As a best British female Brit award winner and recent inductee into the rarified Spotify Billions Club for 2019 single Don't Call Me Up, stepping back into the limelight should have been smooth sailing for Mabel McVey. But when the mononymously known pop star teased her return on Instagram in March, the message was filled with heavy allusions to the difficulties of what had come before.
"I don't know if anyone really knows who they are in their twenties, but the only way for me to start figuring that out was to turn down the noise," she wrote. "I definitely don't have the answers on how to navigate this industry any more, but I do know that it will be a hell of a lot easier with you by my side."
Launched into the spotlight in her late teens, Mabel had her first Top 10 single-2017's Finders Keepers shortly after turning 21. Now 28, the interim years were a steady cycle of make a record, then promote the record, then make the next record, coupled with the even greater pressures of being simultaneously moulded by the industry and judged by the world.
By the end of the release cycle of her second album About Last Night, in 2022, she felt completely disconnected from herself.
All these opinions about the way you look, all these things that come with being a female pop star- these expectations and meetings where they talk about you like you're a product rather than a person can slowly grind you down into a place where you don't know who you are, she says. The industry itself had also begun to shift and react against its old methods. Where, she says, there was a formula before, and I know that because I had it used on me many times, audiences were now craving authenticity and real characters; flawed, relatable heroes instead of perfectly manicured stars.
This story is from the October 10, 2024 edition of The London Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 10, 2024 edition of The London Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
I'll Always Have Northern Soul, But When I Saw London I Was Hooked - Despite my grandma's dire warnings, just had to leave Oldham behind
Despite my grandma's dire warnings, just had to leave Oldham behind
The Queen, Drink and Drugs... What Made Me and Saved Me- Artist Chris Levine on kicking bad habits and shooting our art greats
For artist Chris Levine, Andy Warhol is always watching. A genuine self-portrait by the great Pop artist gazes out from the wall of Levine's studio in Hampshire, given to him by a collector after learning that Warhol was a huge inspiration. He said I could have one if I wanted. I thought he was joking, but a few weeks later he turned up with a big roll.
Mabel 'You Can Make the Most Incredible Song and People Will Still Just be Talking About your Tits' - As a best British female Brit award winner and recent inductee into the rarified Spotify Billions Club for 2019 single Don't Call Me Up, stepping back into the limelight should have been smooth sailing for Mabel McVey.
As a best British female Brit award winner and recent inductee into the rarified Spotify Billions Club for 2019 single Don't Call Me Up, stepping back into the limelight should have been smooth sailing for Mabel McVey. But when the mononymously known pop star teased her return on Instagram in March, the message was filled with heavy allusions to the difficulties of what had come before.
How the Mossad Algorithm is Reimagining Modern War - Hi-tech, elaborate, audacious... Israel's foreign intelligence agency is leading the spying world into uncharted territory
Of all the monuments to the horrors of the October 7 massacres, the remains of the military outpost closest to the Gaza Strip and the nearby kibbutz at Nahal Oz must be the most melancholy. They received the first onslaught of the Hamas terrorists at around 4.30am.In less than an hour 66 soldiers were killed, six were captured and six are still missing while at the kibbutz nearby 15 were killed and eight taken into Gaza as hostage.
Carsley's England audition - The right man for a fresh start?
Don't be fooled by his low profile, say those who know him best- the ex-U21s boss can take the side to new heights
Conte’s rant gets to heart of problem facing Postecoglou
Tottenham boss must fix the soft centre that curses club
The man who put the fizz back into Soho House
...and his stunningly chic new 'club within a club' in Mayfair
At home with...Idris Khan and Annie Morris
Modern art mixed with cosy fabrics works a treat in the artist couple's Islington home
London's Hidden Gems
SECRET SPOTS YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO DISCOVER
Ronan shines in McQueen's journey through war-torn London
A strikingly assured debut performance from child actor Elliott Heffernan anchors Steve McQueen's film.