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Muri: The Filipino Violinist-Singer Who Found Her Solo Sound Between Manila, Paris and London
- NOVA ESEA
- Jul 2
- 4 min read
On a Monday evening in Paris, Muri walked into a jazz club alone. It was 11pm. She watched the musicians play, waited until they came off stage, then introduced herself. She knew nobody. She was new to the city, new to building a solo career, and doing the only thing that made sense: putting herself in the room.
"It was very humbling," she says. "For anyone in a new city, you're starting from scratch."
Muri, whose full name is Muriel Gonzales, is a Filipino violinist and singer-songwriter now based between London and Manila. She came up through The Ransom Collective, Manila's pioneering indie folk band, which gave her what she describes as a starting point: "to really get into the industry, to know what music is about, to explore the world of music." But eventually, she needed space to write differently. Her solo work, which sits somewhere between neo-soul, jazz and introspective pop, has drawn comparisons to Jorja Smith and Arlo Parks. The violin runs through everything.
What Her Grandfather Taught Her
Some of what she does today traces directly to her grandfather, a pianist with a particular way of teaching. He wouldn't explain too much.
"Come here, this is the piece, this is the chords. Now I'm going to play here and then you do your thing."
That instruction — just do your thing — stayed. Her music, sung across three languages and built across three cities, still carries that same freedom. She hopes he knows it.
Paris, an Embassy, and a Photograph
She moved to Paris for a master's degree, stayed to work, and found the city both "overly romanticised" and more complex than she'd imagined. Living there alone taught her a kind of independence she hadn't found before.
One evening, she performed at the Filipino embassy. On a wall, she saw a photograph of her grandmother with the French president. Her grandmother had been stationed in Paris as a Philippine ambassador, and seeing that image, in that city, while she was finding her own way as a young artist, shifted something.
"I thought a lot about my grandmother and how, as a woman at that time, she did a lot of unusual things for women. And it gave me a lot of inspiration and strength, especially as I was living abroad and on my own."
The EP She Wrote on Her Way Out
When she knew she was leaving Paris, she began writing down what the city had meant. The result was 11ème, named after the 11th arrondissement where she had lived. Released in September 2024 and produced in France, it captures what she describes as "a lot of my journey as a woman, as a person living abroad, finding my own place, finding self-empowerment."
The track "Story" moves between languages, shaped by the women in her life — her mother, her grandmothers. The language in any given song arrives, however it arrives.
"One is like, what spontaneously comes out when I'm feeling that song. Or second, I'm like, this song needs to be Filipino."
11ème was picked up by Billboard Philippines, NME, and Earmilk. In 2025, she performed at SXSW in Austin. In May 2026, she played Focus Wales as the sole Filipino act. Both times, she was the only artist representing the Philippines.
The Artist Who Doesn't Stay Put
She moves between genres the same way she moves between cities — without needing a fixed address. The Ransom Collective was indie folk. Her solo work is neo-soul. What comes next, she genuinely doesn't know yet.
"As an artist you can't really stay put. If I look at Rosalía, she went from Motomami to techno opera. They're all parts of me."
She still writes in the indie direction on some days. But Muri is clearly not one version of anything, and she isn't in any hurry to decide.
"I'm still figuring out what my next music will be. But that's a nice beauty of being an artist — you can explore and just reinvent yourself."
When she talks about what she'd tell any young artist thinking about making the same journey, she doesn't reach for reassurance.
"Love your craft and love what it gives to you personally, more than what it gives to the outside world."
Have you heard Muri's music, or caught her live? Tell us below 👇
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