Mahalia

Signed when she was just 13, Leicester-born singer-songwriter Mahalia Burkmar has had a meandering journey to R&B stardom. Breaking through with 2017’s head-nodding single Sober, she has gone on to develop a distinctive brand of neo-soul blended with defiant lyrics, producing hits such as I Wish I Missed My Ex from her 2019 debut album Love & Compromise, as well as lending her silken vocals to guest verses with rappers Pa Salieu, Stormzy and Ty Dolla $ign. Having won two Mobo awards and been nominated for a Grammy…

Mahalia Burkmar has a knack for penning earworm-strewn pop about relationship drama: complex feelings, shady exes, just being generally irked by your lover. It’s fitting, then, that the day that we meet for a coffee close to her east London home she’s just had a row with her boyfriend. Happily it’s just a minor tiff: he passes by soon after to collect a set of keys en route to the gym, and the pair kiss and make up. As for the exes that appear frequently in her music, “it’s almost like they had a sonar signal that told…

Brighton-born singer-songwriter Elli Ingram has just released “Fool’s Gold”, her new single featuring Brit-R&B star Mahalia.The track sees Elli proclaim her affection for a romantic partner whilst having a burning desire for this to be reciprocated. Her smoky vocals blend effortlessly with the glitchy neo-soul production—which, along with the subject matter, makes for a captivating listen. Mahalia graces the track with her one-of-a-kind tone and pen which get straight to the point. Simply put: this team-up made a lot…

Last night, the MOBO Awards took over London’s OVO Wembley Arena for their 25th anniversary edition. Naturally, for such a momentous occasion, they pulled out all the stops with live performances, a few viral moments, and a couple of new categories to boot.Livestreamed on YouTube, with a special broadcast on BBC One on December 7, the ceremony was hosted by Chunkz and Yung Filly with live performances and appearances from Nile Rodgers, Craig David, Kojey Radical, Tion Wayne, Fireboy DML, Cat Burns, FLO, Eliza Rose, Beenie…

The MOBO Awards are always a special occasion, but this year it’s an even bigger occasion. It’s been 25 years since MOBO founder Kanya King launched the award ceremony to celebrate Black British music and to celebrate, they’re returning to London to host the event at the OVO Arena Wembley.As ever, there aren’t really any categories you could call with ease and there’s sure to be a few surprise wins on the night, but included in this year’s list of nominees are Knucks, Little Simz, Digga D, Mahalia, Miraa May, D-Block…

In 2018, following a bruising divorce, the British singer Sarah Brown was “broke, financially, emotionally and spiritually – I had nothing to live for”. At her lowest ebb, she turned to a voice that had given her crucial guidance and succour when she was a child: Mahalia Jackson, the pre-eminent gospel star of the 20th century.“Pop music was banned in my home growing up,” Brown says. “But my father owned records by Jim Reeves, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson. And Mahalia’s voice opened my spirit up. I grew up in a…