Premiered by DIY Magazine earlier today, British songstress Mahalia has unveiled the hazy video to accompany her stunning first official single “Sober”.
“A hazy, booze-fuelled wander through the remnants of a house party, the video perfectly encapsulates that early morning wooziness” quotes DIY. The track; a rich slice of R&B that recalls the likes of Erykah Badu, Sade and Lauryn Hill, is sprinkled with originality and pushed into the present day. “I’m sorry that there ain’t no time left, you and I are over, me and you are done,” she sings, her warm tones melding into the illustrious, groove-laden beat, her words hitting straight to the heart. The track is quintessentially Mahalia – encompassing the classic sounds of the past while refusing to be hemmed in by one particular genre; her open-hearted lyricism holding it all together like magic dust.
“Finally! I've been waiting to share this with you and now I can! Here's the video for my debut single #SOBER. This story is totally about the morning after. Thinking about the night before - all the mistakes you made, all the muddled texts you sent. I always talk about how this song is a representation of realising a situation is not good for you and getting yourself out of it. This is me waking up and smelling the roses. Now that I am sober..."
At 12 years old – the age most of us are aimlessly riding bikes or trying to avoid homework – Mahalia was picking up a guitar and penning love songs. With her entrancing, soulful tones, wise yet relatable wordplay and intuitive sense of melody, it quickly became clear that she had a natural sense of musicality, and that she’d be doing this for the rest of her life.
Now 19 and based in Leicester, Mahalia is ready to fully unleash what she’s been brewing into the world. In the time since she first picked up that guitar, she’s dropped a scattering of releases – from 2012’s indie-flecked acoustic dream “Head Space” to 2015’s gorgeously understated 4-track EP “Never Change” – which was premiered on i-D – and last year’s genre-flipping mixtape “Diary of Me”, picking up praise from the likes of The Independent and MTV. In 2015, her unique voice caught the attention of Rudimental, who asked her to feature on their easy-going summer anthem “We the Generation”, pushing her name to a wider audience in the process. But for Mahalia, it feels as if she’s just getting started.
