At twenty-two years old, Swedish singer-songwriter Mabel is overflowing with talent and promise, inspiring a younger generation with her powerful pop. Mariella caught her live, and had this to say.
Surrounded from the get-go by smartly dressed sixteen-year-olds, it was hard to not feel out of place at Stylus. Taking instead to the back above the main floor, I was among accompanying mums and dads, and a crowd of excitable teenage girls — and the occasional boy — waiting patiently for Mabel to arrive on stage. The twenty-two-year-old Swedish singer-songwriter, and pop sensation, has had a string of hits already since her debut single, ‘Know Me Better’, released in 2015. Continuing in her streak of success, the young star went on to release three UK R&B Top 10 songs, and has had a stellar year with the re-release of her mixtape Ivy to Roses.
Support act Ruel delayed her arrival, but made for a perfect opener to kick off the show, entering dramatically from the side of the stage with an acapella rendition of ‘Here’ by Alessia Cara. The raw vocal talent was immediately evident, his impressively powerful voice filling the venue, before he jumped into his debut single ‘Golden Years’. The singer danced around the stage, clearly enjoying the crowd, slowing it down into the sultry ‘Dazed & Confused’—a more R&B-inspired number which showed off his soulful voice and wooed the young audience, who he had in the palm of his hands by the time he came to the end of his last song, ‘Say’.
It was not long before the headline act, Mabel, took to the stage, opening with her most recent single, ‘One Shot’. A frequent feature on Radio 1, closing your eyes whilst listening made it feel no different than if you were tuning in, with the live rendition matching so closely to the studio version. Although this may reflect her vocal talent, the lack of variety left you wanting more.
The next song was a lesser known track, but a bop nonetheless. Embodying a more classic R&B style, Mabel’s vocal talent shone through in her slick runs and beautiful harmonies with the backup singers.
‘Know Me Better’ tested the singer’s range, with stunning high notes, but a slightly shaky lower register. This song was slower than the previous two, bringing down the energy before transitioning straight into the unreleased ‘Bad Behaviour’, which boasted a catchy dancehall beat as well as edgy vocal distortions on the mic. Despite the energy in the room and the impressive vocal performance from Mabel, she didn’t quite command the stage with her lacklustre dance moves.
Once again before long though, the singer reminded the audience—parents and kids alike—that you know her music whether you like it or not. ‘Ring Ring’ was also not that different from her recording, but the instrumental break in ‘Cigarette’ was a nice change. Then, after dedicating the next song to a member of the audience who she had met before the show, Mabel took to the mic for an emotional performance of her song ‘Okay’, telling the crowd that “it’s okay not to be okay”. As her fanbase are mostly girls younger than herself, highlighting such an important thing was admirable, and the singer spreads a good message to those that look up to her.
After a round of chanting and pleading from the crowd, Mabel took to the stage once more to end the night with her chart-hit ‘Finders Keepers’, as screams of adoration erupted in the room. The set may have been simple, and lacking in enthusiasm at times, but for a young artist just beginning their career, the setlist read more like a collection of greatest hits, rather than the tracks of someone just starting out. With banger after banger to sing along to, there’s not much more you need to satisfy fans.
Leading the pack of fresh new singers that are quickly bringing the R&B genre into a new golden era, Mabel has nothing to worry about.
If you’d like to find out more about Mabel, or listen to her music, check out her website with the link below.
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