Mahalia (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mahalia
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Mahalia performing at Boardmasters Festival in 2021
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mahalia Burkmar |
| Born | 1 May 1998 |
| Origin | Leicester, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | Asylum |
Mahalia Burkmar (born on May 1, 1998), known simply as Mahalia, is a British singer, songwriter, and actress. She has released several music collections called EPs and three albums. Her albums are Diary of Me (2016), Love and Compromise (2019), and IRL (2023). Mahalia also acted in the movie Brotherhood in 2016. She became very popular in 2017 after singing her song "Sober" for the YouTube channel Colors. In 2018, YouTube even named her number one on their "Ones to Watch" list.
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Mahalia's Life and Music Journey
Mahalia grew up in Syston, a town near Leicester, England. Her parents were both musicians, which helped her love music. Her father is British-Irish, and her mother is Jamaican. Mahalia has two brothers.
She went to Roundhill Community College. When she was 13, she signed a record deal. After that, she moved to a performing arts school called Birmingham Ormiston Academy. There, she took acting classes. She also improved her acting skills at Urban Young Actors in Leicester.
Starting Young
As a child, Mahalia spent her summer holidays writing songs. She wrote her very first song when she was only eight years old. By age 13, she had signed a deal with Asylum Records. She first sang live at an open mic night when she was about 11 or 12.
Her first music collection, an EP called Head Space, came out in 2012. Later, she met the famous singer Ed Sheeran. She even got to open for him on tour. They sang his song "Gold Rush" together. In 2014, she supported both Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sandé on their tours in the UK. In 2015, she sang on the song "We the Generation" for the band Rudimental. This song was part of their album that reached number one in the UK.
Growing Success
In 2019, BBC Radio 1 added Mahalia to their Brit List. Her album Love and Compromise was released and was seen as her first major album. The idea for this album came from an interview with Eartha Kitt. Mahalia's mother had shown her this interview when she was a child. In 2020, Mahalia won two awards at the MOBO Awards: Best Female Act and Best R&B/Soul Act.
In 2021, she released "Jealous" with American rapper Rico Nasty. She was also nominated for her first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. This was at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. That same year, Mahalia was named one of the "30 Under 30" by Forbes magazine.
In 2022, Mahalia performed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She also opened for Adele at her British Summer Time concerts in London.
In 2023, Mahalia released her second studio album, called IRL. To share her new music, she went on tour. She performed in Europe, North America, and Australia.
Musical Inspirations
Mahalia has said that many 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 (Discography)
Studio Albums
| Title | Details | Highest Chart Positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
UK R&B |
SCO |
US Heat. |
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| Love and Compromise |
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28 | 3 | — | 23 | |||||
| IRL |
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31 | 2 | 81 | — | |||||
| "—" means the music did not chart or was not released in that country. | ||||||||||
Extended Plays (EPs)
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Head Space |
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| Never Change |
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| Seasons |
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| Isolation Tapes |
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| Letter to Ur Ex |
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Singles
| Title | Year | Highest Chart Positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
UK R&B |
BEL (FL) Tip |
NZ Hot |
US Bub. |
US R&B |
US R&B/HH Airplay |
US Adult R&B |
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| "Borrowers" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Never Change | |
| "Back Up Plan" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Diary of Me | |
| "17" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Silly Girl" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Mahalia" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Roller Coaster" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I Remember" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Marry Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Independence Day" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Begin Again" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Sober" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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Non-album singles |
| "Hold On" (featuring Buddy) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "No Pressure" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Proud of Me" (featuring Little Simz) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "No Reply" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Water" (with Kojey Radical and Swindle) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I Wish I Missed My Ex" | — | — | 43 | — | — | — | — | — |
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Love and Compromise | |
| "Surprise Me" | — | — | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | Seasons | ||
| "One Night Only" (featuring Kojey Radical) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Do Not Disturb" | 2019 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | Love and Compromise | |
| "Grateful" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Simmer" (featuring Burna Boy) |
46 | 34 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
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Love and Compromise | |
| "Square 1" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "What You Did" (featuring Ella Mai) |
90 | — | — | 29 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 6 |
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| "BRB" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | Isolation Tapes | |
| "Jealous" (featuring Rico Nasty) |
2021 | — | — | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Whenever You're Ready" | — | — | — | 36 | — | — | — | 17 | |||
| "Roadside" (featuring AJ Tracey) |
93 | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Letter to Ur Ex" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Letter to Ur Ex and IRL | |
| "Whatever Simon Says" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Letter to Ur Ex | ||
| "In the Club" | — | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Bag Of You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | IRL | ||
| "Terms and Conditions" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Cheat" (featuring JoJo) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Ready" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Pick Up the Pace" (featuring Bayka) |
2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | TBA | |
| "—" means the music did not chart or was not released in that country. | |||||||||||
Guest Appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "We the Generation" | 2015 | Rudimental | We the Generation |
| "Keep It Pushin" | 2018 | Russ | Zoo |
| "All I Need" | 2020 | Jacob Collier, Ty Dolla Sign | Djesse Vol. 3 |
| "Energy" | Pa Salieu | Send Them To Coventry | |
| "Pretty" | col3trane | Non-album single | |
| "No One But You" | Justin Nozuka | Then, Now & Again | |
| "Closer" | 2022 | RM, Paul Blanco | Indigo |
| "Five Star Hotels" | 2023 | Raye | My 21st Century Blues |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Organization | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | BRIT Awards | Critics' Choice Award | Herself | Nominated |
| BBC | Sound of 2019 | Included |
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| Metro | Ones To Watch 2019 | |||
| 2019 | MTV Push | Nominated | ||
| Soul Train Music Awards | Best New Artist | Nominated | ||
| Brit Awards | Critics' Choice Award | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | British Female Solo Artist | Nominated | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding New Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | Grammy Awards | Best R&B Performance | "All I Need" (with Jacob Collier and Ty Dolla Sign) | Nominated |
Film and TV Roles
- Brotherhood (Noel Clarke, 2016) – as Thea
