Introducing Mabel With her new Single ‘Don’t Call Me Up’
Introducing Mabel
With her new Single ‘Don’t Call Me Up’
Nominated in the UK for British Breakthrough Act at Brit Awards 2019
“Mabel is blazing a trail that’s all her own.” – The Guardian
“One of the year’s breakout stars…Mabel was born to perform –Sunday Times
“The best R&B to come out of London in recent memory” – The Fader
“Flipping the music-world male gaze without missing a beat” – Dazed
“A richness and honest that sets her out” – Noisey
Mabel has today announced details of anthemic new single ‘Don’t Call Me Up’, which is available now on Polydor Records and arrives hot on the heels of her nomination for British Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards 2019 . This follows an extraordinary twelve months which saw the 22-year-old sell over 2 million singles in the UK alone, surpass half a billion streams, and cap December’s UK tour with a massive sold-out show at London’s Brixton Academy (complete with pyrotechnics, dancers, and guest appearances from Mabel’s collaborators Not3s and Kojo Funds).
‘Don’t Call Me Up’ is the sound of an increasingly-fearless young artist answering the call for Britain’s next great pop export. Co-written by Mabel alongside Steve Mac (whose arsenal of hits include Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’ and Years & Years’ ‘If You’re Over Me’) plus Kamille Purcell (Little Mix, Mist, Clean Bandit), ‘Don’t Call Me Up’ takes Mabel’s lifelong love for empowered, role-reversal R&B into a thrilling new space. Here is a breakup song which zooms in on strength over sadness, with the spirit of irrepressible sisterhood aptly captured in the ‘Don’t Call Me Up’ video, also airing for the first time today.
Blossoming in confidence as an artist and young woman, Mabel’s is a unique, singular journey into stardom that continues to surprise. Raised largely between Sweden, Malaga and London, she has gradually found her own voice amidst an intrinsically-musical household, and is already using it to startling effect: songs across debut mixtape ‘Ivy To Roses tackle everything from young love, heartache and the challenges of relationships in the digital age to the bigger-picture themes that have informed Mabel’s formative years. She has spoken and sometimes-sung candidly on battling anxiety (an issue which forced Mabel to drop out of school at a young age) on top of growing up mixed-raced, culturally dislocated, and the effort to grow comfortable in your skin. Along the way, Mabel’s music has become a soundtrack – for herself, but particularly for her impassioned young female fanbase – of how to turn those vulnerabilities into your advantages.
It’s that spirit of openness but quite self-belief that has seen Mabel come of age these last few years: effortlessly moving between the worlds of music, fashion, dance and art, and emerging as a refreshing role model in the modern musical landscape. She now has two platinum-selling singles (‘Finders Keepers’, ‘My Lover’,) one gold (‘Fine Line’) and one silver (‘Ring Ring’) under her belt, yet you sense is also just getting started. And if Mabel sometimes appears like an artist who can’t quite believe that her pop-star dreams are coming true, ‘Don’t Call Me Up’ is also the mark of a young woman who knows herself – warts-and-all – better than ever…and better than anyone else.
Artist Bio
An effortless storyteller with a pure and unfiltered singing talent and songwriting ability, Mabel McVey has an instinctive gift of melody far beyond her twenty two years. Indeed Mabel has made quite the impression since bursting on to the scene in September 2015 with her release ‘Know Me Better’. Quietly released onto Mabel’s personal SoundCloud, the single didn’t remain a secret for long, putting the wheels in motion for Mabel to become a fresh and exciting name amongst a brand new generation of r’n’b chanteuses.
In the three or so years since then, Mabel’s growth (musically, emotionally, visually) has been extraordinary. Her formative material led to the surprise breakthrough of ‘Finders Keepers’ in 2017, which went platinum, spent 5 weeks in the top 10, and saw Mabel nominated for her first BRIT Award (Critics’ Choice). She has gone from playing nervous, intimate shows to touring with Harry Styles, selling out her own dates around the world (including London’s Brixton Academy) and has clocked up increasingly-surreal experiences en route (which includes playing Wembley Stadium in a Burberry catsuit and rainbow flag). Over two million single sales in the UK and over half a billion streams followed. Repaying all her early promise in the process, Mabel has emerged as one of the UK’s most positive, candid lyrical voices, with songs that frequently explore everything from identity (sexual, racial, personal), the challenges of modern relationships, and working out who you are and what you want.
