Photo by Berta Tiana
Photo by Berta Tiana
Mar Fayos is a Jazz vocalist from Barcelona. Her music could be described as Jazz fusion creations with Latin, Pop, Mediterranean, and Soul influences, able to satisfy the tastes of the most demanding listeners of each genre. Where the elegance and sensitiveness of traditional jazz intersect with powerful and personal messages, Mar Fayos finds the perfect environment to create special memories for the audience, transforming a jazz concert into a complete and intimate shared journey.
Mar graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music in 2018, with a Bachelor's Degree in vocal performance, arranging, and a contemporary conducting minor, and later, in 2024, with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Business. Mar Fayos also received a full scholarship to complete a Master's Program in Contemporary Performance in Jazz (Voice) from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in 2020, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in June after studying with renowned jazz artists such as Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Kenny Werner, Kris Davis, Terri Lyne Carrington, Tia Fuller, and Joe Lovano, among many others.
As a Berklee student, Mar participated in several projects of the college involving distinguished international artists such as Brazilian composer Toninho Horta, four-time Grammy winner bassist Oscar Stagnaro, the famous Mexican bolero composer Armando Manzanero and the outstanding jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater. However, before moving to the United States, Mar had already developed a career as a musical theater actress and educator, and later as a jazz performer.
Mar recently received the Mili Bermejo Scholarship Award from the Berklee Voice Department for her work in Latin Jazz and was awarded the Professional Music Academic Excellence Award. Mar also received a scholarship to attend the LAMC Conference 2019 and 2020 in New York City, and The NAMM Show in 2020 and 2021 in California as well, and she has been selected to be part of the prestigious Antonio Sanchez's Residency 2020-2021 in Mexico City.
Additionally, Mar was a semi-finalist of the Bucharest International Jazz Competition 2020, of the International Songwriting Competition 2020 in the World Music category, and of the Spanish National Music Competition of Juventudes Musicales de España 2020 in the Jazz category. She has also been nominated to receive an Artist Award at the Rootstock 2020 Music Festival.
The artist is member of Professional associations such as the Recording Academy / GRAMMYs, the Latin Grammy Academy, BMI, SoundExchange, Mujeres de la Industria de la Música and Associació de Músics de Jazz i Música Moderna de Catalunya. Recent relevant performances include a concert in Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid featuring relevant artists such as Mariza, Pitingo, Arcángel, Ainhoa Arteta, El Piraña, Javier Limón, Larry Monroe and La Mala Rodríguez, among others, in addition to the recording of videos with Sony Latin US Music with Casita Limón.
Mar released in December 2020 her first album of original music, called Mi Propia Religión, and focused on her personal approach to Jazz fusion music with Latin and Mediterranean roots, and Pop and Soul influences. Mar Fayos has just finished a year of touring as a Singer in White of the show Alegría by Cirque Du Soleil in South Korea and Japan.
After working in music higher education music programs in both Berklee College and Bunker Hill Community College, as well as at Escola Taller de Músics de Barcelona, now she works as a full-time faculty of voice and ensembles at the Berklee College of Music, serving also as the faculty advisor of the Latin Music Studies, and leading the Latinx/H Program of the college, and performs actively with her band "Mar Fayos Project" and as part of other musical projects and endeavors. Every time Mar is in Barcelona, she performs sold-out concerts and has received great press coverage as a result.