Folk and Roots Presents: Maz O’Connor

FOLK AND ROOTS PRESENTS –

MAZ O’CONNOR:

Described by The Observer as ‘a highly individual singer-songwriter’, Maz O’Connor is a truly unique artist.

Known for her haunting, emotive vocals and poetic lyricism, her songs are most often short stories inspired by her love of literature, folklore and mythology. Her Irish roots, she suspects, inform her love of darker tales—those of heartbreak, longing and loss.

She wrote her first song aged four, whilst making a ‘radio show’ with a cassette player, and grew up singing old folk songs in her local Cumbrian venues. She went onto study Literature at Jesus College, Cambridge, where she dove deep into the history of folk song. It was during this time that she started to write her own songs.

Winning a BBC Performing Arts Fund Fellowship in 2014 (once won by Adele) brought Maz to wider attention, and later that year she was nominated for a BBC Folk Award for her first album, ‘This Willowed Light’.

Maz has since released 3 further albums, toured the U.K., Europe and Canada, played live sessions on BBC Radio 2 and 3, and appeared at major U.K. festivals, including Glastonbury and WOMAD.

She has also written book, music & lyrics for the folk musical ‘The Wife of Michael Cleary’, which won the Stiles + Drewe Prize 2023 and is currently in development with West End producers.

After taking a few years out of recording and performing to have her son and work on her musical, Maz recorded her new album, ‘Love it is a Killing Thing’ in April 2025. Recorded live to tape in Spring 2025, this record is a collection of ancient songs about the perils of love, reimagined and in some cases re-composed by Maz. It marks a triumphant return to her folk roots.

‘Maz O’Connor’s ace, apart from her remarkable songwriting talent, is her captivating voice ’ –

‘BBC Performing Arts Fellowship graduate Maz O’Connor is a real find, fusing influences from the past (Joni Mitchell) with those of the present (Bon Iver) to concoct a dazzling array of part e