Mahalia: "Certain people make women in R&B feel in competition. That’s a difficult feeling when you’re all friends"

It’s the day after Glastonbury Sunday when I get time with Hackney-based artist Mahalia, ahead of the release of her second record IRL on July 14th. The follow up to 2021’s Love & Compromise is a perfect extension to her acclaimed debut, showcasing her progression as both an R&B-focused musician, a vocalist and a storyteller. Not to mention, it’s packed with killer features, Jojo included. Usually, this interview slot would result in fear, given the post-Glasto hangovers and exhaustion, but the Leicester native is energised and ready to go.

“I’m definitely recovered,” she smiles at me. “I didn’t go as crazy as everyone else. Foo Fighters were my favourite set, though. I didn’t really grow up with them, but my tour manager is a huge fan. We went down there together to see them perform, and watching him scream along was really lovely. On the day of my show I woke up with practically no voice because of the dust at Glastonbury! Everyone I spoke to had dry throats,” she laughs. “Skepta’s DJ set in Arcadia was also amazing. He loves that dance-techno-house world.”

Her knack for lifting up contemporaries is partly why Malahia has an endless list of collaborators. She had no shortage of artists to call for her new album.

“Kojey Radical features on IRL,” the 25-year-old tells me. “He’s just insane. Me and Koj have done a couple of songs together but they came around five years ago. He really feels like home to me. ‘It’s Not Me It’s You’ features Destin Conrad. His voice is gorgeous. I’d been a fan of his since he released Colorway. Having him on IRL felt right because he inspired me.”

The project’s irresistible lead single ‘Terms & Conditions’ was co-written with Raye.

“Sometimes journalists have made us feel in competition with each other,” Malahia shrugs. “That’s a really difficult feeling when you’re all friends, because you want to support one another and you don’t want to feel resentful over who gets what gigs. It can create strange complexes. When I first started, I was compared to Jorja Smith in every single interview. I love Jorja, but it made me think that if she is there, then I can’t be there too. It’s unfair.”

Jorja Smith. Credit: Mike Excell.

Mahalia has been consistently outspoken in regards to the treatment of R&B as a genre.

“I’ve always been vocal about the Brits, because mixing pop and R&B into one category doesn’t make sense,” the singer-songwriter asserts. “We’re all perplexed by that. If I’m being completely frank, they haven’t included an R&B artist in the categories. It was Joy Crookes and then Cat Burns. I love both of those artists deeply, but I wouldn’t call it R&B music. Then we get into the conversation of just looking at two women of colour. That really bothers me.”

“You’re only saving ten minutes of showtime,” Mahalia posits. “I get more angry for the people coming up because it removes this sense of opportunity and hopes that we might eventually be able to win an award like a Brit. Women don’t want to sound bitter – which is a complex given to us by a male-dominated industry – but I’m more just disappointed.”

Mahalia at Glastonbury 2023.

Has speaking out now as a woman in the music business, and a person of colour, been made easier by social media platforms with massive fanbases? Rina Sawayama went viral at Glastonbury Festival for calling out Matty Healy’s derogatory remarks made on a podcast against Asian women. Healy has a small stake in the Dirty Hit label, which signed Rina.

“If you’re not a shit person, people will support you,” Mahalia explains. “We’ve seen artists get cancelled and then they wonder where their fans are - but you said something really awful. I love Rina, I adore what she said. I was super disappointed by Matty Healy. I’m happy somebody said something. Are we really going to ignore what he said in that podcast? There was a point when he was dating a woman of colour and now he’s talking like that?

“I love when artists call out bullshit,” She adds, passionately. “I get really nervous when I speak out, and usually cry after! But your fanbase will probably stay with you. What Rina said was true. She’s just everything. Rina makes me feel like how I felt about Lady Gaga back in the day. I love artists who sit in that pop world but dance on the line of being a rock star.”

Rina Sawayama at Forbidden Fruit 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Mahalia’s endless knowledge of the R&B world, from its roots to the present day, is all over her forthcoming new album. Second single ‘Cheat’, featuring ‘Leave’ icon Jojo, was inspired by Brandy and Monica’s soulful 1998 collaboration ‘The Boy Is Mine’.

“The colour blocks in the ‘Say My Name’ video for Destiny’s Child. That will always be with me. I used to watch ‘The Boy is Mine’ video on MTV when I was a kid. I remember the joy I felt when HER came out with HER Vol. 1. She was a silhouette on the blue cover. I’ll never get over Snoh Allegra’s first album. I’ll never forget the first time I heard SZA sing ‘Consideration’ on Rihanna’s album ANTI. There have been moments that have changed the tapestry of R&B. SZA paved the way for me, because she doesn’t just stick within the shiny boundaries of the genre. That early 2000s sound will forever stay with me. Always.”

IRL is out now.

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