This expressive young singer plays her voice like an instrument, and speaks a truly unique language. The extremely rigorous jury of La Défense National Jazz Competition gave her top prize for soloists, the first time the prize was ever awarded to a singer! Martial was brought up in a world of music; her father is a classical oboist and music theory teacher, her mother an opera singer. She attended the Marciac secondary school in the Gers region (famous for its international jazz festival), where she learned the ropes of the industry alongside future saxophonist Emile Parisien. Refusing classification, Leïla draws inspiration from gypsy music, classical, contemporary, pop, and jazz, with a weakness for Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, Eric Dolphy, and Médéric Collignon.