Mali Hayes brings the heart to R&B

Born into a musical family and bred in Manchester’s thriving R&B scene, music is as much in Mali Hayes’ nature as it is her nurture. At fourteen, she ran into none other than JP Cooper at her community choir. Hopping onto his tracks as a backing vocalist was no big deal for Hayes, though — the Mancunian cut her teeth in that art in her mum’s home studio, back when she was a kid. The next “inevitable” step, then, was to start dropping her own tunes. Hayes’ has been doing that since 2017 — when she’s not supporting R&B big dogs like Bilal and Yazmin Lacey at their shows, that is. And, while these collaborations have reaffirmed her ability as an artist, at the end of the day, the Blues Kitchen regular just wants to make music she likes, and hopes people vibe with it.

How did growing up in a musical family inspire you to become an artist?

I grew up with just me and my mum in the house and she had the biggest musical influence on me. She played everything from Fela Kuti to Dangelo, garage music, neo-soul, R&B and everything in between. I was obsessed with MTV growing up — I think we all were growing up in the ’90s. We had a studio in the basement of our house, so at least every other week we’d have musicians and singers coming through the house. Sometimes I’d turn up from school and the whole front room would be set up with percussion and mics ready to record. It was a great environment to be in and it’s why it felt so natural to me to go down this path. My mum always encouraged me from a young age so it felt inevitable.

You also grew up in Manchester. How do you think the city has influenced you musically?

The sense of community we have here really is amazing. And growing older, having the peers I do, realising there’s a really big R&B and hip-hop scene in Manchester has made me feel seen. That’s the music that has my heart, so to have that around you in the city you’re immersed in is incredible.

You’ve been putting music out since 2017. Can you talk me through your journey as a musician?

From a really young age I started singing backing vocals on artists’ songs that would come and record at my mum’s studio. At around fourteen we met JP Cooper at a community choir my mum and I used to attend, and from then I started singing backing vocals for him. I studied popular music at uni from eighteen to twenty, and once I graduated I continued on my original music path, writing and releasing my first project. I was also thrown into gigs, which happened to be lots of amazing support slots — Bilal, Zara McFarlane, Sons of Kemet, Yazmin Lacey — which are really what has shaped me.

How would you describe your current sound? Do you have any particular influences?

I never know how to answer this question, if I’m honest. I’m inspired by a lot of different music — and I feel like I don’t necessarily write music like the music I listen to. So it’s hard to box it into a certain category. I would say my biggest inspirations, but not necessarily influences, would be artists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Nao, Emily King, HER and Jordan Rakei. I just write music that I like.

What message do you want to put out with your music?

I guess my aim is to express myself and just hope people feel it. I also hope to continue to gather a community of people who love music and like to heal, dance, be silly and be candid.

Out of all your releases, which one do you think represents you best?

That’s a really tough question. I would probably say “Save Ourselves” as I love the R&B feel it has. To be honest, my upcoming music feels really true to me and I’m really excited to share it.

You’ve collaborated with Foreign Beggars and Maverick Sabre. How have these collaborations helped you to develop musically?

Collaborating in any capacity can bring out amazing things that maybe you wouldn’t have discovered or come across. It’s not always that way, but it’s great to step into that space and push yourself. Collaborations such as the Foreign Beggars and Maverick Sabre ones really gave me perspective that I’m capable and worthy of writing music with other amazing artists.

You’ve also done support slots with Bilal and Yazmin Lacey to name just a couple. What were those experiences like for you?

For me, Bilal will always be one I mention. I saw him again last year at The Blues Kitchen and didn’t expect him or any of his band to remember me. They all did and it was incredibly wholesome — his music has been in my life since I was young, so this was absolutely something I’ll never forget.

Speaking of The Blues Kitchen. What’s it like to perform there? 

Really good. I haven’t done any original stuff there for a while but, if I were to perform there again, that would be really special. I’m there so often that it feels like a second home and to be able to bring my own music to the stage was — and would again be — amazing!

Lastly, what’s next for Mali Hayes?

New music, new music, new music! I’m so excited for you guys to hear it.