Sahra Gure’s social media bio reads ‘Vocalist. Songwriter. Yoga teacher. Doula. Vocal tutor. Ger-mali’. To that she could have added pianist, violinist, radio host and thoroughly lovely human. Gracefully making waves since winning the Musicians’ Company Young Jazz Musician Award 2019 and dropping her first EP ‘Love Me With Me’ that same year, her subsequent releases including 2022’s 'Stolen Moments' EP and recent singles ‘The Other Side’ and ‘Risk It All’ have each been warmly received.

Along the way this Berlin-born, London-based artist has collaborated with the likes of Orphy Robinson, Dele Sosimi, Secret Sundaze Ensemble and Cleveland Watkiss MBE, performed everywhere from Love Supreme to Ronnie Scott's and found support from Gilles Peterson. Sahra’s path has been an intuitive one, allowing her old school sound to blossom at will as she mines her influences and lived experiences. Think Abbey Lincoln meets Maryam Mursal via Joy Crookes to land at a place that’s all her own. Nataal catches up with her at Glastonbury Festival, fresh from giving a morning yoga lesson in the dance fields, to find out where her curious mind and beautiful music will take her next.

How has Glastonbury Festival been treating you?

It’s my first time and it’s just so big, I’ve found it quite overwhelming. I’ve been playing here with Close Encounters, who are touring the UK from Australia and reached out to me to perform with them across the summer. It was really great to have the freedom to reinterpret their music in my own way. We had a lot of fun at our Shangri-La show last night.

And then you’ve turned yoga guru today.

I’ve been doing yoga for 10 years and trained to be a teacher last year, so it’s become part of my musical practice in terms of breathing techniques. It’s been hot and sweaty here so I kept the session pretty chill and relaxed. And now I’m off to the Healing Fields.

Can you tell us a little about your musical upbringing?

My dad used to have a whole cupboard of Somalian cassette tapes he loved to play. What I drew from that is the pentatonic scales and the fact that there a lot of strong women singers from Somalia. And my mum listened to classical music. I played violin as a kid, then got into jazz, which instilled in me a love of improvisation.

Then music became your academic path.

I did a music programme in Suffolk where they brought in musicians like Cleveland Watkiss and Imogen Heap for workshops. So, when I came to London at 18 [to study jazz at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance] I contacted them all again. Can I have a lesson, cam I come to a gig? It was a great route to mentorship. I got to join Dele Sosimi’s band and played with Mahalia and Eska – incredible artists who really do their own thing.

How have you shaped your own sonic palette since then?

It’s constantly shifting as I try out new things. I don’t think too much about genres. But it always starts with writing songs at the piano and I can produce myself now too because my husband – oh it feels weird saying husband! I got married three weeks ago.

Congratulations!

Thank you. My husband [saxophonist Theo Erskine] has a studio so we can record everything live. I’m currently finishing up an album and hoping to have it out this year.

What can we expect from your long-playing debut?

I’m exploring my dual heritage and ideas of home. My dad’s from Somalia, my mum’s from Germany – these are very different cultures, but they're both immigrants so that brings them together. Musically, I’m drawing on jazz traditions as well as my love of pop and R&B. So, I guess this album is about what home feels like to me. It’s taken me two years but I’m almost there and I’m in a good place.

You call south London home these days. How do you feel about the local contemporary jazz scene?

It’s always been strong because of all the amazing musicians who have gone before. Now it’s somewhere where you can say that your whole band lives within 10 minutes of each other. And when you have inspiring people all around you, it makes it possible for your project to grow. Look at Ezra Collective and Yussef Dayes – incredible.

Any features on the album?

No. Because it’s so personal, it has to be just be me. But next time, it’s going be like, come one – everyone in!