Mahalia puts a new spin on 50 Cent's classic In Da Club and we are here for it.
Ever found yourself surrounded with negative energies that aren't serving your soul's purpose? Mahalia understands. The reigning princess of emotive, relatable R&B heat is back. Her new single In The Club will strike a chord for anyone who needs to vibe check their friendship circle - And also, obviously, In The Club will hit for anyone who digs neo-R&B heaters and Mahalia's infectious energy.
Following in the footsteps of previous releases Letter To Ur Ex’ and ‘Whatever Simon Says’, on this new cut Mahalia digresses from topics of love and relationships to friendships; reminiscing on those old and new and particularly friends that are not distinctly good for you.f
Produced by JD Reid (Slow Thai, Skepta, Mabel) and written by Mahalia + Ben Hart, Mahalia states; “‘In The Club is a song about letting go of people who are just plain and simply bad for you.
I grew up in a small town in Leicester and most people didn’t believe that I could make it as an artist. I had a super small group of friends and a lot of people weren’t really ever interested in talking to me or being friends with me and mine... until I started doing well.
I’d come home for Christmas and people would start acting like we’d been friends forever. They’d ask about London and my life as if we’d been close since kids. I always found that very bizarre. As a person who has never measured someone’s likability by their success, I always hated that type of behaviour and so wanted to write about it. It also applied to people I met later in life. Who only stuck around for the good bits and left for the bad.”
Sampling the iconic noughties classic In Da Club by 50 Cent, the single also arrives with an accompanying video; a one take shot in the back of a London cab which depicts Mahalia’s friends slowly getting out of the car, leaving a visual representation of the meaning behind the track and letting go of the inauthentic people around you.
The last two years have marked many achievements for the Leicester-born star. Beginning 2020 with her second BRIT nominatio, subsequently, Mahalia also received a GRAMMY nod for All I Need - Jacob Collier’s single of which she features alongside US rapper, Ty Dolla $ign. Shortly after, Mahalia concluded the year with three MOBO nominations for ‘Best Female Act’, ‘Best R&B/Soul Act’ and ‘Album Of The Year’ for her debut album, Love and Compromise, winning in the first two categories.
In 2021, Mahalia was also nominated for her first ever Ivor Novello award for her 2020 collaboration with UK lyricist Pa Salieu for his single Energy and subsequently concluded the year with an incredible headline show at London’s prestigious venue, O2 Brixton Academy.
Besides the awards and nominations, it’s also been a time of deep personal growth, one that Mahalia describes as a real rollercoaster in her personal and professional life.
Reflection has been the thread running through Mahalia’s writing and while the current global situation offers little more than uncertainty, the singer hopes that her music will encourage her listeners to carve out time to also look back and re-evaluate.
“We’re all fixated on how we can make ourselves better during and after this period of time but I want people to also reminisce on lovely or painful situations they’ve lived through and how they’ve helped shape the people they are now.” - Mahalia
