“I have my own things to say” : Mabel talks to VIVA about independent success and the future of her music.
| 3rd May 2018
Copyright: Chuff Media
It’s likely that if you’ve turned your radio on recently, you’ll have been greeted with the catchy hits ‘Finders Keepers’ and ‘Fine Line’.
Mabel Mcvey, originally from Stockholm and known by stage name Mabel, is responsible for the R&B influenced tracks that have been climbing their way up the competitive chart ladder; with ‘Finders Keepers’ reaching the eighth spot in the UK Singles Chart last year. This, along with her features on Raye’s ‘Cigarette’ and Not3s’ ‘My Lover’ place her firmly on the map as an R&B artist set for stardom.
After being greeted with a warm hug amongst the hectic preparations for her gig at Band On The Wall, Mabel discussed collaborations, musical upbringing and recent success on why her name is becoming so well-known in UK R&B.
“It’s crazy,” she begins. “I’ve had so many conversations just today of people saying ‘my mum loves your song’ or ‘my son loves your song’.”
It’s evident that music is a deep-set passion within the 21 – year – old musician. Her eyes light up when she talks about the success of ‘Finders Keepers’, her most recognised single to date featuring Kojo Funds – “It changed my life. I’m so emotional about that song still because it was my most successful song and I wrote it with my big brother.”
Copyright: Chuff Media
Her previous success with releases back in 2015 stapled her popularity amongst the blogs and online – however there’s no doubting that the Platinum award winning single exposed her to a global audience that is continuing to grow. “To have a platinum record with my big brother is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’m selling out shows now. Things have definitely changed.”
From writing a top ten hit with her brother, the extent of musicality in her family doesn’t stop there. Mabel explained how being the daughter of singer Neneh Cherry and producer Cameron Mcvey meant she lived most of her youth touring or in a studio with her musical parents.
“I am lucky to have grown up in a family where they were like ‘cool you’re one of us’. It’s not a weakness, it’s a strength that can be used to create something positive.” she says. The positive message seems to resonate with fans, speaking to me just an hour before her sell out show in Manchester.
Despite this current success, Mcvey explained that although her love of music had transpired from her surroundings as a child, she didn’t actually see it becoming her career. Hard to believe, as she has been received so positively in the exposure of the public eye – recently being nominated for a Critic’s choice award, and now working with other established artists from similar genres. When asked about how her double collaboration with artist ‘Not3s’ came about, Mabel spoke of how the excitement of collaborating made her want to continue.
“I got such a buzz off collaborating with Kojo, knowing that I’ll write something and then another artist will hear it differently and add something and that how we can elevate this together. I was obsessed with that feeling.”
“I wrote Fine Line with my brother again, it was the first session after Finders Keepers that we had together.”
“Not3s heard it and said ‘I love this song, I’m jumping on this song’ “
10 million views on the 'Fine Line ft @Not3sofficial' video. Keep showing it love guys 🙌🏽💕https://t.co/mVSsycIWX4
— Mabel (@Mabel) April 27, 2018
Growth expels from the 21 year-old singer; with memories of me first hearing ‘My Boy My Town’ on a popular Spotify playlist back in 2015 coming to mind. That seems a world away now, as I sit down with her before her sell out Manchester show; just a small part of her European tour. We had a conversation that really showed Mabel’s excitement for her future and next stages within her career.
After the release of the Bedroom EP, the songstress released the nine-track mixtape ‘Ivy To Roses’ which again, metaphorically reinforces her commendable desire to grow as a person and artist. She told me that 2015 was the year where she showed her ever-growing audience that she was more than just her parent’s daughter: “I have my own things to say” she states. Mabel defines 2016 as the year in which she can show her capabilities in producing bodies of work – leaving this year a pool of expressionism to show the contrast between her previous works and a new album.
Before thanking Mabel for her time talking to us here at VIVA, we spoke about her live performances and the ongoing fun and chaos of touring life. “Before my first ever headline shows I would be so nervous and my managers would have to push me onto stage” she begins, quite a shock considering her apparent confident ability to perform.
“I realised last year what a perfect show is – and that’s not hitting every note, it’s not remembering every lyric. It’s about enjoying it, and when I’m enjoying it, the people in the crowd enjoy it too. I feel so free and less anxious about performing.”
Mabel’s acceptance of herself and realisation that the imperfections in performance and artistry is what makes her so authentic as an artist – something which should be applauded in today’s culture. Undoubtedly, and with more headline dates to cover, the career of Mabel Mcvey is only heading for bigger and better things. In her own words, she assured me that the next big step for her is: “showing people that I can be a worldwide, international artist.”
Listen to her Bedroom EP and mixtape ‘Ivy To Roses’ on Spotify here.
For further updates, head to Mabel’s official website here.