Mabel: 9 fun facts about the 'Mad Love' hitmaker 😍
She's an absolute Queen!
Since storming into the music charts with her debut single 'Don't Call Me Up' back in 2017, Mabel has gone from strength to strength, teaming up with HUGE stars such as Clean Bandit, AJ Tracey and Jax Jones. 2022 even saw the singer released her second album 'About Last Night...' featuring some epic collabs and banging tunes for us obsess over! Now, 18 months after the release of her album, the singer has returned with a lengthy statement, explaining why she'd been away.
With hits such as 'Mad Love', 'Boyfriend', 'God Is A Dancer', and 'West Ten', Mabel is one of the hottest artists around right now. Now that we have two albums from the singer, and she's hinted at an exciting year ahead, we thought we'd celebrate her amazingness with nine fun facts about the 28-year-old!
1. Mabel names her wigs
Yep - it's true! The singer revealed to us that she's "all about having fun" when it comes to her different wigs, and has decided to give them all a name to suit their personality!
She told us: "There's like a blue one called Mermaid, she's the mermaid sort of spacey personality.
"There's Candy, she's pink. There's Veronica V, she's, um, like you know quite sexy - there's a bob!"
She also told us: "There's Sasha, with a fringe, she's a spy. I can't really go into her identity obviously because it's a secret."
Then there's Sabrina, who is "blonde and very sassy".
2. She has some VERY famous parents
It's no surprise that Mabel is incredibly talented, with her mother being 80s music icon Neneh Cherry, and her father being Massive Attack producer Cameron McVey.
And that's not all - her mum's half-brother is in fact 90s musician Eagle-Eye Cherry, famed for the legendary song 'Save Tonight'.
Mabel's sister, Tyson McVey, is also a pretty talented young lady! She released her EP 'Moonlight Mixtape' in 2020, followed by her single 'Red Handed' earlier in 2021.
3. She once trained to be a Yoga instructor
Uh-huh! Before Mabel decided to pursue her love for music (and thank goodness she did), she began Yoga teaching training! She told i-D: "For a while, I was still trying to like deny the fact that all I wanted to do was music. I started doing a yoga teacher training!"
Mabel then explained: "It actually sounds so weird to say because it really doesn't suit me. I used to be a dancer so I'm quite like flexible. So I was going to do that, but then I was like actually I just want to make R&B music, so I did that!"
4. Mabel's track 'Don't Call Me Up' was about her own break-up
Do not call Mabel up!
When we caught up with the singer, she revealed to us that the track was in fact inspired by a breakup of her own, with the bop giving her a way to deal with her feelings in a more positive way. She said: "I wanted to make a breakup song that's positive that made people feel good!"
Speaking on the track, she added: "My experience is like, when I really like things, the fans respond to it too".
WATCH: Mabel 'Don't Call Me Up' official music video
5. She ran her own Swedish style blog
Another career path that Mabel ditched. The singer was originally born in Malada, Spain, however was raised in Stockholm, Sweden. It was while she was growing up here that she created her very own Swedish style blog.
The blog's success even landed her in the front row of HUGE runway shows with her mum, including the likes of Stella McCartney in 2015.
6. She was on Love Island
Yep - Mabel entered the iconic Love Island villa! But not as a contestant...
After amping up the excitement over new music on her Instagram, Mabel delighted fans back in June 2021 when she released her track 'Let Them Know'. The singer later performed the track live in the world-renowned Love Island villa in Mallorca!
She also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing - again, not as a contestant! She performed her hit 'Don't Call Me Up' on the Strictly results show on 20th October 2019. Mabel's performance turned many heads with her striking white outfit. Watch a clip from the show below.
7. She once broke a world record
Mabel made history in 2019 with the world's first vertical gig! The singer's gig had three levels, for her, her band and her dancers. She told us it was "incredible" and "such a cool thing to do".
8. Her favourite Nando's isn't on the main menu 👀
Who doesn't like Nando's?! Mabel, like many, is a fan of Nando's and her favourite item is on the secret menu. She opened up telling us that she's a fan of the Peri-Tamer, but she wouldn't reveal exactly what it was saying: "Thank me later!" The tease! 😱
9. She has a clothing collection with H&M
Yes, Mabel teamed up with H&M and Kangol to release her own collection. The singer took to her socials to share the exciting news saying, 'Take a step into the interactive world of #KangolxHM feat. ME 🥰!! Use our exclusive filters to create your own video. Don't forget to tag #KangolxHM @hm 💚🔮☁️🏎️ #HM @kangol_headwear'.
The collection has 31 pieces which are inspired by Mabel's style, with two pieces co-designed by her. The collection was available from 17th September 2020.
