As an avid RnB fan, I was elated walking through the streets of Cardiff on my way to see one of Britain’s biggest RnB singers Mahalia. As the line continued to grow to an enormous size down the street, you could feel the anticipation in the air.
The excitement was not misplaced as the performances from Mahalia and her opening act Ruti both gave phenomenal and unforgettable shows.
As the fans filled the venue and gig-goers clambered to the front of the crowd, onto the stage came Ruti. She belted flawless vocals effortlessly, the tone of her voice that encompassed the venue was immaculate, singing her well-known songs ‘My Sunrise’, alongside ‘When it Rains’, closing the performance with ‘Closer to You’.
After Ruti warms up the audience, we wait in the readiness of the dark for Mahalia. With a burst onto the stage with her opening track Sober, she instantly entraps the audience with her undeniable talent, energy and confidence. The crowd in pure enjoyment echoed each lyric word for word back to her.
Following up, she performs a combination medley of her album Love and Compromise and her newest EP Letter to Ur Ex. Her versatility is evident, displaying her ability to transition from dancing across the stage performing her more upbeat song ‘Do Not Disturb’, ‘In The Club’ to her slower hit track ‘Grateful’.
Mahalia truly has the audience in the palm of her hand, with the crowd shouting her hit song ‘I Wish I Missed My Ex’, feeling every single lyric as they sing along. As the lights slowly dim again and the venue falls into darkness, the crowd chants begging for an encore, not ready for the experience to end so abruptly.
Re-entering like a spark in the dark, with her flawless blonde hair, Mahalia and her band return for an encore to light the stage once more. Taking song requests from her loyal and enamoured fans, she went on to sing some of her earlier popular songs, ‘17’ and some more recent ones like ‘Roadside’.
It is clear to everyone present that Mahalia is a storyteller at her core. The set was carefully constructed to take us on a journey with her throughout the gig. She is transparent, with most of her songs she gave us a monologue of sincere and uplifting advice about life and love from her own experiences in romantic relationships. Each story she told would correspond with the song that would follow, giving us insight into exactly what made the song. Before performing her newest releases ‘Letter to Ur Ex’ and ‘Letter to Ur n(Ex)t’, she explained how she drew inspiration from her experience with her partner’s ex’, elaborating how it had contributed to the creative process. Clarifying that she wrote to her partner’s ex in ‘Letter to Ur Ex’, whilst placing herself in the former lover’s shoes and pulling from her own endurances to formulate “Letter to Ur n(Ex)t”.
Her exponential talent combined with her natural ability to story-tell with ease and her radiating confidence made it an unforgettable and intimate musical experience.
This wasn’t a run of the mill RnB show. Experiencing such a show made you feel a part of musical history. It made you feel a part of what will eventually be an RnB Icon’s story. It was unforgettable and truly remarkable. It was exhilarating to witness in the flesh someone who will one day be considered one of the greatest UK RnB performers of this generation.
Words by Shannon McGuigan
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