You’d assume that releasing your debut single right as the world shuts down is one way to end a music career before it’s even properly begun. But for Mimi Webb – and a multitude of other emerging stars – lockdown provided the unexpected backdrop for a remarkable rise, largely thanks to the infinite reach of the Internet, and in particular, TikTok.

Having now amassed over a billion streams in just a few years, the Canterbury-born singer-songwriter has made the convincing leap from tiny screens to major stages, with sold-out shows across Europe, the UK and Ireland as part of her Amelia Tour, in support of her debut album of the same name.

Amelia, which takes its title from her real first name, was released back in March, after Mimi scored a coveted Best New Artist nomination at the 2023 BRIT Awards.

Backstage at the 3Olympia Theatre, during her two-night run of headline shows at the Dublin venue, Mimi tells me that she’s grateful her fame came when it did – and not, as is the case with many other stars, when she was a young teenager.

“Just because of the mistakes you can make at that age,” she reflects. “You don’t have a clue who you are. I’m 22 now, and it’s still a process. I was a different person, when I look back – so I don’t know whether I would’ve had what it takes to do it.

“I signed when I turned 18, but I hadn’t started sharing music,” she continues. “So I was still enjoying myself, and doing all the things an 18-year-old would do – like trying to get into the clubs!”

Mimi Webb. Credit: Frank Fieber

While her career was already underway in the lead-up to the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown gave her crucial time to develop as an artist.

“I’ve got such a positive outlook on the time I was able to have with my family at home – and the time to figure out my music. It was a very unique situation to be in. I did a 50-person show [pre-lockdown], and then we went straight into like 11,000 at Reading Festival, with everyone screaming the songs. That’s when we were like, ‘Okay, this is mad.’ I had to get used to it, for sure.

"I also had to get used to the switch from being a TikToker to being an artist.”

As Mimi points out, when “TikTok started to happen, no one really knew what it was.”

“I just jumped on it,” she recalls. “It felt like a little home for me, during the pandemic. “

Of course, more and more countries are currently looking at banning or restricting the Chinese-owned platform.

“That will be interesting,” Mimi says of such proceedings. “If TikTok isn’t there, it’s like, ‘Where do we go next?’ I love scrolling down TikTok – you just get so caught up in it.”

Mimi’s popularity – both online and in-person – has also meant she’s had to step up as a role model for fans, at a relatively young age. It’s a job she’s willing to take on, however.

"I'm happy to put myself out there and be vulnerable," she tells me. "Just so other people feel like they have someone there."

She delves into her own struggles as a teenager on Amelia’s title track.

“I was looking back at all those tough times, where you feel like you’re never going to get out of it,” she notes. “I wanted to say something on that, and get it down on paper. It was a message that I felt everyone else could take on with them. It might be too late for me to tell my younger self, but it’s still a message I can take on now, through the rest of my days ahead. I wanted to do it for people who are 15, say, and trying to figure out what they want to do after GCSEs – to tell them that everything will work out in the end.

“I’ve realised that I love emotional speaking,” she continues. “I love deep conversations. I love being able to talk. I haven’t started public speaking, but it’s something I really want to do one day."

Mimi is particularly interested in addressing mental health issues through public speaking.

"It's starting to become the conversation that needed to be had for a while," she remarks. "It makes people feel so much less alone. Even me – I just watched the Lewis Capaldi documentary. He's a good friend of mine, and I knew he'd had anxiety, but just to see the inside story in the documentary makes you feel like you're not alone."

Has she always found it easy to open up about her own feelings, through her music or otherwise?

"When I was younger, I'd say no," she muses. "And then I got to an age where I felt like talking about it made me feel better. Sometimes I have to talk about something a hundred times to then feel better about it."

In addition to Lewis Capaldi, Mimi has a broad selection of trailblazing UK pop artists to follow in the footsteps of.

"I'm very inspired by Dua Lipa – just to see how she broke through into America," she says. "That's really important.

"America is definitely the next step for me," she continues. "It's a very different market out there, but I'm excited!"

Credit: Hayley Louisa Brown

But despite the velocity with which her career has taken off, Mimi tells me she's making a conscious effort to go with the flow this year.

"Just because I want to enjoy it as much as I can," she elaborates. "I don't want to worry, and then not enjoy it. But I've definitely got a bucket list that I tick off..."

And what's left to conquer on that list?

"My James Bond theme song!" she smiles. "That's something I really want to do, fingers crossed. Kind of like 'Skyfall'. Very dramatic – that's my middle name!"

Amelia is out now. Mimi Webb plays Live At The Marquee, Cork on June 16. She also plays this year's Electric Picnic in Stradbally, Co. Laois (September 1–3).