With sultry vocals, thought-provoking lyrics, and compelling yet simple background melodies, British soul singer-songwriter Laura Mvula creates a sound that is familiar yet completely unique and refreshing. With such artistry poured into every note, she was aptly a finalist for the BBC's Sound of 2013 in December, and her debut album Sing to the Moon was released in April to great reviews from a number of sources, including NPR's First Listen. At only 26, Mvula easily radiates the confidence and finesse of a singer twice her age, and has started her music career with a definitive bang.

"Mvula has one of the most original voices we've heard in years," says Bruce Warren, Assistant General Manager of Programming for WXPN. "She's a singer-songwriter who blends soul music and jazz in new exotic ways and she lays out a musical vision that's as powerful as her confident, alluring voice."

For more info on the XPN Artists To Watch series and this month's featured artist click here.

Since 2003, the XPN Artists To Watch series has been a reflection of WXPN's commitment to nurturing fresh, new talent and exposing listeners to the best new music. Each month, the XPN Artists To Watch series spotlights a different up-and-coming performer who has produced an album or body of work that demonstrates outstanding vision, creativity and songwriting ability. Month-long on-air promotion is combined with online features to help audiences discover each artist.

WXPN, the nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots and folk, is the non-commercial, member-supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe®, public radio’s most popular program of popular music hosted by David Dye and syndicated by NPR, and the Peabody Award winning Kids Corner hosted by Kathy O’Connell. WXPN also produces the XPN2 Singer-Songwriter Radio stream as its secondary radio channel in HD that is also available online. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at 88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Lancaster/York at 88.7 FM, Harrisburg at 99.7 FM and the world via online streaming at XPN.org.