She explained, “it seemed bizarre that I had all this critical acclaim, was applauded over and over again, but where it counts on paper it just wasn’t translating….That’s so heartbreaking, to know financially, it’s not a worthy investment. I’m not a worthy investment. That was a tough pill to swallow. I’ve since learned that the music industry is a complex beast.” 

Both her first and second albums were very well received critically, and she said “I was enjoying some of the flattery from taglines like ‘Our generation’s Nina Simone’, ‘She lives in her own lane’. And it was positive – I was writing and performing with orchestras and touring all over the world.” However, despite the positivity of these epithets she began to feel the weight of being expected to live up to the icons of black music, saying “I was aware pretty much from day dot that I needed to go on being this ‘thing.’” 

After the experience of being dropped by Sony, Mvula speaks of how she wasn’t sure she would ever write music again, saying “I can’t tell you how much at one stage I didn’t think I would ever write a song again, let alone a whole body of work.”

On the happier topic of the upcoming Pink Noise, Mvula states that “There are two things I want people to engage with…The party, the black barbecue in the garden, and then the more solemn lullaby soulful lament, which has always been a part of my music.” 

‘Pink Noise’ will be released on the 10th of July 2021.

What a pleasure, Laura xxx https://t.co/CeOIjcCok6

— Biffy Clyro (@BiffyClyro) June 17, 2021

Mvula’s forthcoming album is a combination of uplifting disco-inspired pop. She said in a statement: “This is the album I always wanted to make. Every corner is made warm with sunset tones of the 80s. I was born in 1986. I came out of the womb wearing shoulder pads. I absorbed the dynamism of the 80s aesthetic right from my first moments on this planet”.
“Making ‘Pink Noise’ felt like the most violent of emotional wrestling matches. It took three years of waiting and waiting and fighting and dying and nothingness, and then finally an explosion of sound. As if it was always here, this record is my most honest and unapologetic flying of the freedom flag. I can’t wait to play this album live” – she continues.
Recently the singer admitted she felt extremely hurt after her former label dropped her in 2017. In an interview with MusicWeek she said: “I was very much aware that I wasn’t charting. It’s not like my albums were hitting the Top 10 and staying there. It was pretty intense. It was a very brief note saying that they were so grateful, but this was the end of the road. It’s a hard thing to make sense of and to come back from“.
Laura Mvula will perform in London on 2nd September at Village Underground, purchase tickets from here.

You can pre-order the album here and the new single is available to buys and stream here.

Mvula posted on Instagram: “NOW YOU KNOW… Church Girl is now out in the world and my new album ‘Pink Noise’ will be with you all on July 2nd… CANNOT WAIT to share it with you.” 

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A post shared by Laura Mvula (@lauramvula)

Speaking about the album, the Birmingham-born songwriter said: “Wrestling with identity seems to be one of the rites of passage of the established artist. Making Pink Noise felt like the most violent of emotional wrestling matches. It took 3 years of waiting and waiting and fighting and dying and nothingness and then finally an explosion of sound.” 

“As if it was always here this record is my most honest and unapologetic flying of the freedom flag. In my adult years I had forgotten how important dance was to me as a vital tool of my creative expression. I brought it back, just for me, so I could find my delight in dance again. And now I can’t stop dancing. I can’t wait to play this album live.” 

Fans have voiced their excitement at the upcoming release, which is Mvula’s first album for nearly five years, after The Dreaming Room. 

@hitdogsholler posted: “THANK GOD! We’ve been waiting with baited breath!” 

@moss_susannah wrote: “This chorus is very moving. This spine bothering kind.” 

@ChrisIl76 added: “Wonderful news! You brighten our world, thank you! X” 

In February 2021 Mvula released EP 1/f, which featured revamped versions of her songs alongside a cover of Diana Ross’ I’m Still Waiting. She also performed her Under A Pink Moon livestream – her first live concert to be performed in more than three years. She sang several new songs from her upcoming album, including Safe Passage, Church Girl, Conditional and What Matters.