We can't wait to see what Mabel has in store for us next!
WATCH: 5 times we fell in 'Mad Love' with Mabel
Take a look through Mabel's impressive career timeline so far:
2014 - Mabel attends the Stella McCartney show as part of the Paris Fashion Week
Mabel attended the Stella McCartney show, as part of the Paris Fashion Week, with her mum. Mabel's Swedish style blog's success landed her in the front row of HUGE runway shows with her mum, including the likes of Stella McCartney.
2015 - Mabel starts her music career
According to Openmic.co.uk, Mabel self-released her first song 'Know Me Better' on Soundcloud in 2015. Despite having famous parents she found her own way in the music industry, cold calling management companies and studying music.
Eventually her perseverance paid off when her debut song was picked up and played on the radio. A few weeks after her first radio interview she was approached by Universal.
From there she supported Years & Years and appeared in Skepta's music video for 'Shutdown'.
2017 – Mabel released her breakthrough song ‘Finders Keepers’
'Finders Keepers' was Mabel's breakthrough song, getting her into the UK Top 10. The song was released on 26th May 2017 and was written by Mabel along with a songwriting team.
It featured British singer-songwriter and rapper Kojo Funds and was included on her album 'High Expectations'.
2018 - Mabel supported Harry Styles on tour
In 2018, Mabel joined Harry Styles on tour in support of his first solo album. Mabel supported Harry at all of his European dates including four gigs in the UK.
2019 - Mabel released her debut album ‘High Expectations‘
'High Expectations' was released in August 2019 and featured a number of Mabel's successful songs including: 'Don't Call Me Up', 'Mad Love', 'God Is a Dancer' with Tiësto, 'Boyfriend', 'West Ten' with AJ Tracey, and 'Tick Tock' with Clean Bandit and 24kGoldn.
2019 - Mabel did the world's first vertical gig
Mabel did the world's first vertical gig in 2019, designed especially to be filmed using a mobile phone. Speaking about the gig at the time, Mabel told us it was "incredible" and "such a cool thing to do".
She went on to explain how the show looked perfect on Instagram, but she did admit that her band weren't happy that the set shook with all their dancing! Sounds a bit scary!
2020 – Mabel won her first BRIT Award
Mabel won her first BRIT Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2020, having previously been nominated for the British Breakthrough Act in 2019, and Best New Artist and 'Don't Call Me Up' for Song of the Year, both in 2020.
2021 - Mabel appears on Love Island
Mabel appeared on the popular dating show Love Island. The singer did a special performance of 'Don't Call Me Up' and 'Mad Love' along with some other hits, poolside, especially for the Islanders.
Watch some highlights from her performance here
2021 - Mabel released 'Let Them Know'
'Let Them Know' was released in June 2021. The song was written by Mabel along with MNEK and a couple of other songwriters. The song was a Top 20 hit for Mabel.
2022 - Mabel released 'Good Luck'
Mabel released 'Good Luck', a collab with Jax Jones and Galantis. The song's inspiration was Mabel's emotional journey over the past couple of years. At the beginning of the first lockdown, Mabel moved back with her dogs to her parents, and threw herself into dance classes, but like many of us, she missed the social interaction with her friends.
2022 - Mabel performs at Platinum Party at the Palace
Mabel performed to a crowd of 22,000 people at the Platinum Party at the Palace as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations on 4th June. She put on an incredible show as she sang her hit song 'Don't Call Me Up'.
Speaking about the performance, she said: 'It was such an honour to perform and I'm so grateful I got to be part of the Queens Jubilee with so many other amazing artists.' (sic)
2022 - Mabel releases her second album 'About Last Night...'
On 15th July Mabel released her second studio album 'About Last Night...'! The album, which follows her 2019 debut 'High Expectations', includes huge singles 'Overthinking' featuring 24kGoldn, 'Let Them Know' and 'Good Luck'. Featuring collabs with artists such as Joel Corry and Jax Jones, it's safe to say the album is a certified hit!
2023 - New music tease
Mabel teased that new music could be in the works in January 2023! Sharing a video collage of what she'd been up to with the caption: 'Lately ☁️', Mabel could be seen singing her heart out in a recording studio, leading many fans to think that she could be working on something after the release of her 2022 album 'About Last Night...'
2024: Mabel releases 'Zero' with Black Sherif
In February 2024, Mabel released her first new music since July 2022, in the form of the track 'Zero' with Black Sherif.
You can hear Mabel's biggest hits on Northsound 1.
Now read:
Mabel: Everything you need to know about the 'Don't Call Me Up' singer
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