Since 2020, Mimi Webb has been making waves within the Britpop scene. The singer-songwriter from Canterbury, who began writing songs when she was simply a youngster, rose to prominence on TikTok after Charlie D’Amelio featured her debut single “Earlier than I Go” in considered one of her posts. Shortly, Webb gained a following by sharing the reactions of household and associates to her music. She additionally established herself as a bed room pop princess with a knack for taking her huge R&B vocals and filtering them by way of upbeat dance-pop manufacturing to craft her soulful sound. She’s been on a roll since, launching main excursions in 2022 and performing for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. She then kicked off 2023 with a nomination for “Finest New Artist” on the BRIT Awards. Now, she says she’s prepared to utterly smash it in America.
“Music is so totally different right here, and it may possibly really feel very distant and disconnected at occasions,” the 22-year-old tells Rolling Stone on a latest Zoom name from London. “To have the ability to go on the market and do my factor as a UK artist can be the most important honor — and that’s what I’m aiming for.”
Webb’s debut album, Amelia, out on March 3, serves as her correct introduction to the world. It’s a vibrant, nostalgic document of her coming-of-age voyage to self-love that follows her 2021 EP Seven Shades of Heartbreak, wherein she chronicled the rollercoaster of feelings she skilled in previous relationships. Just like the EP, the album expands on her repertoire of boppy breakup anthems and nostalgic ballads by way of songs like “Roles Reversed” and “Purple Flags.” However Amelia — a title that comes from Webb’s actual title — can also be an opportunity for her to painting a special facet of herself and dive deeper into her artistry. “As soon as this album’s out, I’m going to check the waters,” she says. “I’m going to reinvestigate every little thing and retry issues. The factor that I really like about writing music is that there’s no boundaries.”
You talked about that your album provides followers a glimpse of either side of you. There’s Amelia, and there’s Mimi. Inform me extra.
Amelia is the countryside lady — grew up within the countryside, all the time dreamt of doing what Mimi does. After which Mimi’s actually sassy, outgoing, all the time touring, doing the singing, and it’s having the ability to convey these two individuals collectively. The album is all about my journey and the way I’ve grown as an individual, not simply in my profession however generally being in your late teenagers, early twenties. It’s lovely with the way it’s obtained each these sides to me, and individuals are gonna get to know me a lot extra as an artist and as an individual.
Amelia feels so much like a love letter to your self. Was that one thing you supposed while you first began the album?
Yeah, as soon as we had the primary monitor, “Amelia,” form of completed, that’s when it made sense to actually fold it [Amelia] round that, particularly as a result of I knew that I needed the title to be one thing that will sum up the entire story. As soon as I got here out with the title, naming it my actual title, it felt proper so as to add new songs to assist inform that story.
I noticed in your “2022 eras” TikTok put up that you just’re now in your “Amelia period.” What does that imply?
I’m now rising up, so form of within the stage of wanting to indicate my homebody form of self.
Seven Shades of Heartbreak is concerning the heartache you skilled in 2021. So, how did your 2022 go?
It was such an unbelievable yr. I couldn’t imagine it. We went in every single place, did a number of unbelievable excursions. I obtained to, additionally, see some unbelievable locations, and I did launch a whole lot of new tunes. We launched “Home on Fireplace” at the beginning of final yr, and it was so unbelievable to see how properly that music did. It was simply superb, it couldn’t have gone any higher.
You first blew up on TikTok. Do you ever really feel pressured to make music that you just assume will go viral?
Yeah. It’s all the time form of at the back of your head, however for me to have the ability to be artistic and to have a artistic stream overtly, I’ve to simply give attention to the music and never focus an excessive amount of on the social media facet of it. On the finish of the day, I’m an artist, not only for TikTok. So, I simply stick with — as a songwriter — my normal strategies after which take into consideration the discharge course of afterwards.
After I began out — I signed once I was 18 — and the pressures of evaluating your self continually to different individuals and all the time feeling a bit insecure and never worthy. After I look again now, I form of need to say to myself, “No, it’s all gonna work out the way in which it’s meant to, and everybody does their journey in their very own means, so cease placing stress on myself.” That’s one thing that I actually needed to take care of and study to grasp.
You’ve talked about how writers maintain on to heartbreak longer than different individuals. Are you able to communicate extra about that?
Writing is so therapeutic for me. It’s all about having the ability to let my emotions out, get them down on paper, and even once I go into the studio with my associates, to have the ability to inform them about what’s happening and get it off my chest is a part of the method and it’s precisely what I did for this album. I believe the rationale [people] can join as properly is as a result of they will really feel that that’s me connecting with the music to assist me by way of it.
As a part of final yr’s Platinum Jubilee, which celebrated the seventieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession, you sang “Home on Fireplace.” What was it prefer to carry out for the queen?
It was truthfully unbelievable. We have been on like three hours of sleep from a present in Europe as a result of we have been on tour on the time. It was simply emotional. Everybody positively had the nerves kick in for this present, and everybody was so supportive, cheering everybody on. It was a time in historical past I’ll always remember.
You bought a little bit of warmth on Twitter from individuals who thought singing about setting a home on hearth exterior Buckingham Palace was “inappropriate.” I used to be questioning what your take was on it.
Properly, we needed to ensure [the BBC was] completely happy, they usually have been completely happy to go forward. Alicia Keys, she additionally carried out, and she or he had a background with the fireplace happening. As soon as the backlash got here out, it was simply form of like “OK….” I listened to what individuals stated and what they thought. It didn’t take away from how unbelievable the expertise was.
Who would you like to collaborate with sooner or later?
[Would] like to collaborate with Coldplay. I believe that’d be a lot enjoyable. I’m obsessive about their stay instrumentation, and I used to be actually impressed by them for the album.
What’s in your imaginative and prescient board for 2023?
Oh gosh. 2023. Primary album. Primary music. I need to actually smash it out in America and do my factor there. Tour, I need to fully simply smash it. A lot of festivals this summer season. After which Christmas, I would like to have the ability to do Jingle Balls and all of that form of stuff. You recognize, set the yr off with feeling like I’ve achieved every little thing.