2018 was dubbed ‘The Year of Women’ thanks to it marking 100 years since the vote. At Harrogate International Festivals, we programmed our headline act, Laura Mvula, in part to celebrate this landmark, as one of the UK’s leading female artists.
In a recent interview Mvula did to promote her appearance in Harrogate with the Press Association, she said: “I don’t want to just exist to write music like a factory.”
Her appearance at the Royal Hall taps into the Festival’s legacy of showcasing strong, unique female artists, from Amy Winehouse to Paloma Faith.
In an industry that doesn’t always put artistic credibility ahead of commercialism, Laura Mvula was dropped by Sony over email. She bounced back by winning an Ivor Novello for best album.
That was a year ago. After a period of introspection, buying a dog called Emmy, and becoming a ‘fitness freak’ – she’s taken control. In April, she performed at the Queen’s Birthday concert and has recently played a support tour with David Byrne.
Her fans included Prince, who championed her work when he was alive, and latterly, the legend Nile Rodgers, who put his signature funk on her album, The Dreaming Room.
Despite now having record labels knocking on her door, she’s keeping Prince’s advice to heart: “He was really candid with me about owning my own s*** and doing it myself and being emancipated.”
With the backdrop of 2018 which has seen feminism reach new heights of awareness after the Harvey Weinstein #MeToo campaign and Time’s Up movement, Laura Mvula is one of the most relevant artists of the moment.
Despite saying her next album will be a collaborative effort, she says: “I’m still very much going to be the captain of the ship.”
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