Mpho, whose name means gift, has recently released an EP (‘I Don’t Like You’) on the Documented label and has an album ‘To Spite My Face’ due for release in the early part of next year. Singer-songwriter, Mpho, has already sung backing vocals for a number of artists, as well as singing the catchy-as-fuck vocal on Bugz in the Attic’s ‘Booty La La’. Now the time has come for Mpho to launch her solo career.
TP: You’ve already proved your singing capabilities as a backing singer for various artists including Terri Walker and Natasha Bedingfield but was a solo artist album always planned? How has the journey been so far?
MS: The album’s always been on the cards – it’s just a long and expensive process. It’s been a really interesting journey; I’m really eager and excited to get on and do the next one because I’ve got so much more information now! But yeah, it’s been a really good journey; I’ve worked with some really great people and I’ve learnt a lot.
TP: You’ve worked with Morgan Spacek, Steve Spacek and his brother (d&b producer) D-Bridge. How did these connections come about? In what way has each brother contributed to your past releases and your forthcoming album?
MS: I met Steve Spacek through a friend of mine who is also producing stuff on the album and he heard the stuff I was working on and wanted me to do some vocals on their album. Then we just continued hanging-out in the studio and writing and doing stuff. And Morgan from Spacek has produced quite a lot of the stuff on the album.
TP: I Don’t Like You EP: I really like the lyrics – as I female, I can really relate to a lot of what you’re saying: how men make us feel, ‘don’t think you’re cute, don’t think you’re funny’ etc! Do you write all your own lyrics/songs?
MS: (laughs) Yeah, all of them; they are all based on my perception…my perspective.
TP: Production/sound wise I can draw similarities with the electronica- meets-hip-hop style of Sa Ra Creative Partners/Sound in Colour etc… There’s a real mix of sounds too – it would be hard to try to label your sound as one genre. Is this something you purposely aimed to achieve or is it just how it happened?
MS: I suppose it’s been purposeful in some ways but it’s also just how it’s happened – cos it’s how I write music, it’s how I hear sound…
TP: How is album progressing?
MS: It’s almost finished….Sa Ra – I’d really like to work with them!!! That would be great!
TP: Are there any more remixes planned & if so which styles?
MS: Definitely! I think the whole remix thing is wicked cos you really get to hear yourself [with] different kinds of music and it’s inspiring, ya know – sometimes someone can do a remix and it inspires you to hear your stuff in different ways.
I’d really love to hear some bashment remixes or some more hip-hop. There’s so much music out there and I’m open-minded to try all of it really!
TP: So what are your long-term musical aims/ambitions?
MS: To really reach as many people as possible musically and if that means I gotta blow up then…that be it!
Look out for the forthcoming single ‘Like You Don’t Know’ followed by the album ‘To Spite My Face’ - both dropping early in the new year.
