Mahalia (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mahalia
Mahalia performing at Boardmasters Festival in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Mahalia Burkmar
Born	(1998-05-01) 1 May 1998 (age 27)
Origin	Syston, Leicestershire, England
Genres	R&B neo soul
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter actress
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2015–present
Labels	Asylum

Mahalia Burkmar (born on May 1, 1998), known simply as Mahalia, is a talented British singer, songwriter, and actress. She has released several music collections called EPs and three main albums: Diary of Me (2016), Love and Compromise (2019), and IRL (2023). Mahalia also acted in the movie Brotherhood in 2016. She became widely known in 2017 after her amazing performance of the song "Sober" on the YouTube channel Colors. In 2018, YouTube even named her number one on their "Ones to Watch" list, highlighting her as an artist to keep an eye on.

Mahalia's Early Life and Career

Mahalia grew up in Syston, a town in Leicestershire, England. Her parents were both musicians, which meant music was a big part of her life from a young age. Her father has British-Irish roots, and her mother is Jamaican. Mahalia has shared that the town where she grew up was mostly white, and she faced some challenges there. She also has two brothers.

She went to Roundhill Community College until she was 13. At that age, she signed a record deal and then moved to a performing arts school called Birmingham Ormiston Academy. There, she took acting classes to improve her skills. She also continued her acting training at Urban Young Actors in Leicester.

How Mahalia Started in Music

As a child, Mahalia loved spending her summer breaks at home writing songs. She wrote her very first song when she was just eight years old! By the time she was 13, she had signed a deal with Asylum Records, a big music company. Her first time performing live was at an open mic event when she was around eleven or twelve years old.

In 2012, she released her first EP, called Head Space. An EP is like a mini-album with fewer songs. Later, she met the famous singer Ed Sheeran. She even got to open for him on his tours and sang a duet with him on his song "Gold Rush." Mahalia also supported Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sandé on their UK tours in 2014. In 2015, she sang on the title track of the UK No. 1 album We the Generation by the group Rudimental.

Mahalia's Rise to Fame

In 2019, Mahalia was featured on BBC Radio 1's Brit List, which highlights new British artists. Her album Love and Compromise was released and was considered her official debut album. The idea for this album came from an interview with the legendary singer Eartha Kitt, which Mahalia's mother had shown her when she was younger. Mahalia won two big awards at the 2020 MOBO Awards: Best Female Act and Best R&B/Soul Act.

In 2021, she released a song called "Jealous" with American rapper Rico Nasty. That same year, she was nominated for her first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Mahalia was also recognized in the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, which features young successful people.

In 2022, Mahalia performed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, a big sports event. She also opened for Adele at her British Summer Time concerts in London's Hyde Park, which featured an all-female lineup.

In 2023, Mahalia released her second studio album, IRL. To share her new music, she went on tour across Europe, North America, and Australia.

Musical Influences

Mahalia performing in Sydney, Australia in May 2024.

Mahalia has shared that many different artists have inspired her music. Some of these include Corinne Bailey Rae, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Jill Scott, India Arie, Ed Sheeran, and Kate Nash.

Mahalia's Music

Mahalia has released several albums and EPs (Extended Plays), which are like smaller albums.

Studio Albums

• Love and Compromise (released in 2019)
• IRL (released in 2023)

Compilation Album

• Diary of Me (released in 2016)

Extended Plays (EPs)

Mahalia has released many EPs, including:

• Head Space (2012)
• Never Change (2015)
• Seasons (2018)
• Isolation Tapes (2020)
• Letter to Ur Ex (2022)
• FML (2023)
• ILY (2023)
• Luvergirl (expected in 2025)

Awards and Recognitions

Mahalia has been recognized with several awards and nominations for her music.

• 2018:
  • Nominated for the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards.
  • Included in BBC's Sound of 2019 list.
  • Included in Metro's Ones To Watch 2019 list.
• 2019:
  • Nominated for MTV Push.
  • Nominated for Best New Artist at the Soul Train Music Awards.
  • Nominated for the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards.
• 2020:
  • Nominated for British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards.
  • Nominated for Outstanding New Artist at the NAACP Image Awards.
  • Won Best Female Act at the MOBO Awards.
  • Won Best R&B/Soul Act at the MOBO Awards.
• 2021:
  • Nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for her song "All I Need" with Jacob Collier and Ty Dolla Sign.
• 2024:
  • Nominated for Best New Artist at the Brit Awards.
  • Nominated for British R&B Act at the Brit Awards.

Filmography

• Brotherhood (2016) – Mahalia played the character Thea in this film.