Move over Dua Lipa because Mimi Webb is the next big thing to come out of the music scene in Britain. At only 22, she has already cemented herself as a major artist with global appeal, and her success is undeniably deserved.
The Canterbury-born star recently released her new single called Red Flags and is currently gearing up for her soon-to-be-released 12-tracks debut album Amelia, which will be available soon on March 3. All this aside, she has already had two singles in the UK Top 15, racked up over 850 million streams worldwide, made her way onto the USA charts, and performed on major American talk shows such as The Ellen Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. And did we mention that she has achieved all of this in just two years?
Yes, having worked tirelessly during the pandemic, Mimi is the product of the next Gen-Z wave of talent, with a particular little TikTok star Charli D'Amelio blowing her up to significant heights after singing along to her tune Before I Go before the rest of her catalogue of moody, romantic, and soulful songs did the rest of the talking (or singing). Her powerfully husky and commanding voice has undoubtedly been a catalyst in her success and has led her to bagging a coveted Best New Artist nomination at the BRITS 2023. Major.
Here Mimi speaks to GLAMOUR about her experiences in the industry so far, the power and pitfalls of social media, how she overcomes obstacles and her upcoming 31-date tour across the UK and the rest of Europe.
GLAMOUR: Your new album Amelia will be out soon, and you've just released a new single, Red Flags. You've achieved so much success already. How does that feel?
MIMI: Oh, it's been an incredible time! Just to be able even to be an artist that came from the pandemic to then being able to step out back into the real world and have all these incredible memories and moments that I've had, yeah, I couldn't be more grateful. Everything just feels really nice.
How did you handle navigating your blossoming music career during the pandemic?
I feel like it was one of those where I just knew I was ready. I knew this was my time to go get into it and really smash it out, but I had to do it in a different way. It was all very social media driven, so I wasn't able to do it the way I would love to do it, but I'm now in the position that I always wanted to be in. So, I think the whole thing was just super fun!
It's incredible how much social media has played a part in your journey. Unfortunately, with social media does come a dark side with issues such as trolling. How do you make sure that the online space is safe for you?
I think with social media, you're always going to have to accept there are going to be some people on there that aren't going to have the nicest things to say, but I just don't read it. I just filter through it all, and it's none of my business what people think and say. It really isn't, especially if it's something negative about me. It's a waste of my mind and my energy. But from my experiences so far, everyone's super lovely and has been super supportive, and I'm just doing my best every day, growing as a person. No one's perfect, so I'm just doing my very best.
You've had a lot of success Stateside as well. How important is it for you to crack America?
Oh, completely, it's a goal! That is my biggest dream to have some really good tours out there, get my music out there, get a fan base out there, and get people to know who I am. That would be incredible. It's the highest honour, and even as a UK artist, it's such a big deal to be able to translate over to America, the other side of the pond. So yeah, that'd be the dream.
So to rewind it all to the beginning, what inspired you and made you fall in love with music and songwriting?
I always found it so much easier to write things down and get them off my chest. I think for me, when I was writing music, it was me expressing myself more than I would when I talk, so it was therapeutic for me and also just a coping mechanism for growing up. So yeah, it's all about self-love and self-healing for me.
Your efforts have been rewarded because you're now up for Best New Artist at the BRITs. That must feel incredible, right?!
Oh, I mean, honestly, incredible! I remember the year Dua [Lipa] got that award, and I was so inspired by that. So yeah, I'm just so grateful to be able to be nominated for the same award and hopefully bring it home.
We're definitely rooting for you! It feels like females, in general, in the music industry are taking over. However, the BRITs have come under criticism because the nominations for the Best Artist category were all male. How does that make you feel?
I don't have all the answers to what the BRITs should have done, but I'm just so grateful to be nominated in the Best New Artist category as a young female artist in the industry. I've never been before, it's something I've dreamt of doing since I was so, so young. So, I'm excited to go for the first time with the nomination and just really take it all in.
Many women in the industry recently have spoken out about challenges they have faced, like having people not listen to their voices at the table. Singer/songwriter Raye is a prime example of that. Have you experienced anything of the sort?
No, luckily, I haven't. I remember I signed when I was eighteen with an American label. American music is very different to UK music, so there was always trying to figure out how to go about being a UK artist that lives in the UK but is also signed to an American label. So it was just trying to figure out my sound. But I've been really hands-on from day one, and the more I grow, the more I experience, the more I get comfortable with my team, and the more I feel like I have a voice and can speak up for myself. But it is really tough when you're with a team that feels like you do something better than the other, they always do go for that, so it's tough. But I'm so proud of Raye. She's completely smashed it. I'm so happy with her number-one song. I'm so proud of her, and it's amazing to see what can happen when you believe in yourself, and you come away from a situation, and you take it by the horns, and you smash it by yourself.
Are you concerned about any challenges and obstacles you may face going forward in the music industry?
I'm feeling really great about the future. I'm really close with my team. Everyone's super great, they have my best interests, and they're amazing. I'm really happy with the team we've built. The last few years have had their ups and downs as people come and go, but that's part of the process of building a team that you feel really safe and confident with, and that's how I feel. So yeah, I'm feeling good. I'm excited to get this album out. I think we're all geared up and ready to go.
Going back to the topic of social media, it's played a massive part in your success so far. How much of an impact do you think it will have going forward?
I feel like this album and everything we're now doing will really help people understand more about me as a person and who I am as an artist. I just hope it speaks to people's hearts, and I want them to feel inspired. I want the impact to feel inspirational.
How do you ensure that you look after yourself and your mental health in this whirlwind journey?
I love to do a lot of self-love kind of actions. I like to meditate, look after myself, and face masks, but also like to have some time on my own, to go for a walk on my own. Just do those kinds of things where you get time to think because I think sometimes it can feel life goes so fast, you are made to feel like you need to make decisions there and then, when actually when you get to sit with yourself and sit in feelings and thoughts, you can deal with it in the best way. So yeah, I love to have that time to myself and give myself that time.
You have a tour coming up as well, and with all the planning involved, how are you handling the nerves about that?
I am so excited to get back on the road! It's going to be the best tour I've ever been on. I feel prepared. I feel really, really physically ready. And also, mentally, I've done a lot of work with my mental health recently, and I know that when I'm on the road, I'll feel a lot happier and more confident.
What do you hope that people take away from your music?
I hope they take away that no one's perfect, nothing's perfect, and I want them to feel like they've been able to be vulnerable, and they know that these songs are speaking to their hearts, and they feel like they've got things off their chest while listening to this album. So yeah, I want them to feel really connected to me. I also want them to get to know me more as an artist and even as a person.
Lastly, what advice would you give to young girls who look up to you and want to enter the music business?
My advice would be don't ever compare yourself – ever, ever, ever. Everyone has different great things about them than others, and no one's perfect. Everyone's learning and going through experiences and their own journey. Believe in yourself, keep going, and it's okay to feel not as great at times. That's part of life, that's part of being human. It's so easy to be like, "I want to be happy," because that is what's been shared across social media. But a big lesson I've learnt growing up now, and I'm 22, so I'm still learning a lot, but something I've learnt is it's okay to feel like you're in those problems and that you're feeling very drained and not as good. That is part of learning and growing, and I think it's so easy to feel like that's a wrong feeling and that you shouldn't be feeling that way, but it's okay, and it's actually not bad that you feel that way. It's just being human and living life. So yeah, just don't ever feel the comparisons, don't let it get on top of you, and just keep your head down, keep focused, and you do you.
Mimi Webb will be releasing her debut album Amelia on 3 March.
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