Born into a musical dynasty, it is safe to say that music quite literally runs in the blood of Mabel. The daughter of producer Cameron McVey, best known for his seminal work with Massive Attack, Portishead, Sugababes and All Saints, Cameron remains one of British music’s most cherish guardians. Mabel’s mother is Neneh Cherry, the cross-generational music and style superstar who went onto defy then-musical genres. It is this seamless ability to converge musical cultures that been passed down to Mabel, and she now takes in her own dazzling direction.
Born in the mountains of Malaga, Spain, Mabel’s childhood was spent zig-zagging the globe with her sisters, with time spent in Notting Hill and Stockholm, Sweden where she studied at the prestigious Rytmus Musikergymnasiet music school (which counts Robyn and Tove Lo as some of its alumni). A self-confessed loner, Mabel found solace in her music. “I didn’t have many friends growing up. I wasn’t into other kids that much. I used to hate when adults would leave me alone. I would already know that we didn’t have the same chemistry, I almost feel like I didn’t have the innocence of being a child in that sense,” she explains. It is there Mabel found the confidence to indulge and explore her songwriting abilities, drawing on these unique life experiences to create tracks which lay bare the woman behind the music.
Much of this was brought together on Mabel’s debut, long-form mixtape, ‘Ivy To Roses’. Here was a cohesive, expertly-crafted collection of songs that explore control in modern relationships (the power-play of ‘Come Over’, the feminine independence of ‘Low Key’) and those moments when you lose it (the raw vulnerability of ‘Roses’, or the dancehall-inspired frustration of ‘Begging’). The beautiful, piano-led ‘Ivy’ pays tribute to those family and friends who you take into the next chapter of your life, as well as the actual ivy which Mabel found growing in her bedroom and continued to flourish (no matter how many times it’s cut back).
Mabel has since added to this body of work with a series of hit singles which show a stark increase in confidence. ‘Fine Line’, for instance, soundtracks those crossroad moments in a budding romance whilst urging women to take the wheel. “It’s about getting lost in something without losing yourself completely, and how that’s exciting but also dangerous.” ‘One Shot’, meanwhile, is “about playing hard to get and knowing what you want.” And in 2019, Mabel’s ambitions appear boundless: ‘Don’t Call Me Up’ was co-written by Mabel alongside Steve Mac (whose arsenal of hits include Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’ and Years & Years’ ‘If You’re Over Me’) plus Kamille Purcell (Little Mix, Mist, Clean Bandit), turning the breakup ballad on its head in empowering, pounding fashion.
From ‘Know Me Better’ to, in turn, truly getting to know herself, Mabel has grown into one of British pop’s most refreshing and positive young role models. She has spoken and sometimes-sung candidly on battling anxiety (an issue which forced Mabel to drop out of school at a young age) on top of growing up mixed-raced, culturally dislocated, and the effort to grow comfortable in yourself. Mabel’s music has become a soundtrack – for herself, but particularly for her impassioned young female fanbase – on how to turn those vulnerabilities into your advantages. And it’s this honesty and openness that has allowed Mabel the freedom to do what she does: moving effortlessly between the worlds of music, fashion, dance and art, and as at home collaborating with Stormzy or Tate Modern as she is teaming up with campaigns for Nike, Tommy Hilfiger or Topshop. Having collaborated on tracks with peers such as Not3s, Kojo Funds, Jax Jones, Raye and Stefflon Don, Mabel now appears at the centre of what is rapidly emerging as a new golden age in British pop.
For Mabel, ultimately everything goes back to those early roots: a child of the golden-age of 00s r’n’b, who harnesses the energy of her idols Beyonce circa Destiny’s Child, as well the vocal stylings of musical legends like Stevie Wonder and Minnie Ripperton. The beauty of her compositions and her natural affinity for imaginative narratives makes Mabel the perfect candidate to be the UK’s next, great pop export. “I hate the expression ‘finding yourself’ but I do feel like that’s what I’ve been doing. I can’t please everyone but I can create something that makes me happy, and that’s the most important thing. This is just the beginning.”