It was around year 9 in secondary school that Mnelia began to seriously consider music as more than just a passion. Listening to artists such as Frank Ocean, James Fauntleroy and Brandy, to name but a few, she experienced a musical awakening, and ultimately her music teacher encouraged her to sing. “My form tutor was best friends with my music teacher at the time. My form tutor came to me the following day and informed me, she was like, Mon, why are you singing heartbreak songs? Why can’t I relate? And she’s like, a 30 year old woman, and I was like, I don’t know. I had watched a TV show and the character was heartbroken and I felt like I needed to write a song. I can remember the chords to this day. It’s just such a sad song. Thank god it’s paying the bills now so I’m really grateful,” she laughs when reminiscing on the first ever song she wrote.

And clearly, it all went uphill from there – In early 2020, Mnelia made her mark with the release of her groundbreaking single, ‘Say Yeah’, and ever since she has become an instrumental part in revolutionizing British R&B. Since 2021, the R&B powerhouse has been tirelessly working in the studio to create music, and has been tackling her music career while being a new-ish mother. “I am absolutely still trying to figure out balance. I think it’s a common theme amongst mothers that we’re expected to kind of have it figured out, whereas a lot of us don’t. We’re just kind of improvising. And I think that’s okay”, Mnelia says and emphasizes that she wouldn’t change it for the world though, despite it being a constant challenge: “I still struggle between my motherhood and my music career because sometimes I feel like I’m not being enough of an artist and then other times I feel like I’m not being enough of a mother. And I think balance is definitely important, but it’s one of the hardest things to attain. So I try my hardest to not be hard on myself, but to always remember that my child is my priority. He’s the beginning and the end of everything, really the reason why I do it. He’s great, he loves music and now he’s at an age where he actually asks to listen to my music. Before, I used to play it and he’d be like, no, daddy, and I’m like, oh, okay. Fine. Rude,” she laughs.

Although 2022 was another exceptional year for Mnelia, including performances at Wireless and Reading & Leeds, this year has already been a major whirlwind for her, and it’s only May.

Just a few weeks ago, Mnelia performed at the renowned SXSW Festival in Texas. We had this chat just before the songstress had to catch her plane, and undeniably, her excitement was real. “I’m so excited just to have the opportunity to go out there and really show people what the UK is about, what the UK is trying to build right now. I know it’s such a generic thing to say but I’m really big on collaboration and it’s so important to me that I’m not only going out there by myself. I’m going out there with a bunch of people who have applied themselves in similar ways to me and have similar dreams and work ethics,” she tells me. “I’m praying that on the other side of that there’s just gonna be more opportunities for people after us to be able to do exactly the same thing and more because we’re trying to build something here and it’s nice from the ground up. I’m excited and if I’m talking personally about how I feel, it’s my first international festival, this is a big flex from 18 year old me”, Mnelia chuckles.

After her stint in Texas, she returned with her new single, ‘Genesis’ – a stunning follow-up to her previous single ‘White Lies,‘ which featured Peckham’s favourite Kwengface. Once again, Mnelia showcased her truly ethereal 90’s R&B-infused vocals and honest lyrics. Produced by long-term collaborators Gustav Landell and Albin Tengblad, the track delved into the topic of imposter syndrome, a struggle faced by many creatives. But Mnelia wasn’t done with announcements and releases – since then the artist has completed a sold-out headline show at London’s OMEARA and announced her long awaited project ‘Closure Tapes’, which is finally out now. “I have a single, I have a project, I have a headline show, I have a couple of other shows. This year’s gonna be really fun. I know that everyone says it, but I think considering the fact that my team and I took like a mini break last year to just set aside my goals and plans, I think we’re more than ready to execute now. I would implore anybody that sees Mnelia to stay focused – you genuinely, genuinely are not going to want to miss it”, Mnelia proclaims when we are speaking about her exciting plans for the first half of the year and what fans can still expect.

‘Closure Tapes‘ consists of 10 extraordinary, vulnerable tracks and truly highlights the hard work Mnelia has put in over the past year. It further introduces the singer’s undeniable talent to the world and cements her as one of the most exciting artists in the UK right now. Notably, the EP features an exclusive ‘Genesis Remix’ featuring Bellah, Miraa May, and Joyce Wrice, adding a further layer of depth and versatility to this already outstanding track.