Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Mabes

In 2019, British folk-pop singer-songwriter Mabes made a grand entrance with the release of her debut album, Wait & See, and fans and critics from around the world took notice. In less than twelve months, the seven-track collection garnered over twenty million streams and made Mabes one of the year’s breakout artist. Praised for her dreamy vocals and songwriting prowess, Mabes is following that success with her new EP, Keeping The Noise Down and she told us all about it!

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Mabes: I truly can’t remember discovering it; it’s part of who I am. I come from a family of music lovers and my parents always took me to gigs. They took me to the V Festival at thirteen-years-old, which was pretty cool!

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Mabes: It was Laura Marling’s album, Alas, I Cannot Swim that inspired me to put my words into my songs. Before then I had written poems, but Laura influenced me to pick up the guitar, which led to me playing my first open mic night when I was fifteen, and I guess my confidence grew from there, really.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Mabes: Not really. It’s all been amazing! There are so many things I love about doing this: the jubilation when I’ve got a new idea, the buzz I get when I feel a vibe evolving in the studio, the excitement of releasing songs into the world, traveling on the road, the adrenaline of playing to live audiences all over the world, and of course, hearing fans say how my music has affected them or brought some comfort, and when they sing my lyrics to me—that’s the best bit!

PC: You just released your new EP, Keeping The Noise Down. Tell us about the inspiration behind the collection.
Mabes: These four tracks are a flashback to my teenage years…albeit they came with internal troubles. “Keeping The Noise Down” is about being on the outside of the “in”, the anxiety and low self-esteem from failing to fit in with the crowd. These ideas are reflected in the lyrics and the visual, which follows me through a party I went to at age eight. “Stuck In The Rain” is a note to myself to keep on going and keep hope, which I did even though at times it was hard to see the light. “Slow Drowning” is about learning that not all love lasts forever. “Might As Well” is about the social pressures that come with teenage life and the insecurities we have as humans as we compare ourselves to one another. This EP is a fly on the wall view into my adulthood—honest and raw, as I intended.

PC: If you had to pick one song off of Keeping The Noise Down that best encompasses you as an artist, which would it be and why?
Mabes: Probably “Might As Well”, not only because it’s a vibe, but actually because of the way I came about writing it. I had this writing session with Quarry (a good friend and fellow artist) and the talented Laura Welsh whom I hadn’t then met. I very nearly didn’t go, as I was feeling low about some stuff I was going through. But, I pulled myself together and got on the train to London. When I got there, I had tears in my eyes; I apologized and said I might have to go home, but Quarry made me stay and handed me a pen and paper. Two hours later the song was done. The track has the original vocal from the session, too. It fits so well at the end of the EP, as it’s a recurring curse in me to doubt myself—I just deal with it better these days.

PC: How does Keeping The Noise Down differentiate itself from your 2019 release, Wait & See?
Mabes: I hope I have shown I am constantly growing and developing as an artist, not only sonically with more production, such as drums and bass, but also with the messages in my lyrics. I’m a sucker for a folk ditty, but I also have a lot of exploring to do artistically.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Mabes: Endor

PC: First album you bought?
Mabes: S Club 7

PC: First concert you attended?
Mabes: The Tweenies

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Mabes: John Mayer’s Continuum

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Mabes: Glastonbury

PC: A must-have on the road?
Mabes: Pinot Grigio

To keep up with Mabes, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify.