Marla has been called 'The next big Canadian voice'. This audacious, West coast, urban ingénue has translated her unapologetically open, clever, emotional style into a sound that has drawn comparisons to everyone from Beyoncé, to Tori Amos, to Gaga. Marla is a massive energy, from her huge, evocative vocal and range, to her lightning fast whit, her presence, warmth and charisma are a Chinook wind in Mid February. She is undeniable.
After graduating with a BA in Opera, Marla moved to S Korea for 4 years, where she played in a little fire trap, downtown, Daegu every week to a packed house of loyal followers, who almost certainly had no idea what she was saying, but showed up every Friday without fail anyway. She then moved to Nashville for a year to learn about the business side, before heading back to her Canadian roots. Her Vancouver team has included Miles Foxx-Hill (VanMorrison, Michael Bublé), Laura Hill and George Blondeheim (KD Lang) The Marla Torgerson Trio, has brought three part harmony and Neo-soul richness to Vancouver venues, and built a loyal and loving following.
Under the tutelage of her mentor Judy Stakee (Sheryl Crow, Katy Perry, the Civil Wars) Marla is exploring a new path. 2020 was the year of the Musical. With the enthusiastic encouragement of her creative partners, Marla moved to Europe, first travelling through the UK, gigging and writing new music for the show with her British and Scottish peers, and then settling to write the script in Sevilla, Spain. The show is a one woman comedic musical called “Sinner”, set to debut spring/summer 2025.
When Covid hit Spain, Marla was locked down and over the course of a week, her whole plan changed. Thanks to her amazing friends in Calgary, however, she was able to have a soft place to land. She is now working with the Alberta Playwright’s Network to edit the show, and making plans for a 2025 debut in Atlanta Georgia.
Marla has also been travelling back and forth to Nashville and Vancouver to work on her first full album. When David Foster was in Calgary, she was fortunate enough to get to sing with him and then recruited his band to work with her on the project. This included Boh Cooper (keys) and John “JR” Robinson (drums). The music is a Neo-soul offering that is already gaining a ground swell in pre-release.
Marla’s journey has been truly incredible, and 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal and exciting year!
