East Finchley singer and songwriter Kara Marni talks to Zoe Paskett following the success of her first ever headline show

Her first headline gig has finished and Kara Marni fights her way through the crowd of admirers looking stunned and thankful.

“It was pretty surreal, the whole night,” the soulful singer later says. “I wasn’t expecting it to be so busy! I was reacting off everyone’s energy in the room and I absolutely loved it.”

Among the family, friends and fans, there was one person she was even happier to see in the crowd: “My grandma, my 80-year-old grandma, which was one of my highlights because she rarely leaves the house, so for her to come down was a bit of an honour.”

It may have been her first time as the star of the show but East Finchley local Marni has been performing live whenever she can. She used to sing weekly at Westfield “just for enjoyment.

“This was just for fun and practice, and I loved performing and people hearing my voice.”

It was the high notes of Minnie Riperton’s Loving You that really pushed her into the spotlight. After uploading a cover of the song to YouTube, Marni gained attention from a much wider audience, including her current manager. But she says a lot of people who hear her music now message her to tell her that they remember seeing her at the shopping centre.

The crowd at her first headline show is indicative of the size of her following at this early point in her career.

“I was shocked,” she says. “I couldn’t believe it. A lot of my friends couldn’t get in and I was sort of sad, but at the same time I was like, this isn’t the worst problem to have!”

Her single Golden was produced by The Invisible Men, who have worked with Ellie Goulding, Nicki Minaj, Zayn Malik to name but a few. It has been very well received and she is working towards releasing more music in the new year.

Marni’s grandma says she’s been singing since she was a baby, but the song writing came a little later on. Working with “incredible” writers and producers has given her space to develop this skill and absorb techniques. She now finds it easier to be more open when it comes to writing lyrics.

“You wouldn’t go to a stranger in the street and tell them your deepest and darkest thoughts, but I have to do that on a daily basis and now I’ve got used to being more open,” she says, adding: “It still sometimes is quite hard to be really honest.

“I’m just happy to be doing what I love. I’m loving the reaction to my show and everything at the moment! I’m on such a high.”