A new wave of musicians is emerging from lockdown's depths, tired of waiting around for a spotlight to steal. This year, timing will always be wrong. The revolution is now, and
Mysie is ready to shine through the gloomy South London's sky. We caught her in the middle of writing frenzy, thinking of playing for fans in exotic places and obsessing over The Rising Star IVORS nomination. Spoiler alert: she's super excited.
"Honestly, it's madness. I'm so grateful. I'm excited to be working with my mentor. It's such an amazing opportunity," she says. The thrill is real. After playing big-impact volumes from her turned inside-out heart, she's now being acknowledged for her music and compositions. "Just being nominated is such a privilege and it's such an amazing experience. Winning is just a bonus, isn't it? I feel like you've already won if you've been nominated," she shares. This rising star stays grounded. For Mysie it's not about the win but the journey. Buckle up; it's gonna be a long one.
The passion was there from day one. Growing up with a renowned Ugandan jazzman as grandad, then Lizbet Sempa was surrounded by music early on. "I was seven when I started playing the piano. When I got my first piano, I cried. I knew it was meant to be, and music has always been in my blood," she recalls. What was fixed in childhood by tears and blood, blossomed in adolescence with a first fling. "I didn't actually start properly singing 'till I was 14. I was playing a lot of my classical piano, a lot of classical pieces. One day, at 16, I got heartbroken - on my birthday. I was like, you know what? I'm gonna write a song. I wanna write a song.
What one heartbreak fired up was fuelled by a more worthy crowd. "Early on I was listening to a lot of J Dilla, Thundercat, Flying Lotus, very experimental music, but I'd say that a lot of my foundation is from artists like Duran Duran. All the music I've listened to growing up is a huge mix of influences in terms of writing," she says, mapping her musical exploration during which sixteen-year-old Lizbet evolved into Mysie.
