I feel like I’m creating my own narrative
Laura Mvula is back with a new sound and new record label. hears about how she found her way back to the spotlight
DURING the recording sessions for her 2016 album The Dreaming Room, disco pioneer and Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers who had been drafted in as a producer offered Laura Mvula this advice: “You should be a megastar. You haven’t found a way to hold people’s hands and take people in.”
Laura recalls this moment as she talks about her latest album, Pink Noise – which combines her much-discussed classical sensibilities (she attended the Birmingham Conservatoire) with an inviting, sense of pure pop.
“I struggled with that,” she explains. “Because I was tired of hearing from people: ‘Oh, your music is too complex. it’s got too many layers. It’s beautiful but it’s not going to reach a lot of people’ – as though that was my motivation.
“It took a lot of growth, even just baby steps, to understand the two are not mutually exclusive. I can be myself and learn the craft of reaching people.”
The composer and songwriter, originally from the suburbs of Birmingham, is one of Britain’s most gifted contemporary musicians.
She has two Mercury Awardnominated albums under her belt – 2013’s Sing To The Moon and The Dreaming Room – as well as an honorary doctorate of music from Birmingham City University and many other accolades. left with Laura and funk musician George Clinton,
She has worked in theatre (scoring the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2017 production of Antony And Cleopatra), and performed at the Queen’s birthday party.
Her journey, however, has not been easy. She struggled with stage fright and was dropped by her label, RCA Records, part of Sony Music, in 2017. However, she says the last few years have ultimately helped her grow. “I feel relieved,” she admits, adding that losing the team she worked with on her first few records and coming to terms with a new one “has been a positive, even a lifesaving thing”.
“It’s been an adjustment period and a time to figure out what kind of sound I want to make next.
“I had got used to tags like ‘orchestral soul’ and ‘classically trained Mvula’ and hadn’t realised I felt almost trapped by that.
“And I had to find my way out of it. Because really, that was never the whole story for me. I needed to make something that showed much more of who I am.”
Laura was re-born to the public on Graham Norton’s BBC show earlier this year. Appearing inside a glowing box and wearing an oversized white suit with shoulder pads, she delivered a performance of her single Church Girl.
“I’m someone that feels things quite deeply,” she recalls of the frantic early days of the pandemic.
“So when the first lockdown got underway I had a huge sense of, ‘Gosh – how are we going to cope with this collectively? Where are the tools? There’s no handbook.’
“I’ve had a thing about safety and security and needing to feel that in a profound way since I was quite young. And because music has always provided some kind of solace, some inner peace, I knew that this record was going to be that on lots of different levels. I chose an up-tempo vibe because I wanted dance to be a big part of it.”
Pink Noise is a personal record with songs about romance, joy and loss, but also reflects world events – including the death of George Floyd in the US and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Lyrically, I needed some outlet,” she recalls, “some form of expression. It was the time that London was taking to the streets, marching for Black Lives Matter.
“I remember feeling a need to not just say something for the sake of it, when things become trendy, but actually re-engaging or engaging on a different frequency.
“(Song) Remedy was my offering to the struggle.”
At 35, Pink Noise appears to mark a new era for Laura. She worked with other songwriters, returning to and re-writing songs, and is taking inspiration from millennials like singer H.E.R., rapper and drummer Anderson .Paak and pianist Robert Glasper.
“I enjoy the way that there’s a real culture of confidence. The term woke is kind of out of date now, but there’s not much gets past these young people and I really respect that.
“It caused me with this album to not hold back. I used to oversimplify the conversation about, ‘Oh, you’re considered a niche or independent artist trying to do something in the pop world. How does that work? It’s one or the other.’
“I’m not so sure. It’s way more nuanced. And I feel like I’m creating my own narrative now more comfortably.”
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A change of label and production team has left Laura Mvula feeling free to
Peacefully on 8th July 2021, Doug aged 85 years. Much loved Husband, Dad, Grandad and dear friend to many, former Landlord of The Weavers Arms, Ashfield Road. He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends.
Funeral Service to be held at Rochdale Crematorium on Tuesday 20th July at 10.30am. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to Springhill Hospice