible warmth, even when touring overseas for the first time.
Showcasing at English Folk Expo made so much sense and I personally can’t wait to show off some of our best and brightest talent in Talibah Safiya, Singa B. and Marcella Simien. Anyone who loves Memphis music’s past is going to be absolutely blown away by what we’ve got going on now!" — Elizabeth Cawein, Executive Director, Music Export Memphis
Talibah Safiya
Talibah Safiya is a recording artist and writer focused on storytelling through music and experience curation. Safiya’s most recent record, Black Magic, was released in collaboration with the University of Memphis School of Music Business. The project, listed as one of NPR’s favourite albums of 2024, interprets and reframes the University’s Hill Country Blues catalogue.
Singa B.
Singa B is a rising voice in modern blues, combining raw soul, Memphis grit and a contemporary storytelling style that resonates across generations. Shaped by the musical legacy of Memphis, Singa is a self-taught vocalist, guitarist and pianist whose performances are emotionally charged and deeply rooted in blues tradition.
Marcella Simien
Marcella Simien is a Louisiana-born artist and a proud ninth-generation Creole. Her music offers a soulful reflection of her deeply personal journey through spirituality and identity. With a genre-defying sound that blends soul, American roots, blues, and jazz, Simien crafts a sonic experience that is both timeless and uniquely her own.
