Mabel Speaks on Her Experience in the Music Industry: Artists’ ‘Voices Are Not Heard’

British pop and R&B artist Mabel has opened up about how standing up for herself has impacted her decade-long career.

In a recent episode of the BBC’s Miss Me? Podcast – on which Mabel is currently standing in for host Lily Allen while she takes a mental health break – the Londoner explained that after years of hard work building her artistic identity, she’s had to set clear boundaries to protect herself from uncomfortable and often invasive discussions about her work.

Born Mabel McVey (though known mononymously), the pop star signed with Polydor at age 18. In the years that have followed, she has released two studio albums (2019’s High Expectations and 2022’s About Last Night…) alongside a handful of mixtapes and EPs. She has earned six top 10 hits, including 2019’s “Don’t Call Me Up,” which peaked at No. 3, on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart and has since surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams.

In more recent years, however, she has drip-fed a number of singles, the most recent being the Ty Dolla $ign collab “Stupid Dumb” in October. Later that month, she confirmed to ELLE Sweden that she had been working in hitmaker Max Martin’s studio with her brother on her third LP, though the project has been delayed a number of times.

Speaking to Miss Me? host and broadcaster Miquita Oliver on Jan. 16, Mabel discussed how she has been previously labeled by some as “difficult” or “a nightmare” when holding her ground over decisions related to her musical output. “The foundation of the problem is not listening to the artist, and not giving the artist space and time to figure out who they are within their creativity. I think that’s the main problem: our voices are not heard,” she said.

“I used to get so many people all the time saying things like, ‘Oh, her mum [musician Neneh Cherry] was one of a kind and she’s just a ‘whatever’ popstar,” Mabel continued. “I’m just like, ‘Well, I’ve been given no real support or time to figure [things] out – other than those small little moments of clarity like [singles] ‘Finders Keepers’ or ‘Vitamins.’”

Oliver, who is the cousin of Mabel, asked about the importance of autonomy in the music industry, to which she responded: “Sadly, there’s no duty of care. Particularly as a young woman, it’s so easy to get molded into something – which is usually based on another female [pop act]. It’s like, ‘This person has done this, so this is what you should do.’”

She added: “The reason why I’ve been making music that [people say] ‘has been heard before’ is because I have five million different people’s opinions [getting in the way], constantly. So I’m like, ‘How am I meant to be making something that’s groundbreaking, different and authentic when there’s so many cooks in the kitchen.’” 

Mabel also explained how, going forward, when it comes to making new music, she is focusing on listening solely to the opinions of her “close protection team” made up of family members, friends and her fiancé, Preye Crooks. She added that she has been through therapy and as a result, has “found [her] voice” and is now “stronger,” both physically and mentally.

“I’m very grateful and blessed still. I have travelled the world doing what I love, and performing is still the best thing ever. I’ve been able to work with my brother [producer Marlon Roudette], that’s been really beautiful,” Mabel said. She later concluded, “I love what I do so much, but how long I will keep fighting for … I’m not sure, which is really sad.”

Having come to mainstream prominence with her Bedroom EP in 2017, Mabel joined Harry Styles on his debut U.K. arena tour the following year before completing her own headline run. She went on to be nominated for British Breakthrough Act at the 2019 BRIT Awards, as well as receiving nods at the MOBOs and U.K. Music Video Awards.

Listen the full episode below. The conversation regarding the music industry begins at the 27-minute mark.