AYRA
UPCOMING DATES
Nov 20/21 – Pizza Express Holborn
March 13 -2026 – Ronnie Scott’s
AYRA is a powerhouse of deep, soulful music fronted by Soul Music legend Juliet Roberts and acclaimed pianist/ composer, Janette Mason. The blend of influences, Janette’s deep sophisticated musicality and Juliet’s expressive voice combine to create an unforgettable experience for audiences who value quality and honesty as well as moving to the slickest, funkiest grooves in the business.
Janette Mason and Juliet Roberts are two musical warriors, both rich with the accumulated experience of long and successful careers spanning across the genres of pop, jazz, dance and soul. When Janette first started working with Juliet, she immediately saw the potential for a deep and fruitful collaboration, and the pair soon started meeting and writing regularly together. AYRA is the result – a unique project purveying heartfelt original material drenched in the heritage of soul, spiced with the rhythms of funk and R&B, always delivered straight from the heart. Together they’ve assembled a band of some of the very best in the business including UK session legend Yolanda Charles, Lily Carrasik on trumpet and Bex Gold on additional vocals.
Band Line Up:
Juliet Roberts – Vocals,Composer
Janette Mason – Keyboards,Composer
Yolanda Charles – Bass (Hans Zimmer, Paul Weller, Laura Mvula)
Lily Carassik– Trumpet and BV’s ( Brian May, Soul II Soul)
Bex Gold – Additional vocals
Janette Mason – Keyboards/Composer Janette is a jazz pianist, composer for film and TV, an arranger and producer of all genres from jazz to soul to pop, and a dedicated and heartfelt musical communicator. Over the course of a thirty year career she has quietly but emphatically made her presence felt, Whether leading her own trio in jazz reworkings of pop classics, playing sessions with Oasis, Pulp, or Seal or working with legendary producer Tony Visconti’s Holy Holy Projector Janette always stays true to her core values – a commitment to musical excellence.
Juliet Roberts – Vocals/Composer Blessed with a beautiful and powerful voice, Juliet Roberts is undoubtedly one of the world’s most highly regarded R’n’B and jazz singer songwriters. Widely remembered for her work in the late 80s as lead vocalist with the hugely successful soul-jazz band Working Week and has a multitude of dance hits around the world most notably Needing You (David Morales) and Caught In the Middle (Danny D). She has been a radio and TV presenter and has toured worldwide with award winning artist Courtney Pine.
Yolanda Charles – Bass
Yolanda started her career playing for Jimmy Sommerville ( The Communards) and quickly became the bass foundation of various groups in the burgeoning ‘acid’ jazz scene of the early 90s including Raw Stylus and Urban Species, swiftly securing her reputation as the ‘ go to’ bass player resulting in a remarkable career as a session musician for the next 30 year.
Lily Carassik – Trumpet
Lily is a session trumpet player, she has worked with including Brian May, Soul II Soul, Arlo Parks and Gary Barlow to name a few. Her live performance credits include The Queen’s Jubilee at Buckingham Palace, The BAFTA’s and performing live on the BBC on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage.
Bex Gold – Vocals Bex is a neo-soul and R’n’B singer-songwriter from South London. Her voice is a splendid mix of warm, raspy, and sultry tones. As a classically trained violin and viola player, she attended Guildhall’s Centre for Young Musicians and has performed at the Hideaway Cafe and Wanstead Festival. She was also in the pop girl band ‘Les Chanteuses’.