“I was so emotional making it”: R&B singer Mahalia on her third album ‘IRL’ and upcoming Australian tour

“I stopped making music that I thought people would expect from me or want from me.”

There aren’t many 25-year-olds with a Grammy nomination, more than 2 million monthly Spotify listeners and 12 years – yes, 12 years – of music industry experience. For someone with those kinds of accolades, Mahalia is exceedingly down to earth, something I discover as she speaks to me via Zoom from her kitchen table in London.

“If you were to bump into me on a night out, we probably would have an extraordinarily deep conversation by the time we’re done,” she says. “I’m the girl in the bathroom in the club chatting to everyone. I love it and I’ve always been like that.”

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In a few weeks, she’ll be touching down in Australia in support of her latest album, IRL. Across 13 tracks, the singer divulges some of her most intimate moments yet, weaving stories of self-discovery, love and loss, anchored by her shimmering ’70s-influenced production and buttery vocals. Studded with features from R&B giants including Stormzy, Kojey Radical and JoJo, the album has solidified Mahalia’s place as one of neo-soul’s brightest stars.

It took Mahalia almost four years to create IRL – she started working on it around the same time she was in Australia last for Laneway 2020. “There were so many moments when I didn’t think it was going to come out,” she tells me. “Not even because of anything weird, but just because I was so emotional making it that I was just like ‘I can’t see myself finishing this’. The album was the first time that I understood the concept of a labour of love and how much of your heart goes into it.”

There’s a quiet confidence that radiates through IRL which differentiates it from its more uptempo predecessor, Love and Compromise – Mahalia’s breakout record from 2019. She says it’s something that’s come with age.

“When I was a lot younger, so maybe like 18, and I was releasing music, it’s like, when you can picture a dream that you want so badly and you’re making all the right steps and doing stuff, you really believe in yourself and it’s really difficult when you can’t see other people believing in you in the same way,” she tells me. Now, she’s let that go. 

“I stopped making music that I thought people would expect from me or want from me and I just started making the music that felt like it was what was in my heart at the time. I’m just like, ‘What will be will fucking be’ and ‘It is what it is’. My dad is a very ‘It is what it is’ guy and there’s real strength and vulnerability in that because you’re just surrendering to being a person, and being a fucking human, and going through life and experiencing everything and not giving a fuck if things maybe don’t go your way every single time.”

The resulting album speaks for itself. From the lullaby-turned-club banger ‘Goodbyes’ to the empowerment anthem that is ‘Terms and Conditions’ (with all the heart and zest of TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’), Mahalia’s openness has been key to her dizzying success.

“We want to share trauma, we want to feel like there are other people that are going through all the same shit that we are. I think people want to see things that they relate to and I think I’ve always been able to do that in my music mostly because it’s in my nature, but also because I know that people want to feel like you understand them, and I feel like I do!” she laughs.

On her upcoming tour, where she’ll be joined by Sydney-based trailblazer Becca Hatch, she’s looking forward to showing Australian fans just how far she’s come since her last visit.

“My performing is better, my dancing is better, I can sing every single song and not be tired at the end – I feel like as a performer, I’ve really grown so I’m excited to be able to showcase that,” she says. “I’m basically performing everything that a) I think people are going to want to hear, but b) are going to connect with and want to sing and laugh with, because there are stories to all of them and I tend to tell my stories on stage which is again down to me being a slight oversharer.”

She’ll also be spending her 26th birthday in Australia, something she’s particularly excited about as she usually spends her birthdays stuck at home. Her plans? “I’m a simple girl. I love a little sailboat with all my friends and a pack of beers.”

To grab tickets to Mahalia’s Australian, head here.