Ayla is a multilingual ‘world folk’ singer-songwriter and visionary musical artist acclaimed for her captivating repertoire of original poetic songs in Spanish, English, and Proto-Celtic.

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With a growing international presence, she has become known as ‘A Voice of the Earth’ and is a powerful force in the world of Healing Music and the rising eco-spiritual movement. Her music has taken her around the world, with live performances that provide a sacred, intimate, heart-opening space for all who are present. Ayla’s artistry embodies the spirit of her tales, expressing a music that reverberates with deep heart, wisdom, and soul. To experience this stunning songstress is to embark on a musical journey that leads us back to the core of our own inner existence.

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Gigging from the age of 16, she became known across the UK festival scene, including a notable collaboration with Brit Award winner Ben Howard and performing as part of the folk-soul duo ‘Susie Ro and Ayla.’

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A pivotal moment in Ayla’s musical journey occurred in 2010 when she travelled through South America. The years she spent away from home profoundly influenced her writing, as she explored the mystery of the inner landscape and learned from various indigenous traditions about the healing power of song. This soul-deep quest revealed new layers of depth and honesty in her compositions, which now reflect the beauty, shadow, and rawness of human experience, intertwined with a passionate commitment to earth consciousness and ancient wisdom.

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Ayla’s music has been praised for its beauty and originality by Folk Radio, and her performances described as some of the most beautiful world folk by Higher Plains Music. Songlines highlighted her spellbinding folk music infused with Latin mystique, while Chalked Up Reviews noted that "the wisdom of Mother Earth is clearly channelling through Schafer, and just as our mother is, this music is also stunning." Her work is a transcendental and grounding listening experience, as Higher Plains Music beautifully articulates.

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In addition to her album releases, Ayla collaborates with organisations dedicated to protecting the Amazon Rainforest. In 2018, she released "Ima Adama," a collection of live, acoustic, and experimental tracks, donating 25% of profits to the Pachamama Alliance. In 2020, she released the single "Music Plants Trees" and its remix (featuring Chris Paradox) with Agami Records, donating 100% of profits to tree planting projects. Ayla leads the ‘Music Plants Trees’ campaign, an ‘Artivism’ initiative with a mission to reforest the world through music and support social and environmental causes through art. For every album and ticket sold, a tree is planted, and she prioritises travelling by train and boat whenever possible while on tour.

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Ayla has spent many years travelling and studying with indigenous traditions worldwide, learning about the medicinal and healing power of the voice and the mystery of sound. She is a passionate advocate of traditional songs and indigenous wisdom, with a vision to inspire others to discover their soul expression, inner guidance, and ancestral connection to the earth through the power of sound and voice. She expresses her vision through her music, spiritual ceremonies, 'Song of the Soul' and 'Womb Song' workshops/retreats, women's circles, one-on-one voice coaching, and water ceremonies.