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World Music Matters

What I learned in church, UK soul sensation Laura Mvula

British singer-songwriter Laura Mvula is one of the UK’s latest soul sensations. Her debut album Sing to the moon is also making waves here in France. Trained as a classical musician, she acknowledges a debt to her time singing in church and community choirs.

British soul sensation Laura Mvula
British soul sensation Laura Mvula lauramvula.com
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 Why Sing to the Moon?

“I once read a book entitled Harlem Moon about Adelaide Hall, a jazz singer,” Mvula says “And her father used to sing to her “Sing to the moon and the stars will shine”. That captivated me so I stole it”.

Looking heavenwards, getting inspiration from above came naturally to Mvula who was born into a Christian family of Jamaican origin in the Birmingham in the British Midlands.

For years she was a strong but anonymous voice in local church choirs.

“I was taught how to sing in the music traditions of the church. It’s a community spirit, we share each other’s experiences, one another’s pain but we express it together in song,” she says.

Her soulful songs are not religious as such but certainly spiritual.

“I always used to battle and fight with issues of faith and I think I try to explore that in my lyrics but I also use harmony, musical harmony from the church traditions and music that I heard growing up as a child.”

Black gospel and church vocal music has become very important to her.

While her voice is resonant of Nina Simone, Adele, even Bjork at times, Mvula's arrangements take her music to a different plane.

“I might say [it’s] orchestral soul, maybe," she says. "But I think it’s a mixture of many different musics that I care about and I have enjoyed [when] growing up.”

They include jazz but also classical, especially vocal classical music, and she cites composers Eric Whittaker, William Walton and Michael Tippett as favourites.

Laura Mvula plays several instruments, learning piano aged just eight and violin at 13 and going on to study at the Conservatoire. She became a music teacher at the age of 21.

Now 25, she’s making unusual symphonic and futuristic arrangements, taking inspiration from composers like Frenchman Francis Poulenc.

“When I was 16 I heard his music for first time with oboe and piano," she recalls. "And I used to play his music over and over, it was his sense of harmony and the space within the music. But also it was so colourful but he would only use three instruments.”

Her album Sing to the Moon, released in February this year, has received rave reviews and was named one of the BBC’s top albums of the year. But she’s still getting used to all the attention.

“I found it scary … putting out such a personal collection of pieces was very strange,” she says. “It’s like being naked and people are watching you. But I so enjoyed hearing the music come to life, and become much bigger than I ever imagined it might become. So I feel very lucky.”

>>Laura Mvula's offical website

>>Laura Mvula on Deezer

>>Laura Mvula on Spotify

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