Mya K Talks ‘Call Me’, Music Inspiration and Being Nigerian-British
Image via @MyaKinlock (Instagram)
Joining us on zoom with a slicked bun, gold hoops and a Vivienne Westwood necklace visibly placed over her black top was 22 year-old, Mya K. The Nigerian-British songstress warmly greeted us with an inviting smile, ready to share her story with the BLK BRIT audience, in what became a 40-minute conversation filled with good energy and endless laughter. Our mission was to learn more about her - the vocalist with a strong catalogue and whom continues to secure thousands of monthly listeners, over 123,000 streams on Deserve It and now, a brand new hit single Call Me. It’s safe to say, mission accomplished.
To understand how it all began, we need to take you back. Imagine a young Mya K surrounded by a blend of genres and sounds growing up. Mum always singing Gospel music at church and RnB around the house, dad loving a bit of Rock N Roll, and The Beatles. She begins to acknowledge her love for entertaining, specifically the power of impacting others through creative mediums - from acting, dancing to watching plays and choirs sing at church. But one art form truly grabbed her full attention. Music. It was never just a passion, but a livelihood, something embedded in her from the day she was born. Channeling her life goal and natural talents into music, Mya K is quickly creating her own lane in the capital’s competitive scene.
Find out why and how.
Image via @MyaKinlock (Instagram)
Mya’s mission is to be a source of inspiration to others.
“For sure! Making people feel something. I love feeling that energy when you’re on stage and you can see everyone is engaged. Everyone in the crowd may not know each other but they’re all there for the same purpose and it’s the love of music. That’s what I’m all about.”
She’s a storyteller. Drawing inspiration from personal and life experiences, and translating it within her alluring lyricism.
“Tipsy is not about me. It’s about someone I was hanging out with or group of people I was around. I was writing as if I was in their thoughts/mind, from their perspective. Tipsy is not my story but I’m a storyteller, I’m an artist so I’d tell it for you. And then, I Say U Say is straight personal from a past relationship, so that was all about me. I feel like whether it’s me telling my own personal story or telling someone else’s, I’m using the art form to tell something and I’m sure it will resonate with somebody.”
Mya and producer VELLI are a dynamic duo. Since their unexpected meeting, they’ve been locked in ever since.
“I have great friends. They have a collective called BPM - they’re like a music management, service, and they just help me out a lot. They put on these amazing writing camps once a month at pirate studios. They invited me, I was there for about 6 hours… I walk in, see this tall 6ft 3 guy with his hood up and producing. I’m like this beat is kind of fire, so I hopped on it, slid in his DM’s like a week later, was like ‘yeah you’re hard, can we lock in?.’ We locked in and from there, it’s been the best thing I ever did. I’ve never been so proud of sliding into someone’s DM before.
It felt like we were suppose to meet. I feel like I’ve started to build a team and he’s an essential part of that team, so I’m very glad we met. He produced the upcoming single [Call Me] and last single Other Side. We have a whole tape in the vault. Well, a whole lot on the way.”
She’s not afraid to explore new sounds but what remains consistent is, RnB will always be at the core of her music.
“Right now, I’m young, independent and it’s the time to experiment with genres. But I’m glad you can still feel RnB at the centre because that’s my soul - it’s integral to every piece of music I make. If I do a rock song, you’re going to taste that RnB in the middle somewhere. I would describe my sound as flirty. I feel like my voice flirts with whatever beat or instruments. People often say I have a strong powerful voice but I go really mellow with it. Even the song ‘Call Me’ is quite sultry - I’m basically telling my ex, give me a ring, call me up. I want my voice to give people that sweet feel and sensation.”
Her latest single Call Me is a hybrid of Amapiano and RnB.
“It’s such a fun song. I had so much fun making it in the studio. It was the first Amapiano song I ever made! If you asked me 6 months ago or even 3 months ago, if I would make a song like this - I would be like no, I don’t know what goes into it, I just listen to it as a fan. Now I’ve done it, it was so fun and so freeing to try something new. And people loved it so much! I would say, I want people to feel that same feeling I felt making it, when listening to it. I just want people to have fun and feel really good. Have a little bounce, a little vibe.”
We asked Mya quick fire questions about her Nigerian-British identity, favourite career moments and more. Here’s what she had to say.
Queen Bey is her favourite artist of all time.
“ I wish I wrote America Has A Problem by Beyoncé. I don’t have many songs that sound like that. I feel like if I was writing for Queen Bey or any artist I’m writing for, I would want to embody the energy that they give. I wouldn’t be bringing myself to the table, I’ll be bringing the Sasha Fierce in me. I feel like America Has A Problem is such a bad b song and to me, it’s such a beautiful piece of work'.”
One of her favourite career moment thus far is …
“Jamz Supernova last year, she made me like her special, one to watch on BBC 1Xtra. I’ve been listening to her for years, BBC 1Xtra for years and I kept thinking, ‘damn, when am I going to be on the show?’. And she did it! She made me the highlight artist of the episode, so that was a highlight for me.
She’s a proud South Londoner.
“My favourite thing about being from South London is that there’s a beautiful creative scene bubbling there. I went to Brit school for college and that’s in the heart of South London, and I was in school, in my ends surrounded by the most talented people - who will be the next generation of great artists. So, I do love that we have this hub there and a lot of talents that will be celebrated.”
Mya loves and embodies everything about her Nigerian culture.
“My favourite thing about being Nigerian is similar to being from South London. Nigeria is just a hub of talent! I don’t even need to now prove it, maybe 10 years ago people wouldn’t have understood but now, you can’t deny it. Whether it’s in the field of sports, music, art or even fashion, Nigerians are incredible and so inherently talented, and now the world is finally getting to see it. I’m just proud to be from a country that’s now getting on the world stage and people are seeing that we have so much to offer. And the food is great!”
Call Me is her favourite song.
“Normally when I make a song, I know straight away like ‘this is a hit, this isn’t a hit’. This song was coincidental. As soon as I played it to people around me, they were like ‘Mya, all of your songs are great but this right here, it’s making me feel good. It’s overpowering me’. So, I would say, just seeing the effect it has on other people has made me completely fall in love with the song. I didn’t even give this sound enough credit when I made it. I wish I did, but now that I know, it’s my favourite song.”
Mya’s latest single, ‘Call' Me’ is now available on all streaming services.
