Alice Fisher/Atlantic Records
Mahalia Talks 'Seasons' EP, Wale Remix, & R&B's New Wave
Already a star in the U.K., Mahalia is invading U.S. shores with her new EP Seasons.
R&B’s newest sensation may only be 20, but she already sounds like a seasoned vet. Inspired by legends like Aretha Franklin and Lauryn Hill, the soulful singer-songwriter paid a visit to Rap-Up HQ during a recent trip to L.A. to break down her five-track EP, which she describes as “five different seasons of a relationship.”
One of Mahalia’s early fans includes Wale, who remixed her single “I Wish I Missed My Ex,” much to her surprise. “He kinda hinted at it, but I didn’t know that he was gonna do it,” she said. “And then it dropped. And it’s sick.”
As a longtime R&B fan, Mahalia is excited to see the genre’s resurgence. “I grew up on R&B. I feel like things always come around. You see it in fashion, you see it in music, you see it in everything. I never truly believed that R&B was dead,” she said. “I feel like I’m part of the wave and I’m just gonna ride it.”
She cites Daniel Caesar, H.E.R., and her fellow Brit Ella Mai among her favorites. “I think she is amazing and I’m so happy with her success,” she said of the “Boo’d Up” singer. “I feel like everybody’s taking it and making it their own, but still staying true to the history of R&B. I think it’s really lovely.”