Mara is a multi-instrumentalist, performing artist, producer and composer. Her work seamlessly blends electronic and acoustic instruments, exploring tape machines, analogue synths and field recordings. Her fourth studio album Living Matter (2025), written and engineered in the studio she hand built with friend and collaborated Philippe Nash, was written in response to a set of poems by celebrated poet JLM Morton published in her book Red Handed. Centred around our connection to green and blue spaces, of ancient land and artefact, Living Matter has become a 6Music favourite, been performed live across stages, and designed into an immersive spatial sound installation (Hidden Notes Festival 2025).

Mara has collaborated with Hidden Orchestra & Cerys Matthews, Poppy Ackroyd, Her Ensemble and Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres. Her genre-defying musical works include bespoke compositions for the AppleTV+ series SILO, Super Nature and the full score for magical-realist film Blue Hour.

With a setup consisting of tape machines, analogue synths, drums, piano and strings, Mara’s live show draws together the signature electronic and acoustic worlds Simpson has become known for in her cross-arts compositions. Mara has performed over 300 shows including Fusion Festival (Germany), Hidden Notes Festival (UK), Smugglers Festival (UK) and venues including the Barbican, Norwich Arts Centre and Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts. Mara has been a guest presenter on BBC Radio 6Music, Refuge Worldwide and Flux FM (DE). Mara’s dynamic live show features band members Imogen Mason (Voka Gentle/Sm^sher), Jools Owen (Samana) and Rob Pemberton (The Staves/Unicorn Ship Explosion/Rachael Dadd).