Mahalia sets Little Simz Summer Meltdown Festival on Fire!

The Little Simz meltdown at the Southbank Centre, in London kicked off in style with seasoned, Grammy Award nominated musician, Mahalia on the 13th June.  Lasting until the 22nd June, in a finale that sees Little Simz take to the stage with the Chineke! Orchestra, the rapper is shining a light on the next great DJs, painters, artistes and poets. And Mahalia certainly fits the bill with a performance at the Royal Festival Hall that displayed a natural R&B groove, engaging audiences with her infectious smile. 

First off on the line up was MOBO-winning R&B singer Mnelia, whose 90s swagger, backed by energetic dancers, transported the audience to a lively night out in North London. You could feel the heat radiating as she stomped across the stage in lace-up Timberland boots. Mnelia was a fiery presence, setting the tone for Mahalia’s soon to be zestful vibe. 

With cheers from an excitable crowd; Mahalia strutted on stage in a show-stopping dress, bleach blonde cornrows and a shy smile. Once settled, Mahalia revealed that this was her first headline show in seven years and that she was a little nervous. Still, her piercing stage presence told a different story. 

Her opening song, the global Afrobeat hit ‘Simmer’, pleased the crowd, filling the auditorium with the singer’s natural energy. A highlight was the way Mahalia wove stories between each song, offering glimpses into their meaning, pulling us closer – not like a crowd at a concert, but like friends at a jam session. 

She was fearless in revealing her vulnerabilities: sharing anecdotes, emotional truths, even confessing that her boots were torturing her feet. She finally chucked them off mid-performance. The stories led us through a journey of Mahalia’s mindset of hopefulness and a newfound appreciation for music. Mahalia is welcoming a metamorphosis and is excited to fall in love with her friends, her career and her body again.  She revealed it has taken 3 months to find the strength to sing ‘November’, a song for which her ex-boyfriend had provided backing vocals. Moreover, during a trip to Kingston, she redefined her relationship with music, friends and family – all these experiences have fuelled her to the point that when she played unreleased tracks from her next body of work.  Every word was believable!

It’s always impressive to get the audience at such an iconic venue as the Royal Festival Hall  up on their feet. But with her back and forth interactions, song requests and powerful voice, Mahalia won us all. If this is a taste of Mahalia’s comeback, we’d better watch out! She’s  back with a vengeance and has set the Meltdown Festival on fire!

For more information on the Meltdown Festival visit: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/events/meltdown/