Sofia Marcella is a young singer-songwriter from Northern New Jersey whose music blends pop, country and soul. With her debut single ‘Close to Forever’ – a piano ballad featuring subtle string arrangements – she showcases both her talent for songwriting and her distinctive voice, which immediately gets under your skin in the higher registers. She is supported in this endeavour by music industry veteran John Hanti, who has worked with artists including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, the Rolling Stones and Bruno Mars since the 1980s and who guides the young artist every step of the way as her manager, producer and mentor. At the same time, Sofia is studying at the renowned Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University.

Sofia grew up with Italian roots on her mother’s side and Cuban roots on her father’s – her parents instilled in her from an early age a deep respect for cultural heritage and unique forms of expression. She wrote her first song at the age of eight whilst her parents were at work; shortly afterwards, she discovered her passion for performing live at a theatre camp. At the Clive Davis Institute – whose renowned courses have already produced artists such as Maggie Rogers, FLETCHER and Emily Warren – she is now furthering her knowledge of the music business, sound engineering, production and songwriting.

Musically, she draws inspiration from albums such as ‘Rumours’ by Fleetwood Mac, ‘21’ by Adele and ‘Lady Soul’ by Aretha Franklin – her great idol since childhood has been Whitney Houston. She says she writes a large number of songs – around 120 a year – drawing inspiration not only from her own experiences, but also from books, films and the perspectives of fictional characters. In autumn 2026, Sofia will be heading to NYU Madrid for a semester abroad, where, as well as studying Spanish, art history and literature, she will also be immersing herself in the local music scene.