Sephine Llo & Astra Forward

Sephine Llo is a British composer and multi-instrumentalist whose music lives at the crossroads of tradition and invention. Her songwriting draws from 18th-century folk, neoclassical music, and raw, handcrafted electronica — an alchemy that feels both ancient and futuristic. Classically trained and winner of multiple awards (including the AMS Neve Award for Creative Recording), she holds a First-Class Honours degree from the world-renowned Tonmeister course.

Her sound is immersive: grave, glitchy textures swirl around emotive orchestration and layered, ethereal vocals. Think distorted lullabies or ghostly choirs echoing through modern machinery.

Following the critical success of her EP Flame and debut album I, Your Moon — praised by outlets like Clash, Wonderland, BBC Radio 3 Late Junction, and Radio X — Sephine’s creative path was paused by deep personal loss. The death of her husband Robbie (of Autumn Chorus), while she was pregnant with their first child, halted her music for years.

Now, she returns with “Diamond Fall”, her most personal and affecting release to date. The album features samples from Robbie’s unfinished recordings — making it not just a musical project, but an act of preservation, memory, and transformation. It’s already being hailed as a cathartic triumph:

“One of the most hypnotic and evocative sound frescoes of recent times… The songs are like mosaics.”

— Onda Rock Magazine

“An album born from devastating loss… this may be fragile, but you can feel the strength at its core.”

— Fireworks Magazine

Astra Forward is an alt-folk and experimental artist based in South East London. A singer, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, her work explores themes of grief, mysticism, nature, and human connection. Her songs don’t just tell stories — they create moods, atmospheres, and emotional landscapes that feel at once intimate and otherworldly.

Her debut EP, Dawn Dusk, was recorded in East Iceland following a month-long artist residency supported by Help Musicians. It captures the stark beauty and quiet depth of that landscape — music that feels like breath on a cold window or a walk through fog.

Astra is no stranger to the stage or studio. She’s toured across the UK and Europe as part of Diagrams (Sam Genders of Tunng), and collaborated with Erland Cooper, co-writing the title track of his album Sule Skerry. Her voice also features in the short film Billie and Mollie: An Otter Love Story.

“Astra Forward boasts a voice we can believe in.” — MP3 Hugger

“Bewitching… magically hypnotic.” — OSR

Together, Sephine Llo and Astra Forward represent two powerful threads in the evolving fabric of experimental folk. Deeply personal yet expansive, their music reaches across time and genre — drawing listeners into landscapes of memory, healing, and imagination.

Source: The Harrison website