In Nell Mescal’s north London bedroom, two vision boards stand tall and proud: one at the end of her bed, and one on her ceiling. “They are positioned so that when I get up in the morning, I have to look at them,” the songwriter tells Billboard U.K. over Zoom, with a glint in her eye.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
These collages of images represent Mescal’s artist goals and dreams, serving as a daily force of inspiration. “When people come over, I’m like, ‘Don’t look at my wall, it looks crazy,” she continues, before reeling off some highlights from the dozens of photos adorned around her room: everything from snaps of her favourite artists and the venues she wants to play in the future, to cherished memories with family and friends. “And what I will say very quickly is, I have Billboard magazine on my wall too,” she adds, laughing.
Though Mescal chuckles at her own ambition, it’s hard to deny how betting on herself has started to pay off. One of the 22-year-old sources of strength is her spirituality; beyond her vision boards and a steadfast belief in manifestation, she collects crystals and reads tarot cards. It’s these practices that have kept her grounded since she left school early and moved to the capital from Maynooth, Ireland at age 18, having released music as an independent artist for three years, before signing with Atlantic Records [Charli xcx, Ed Sheeran] this past spring.
It’s this jump to a major label, as well as the many identity-forming experiences that can accompany young adulthood, that inform and color Mescal’s forthcoming second EP The Closest We’ll Get, due Oct. 17. Its six songs, which weave together profound introspection with resolute self-affirmation, are steeped in a folksy warmth à la Leith Ross or Julia Jacklin. This approach serves a record that excavates a failed relationship with bracing vulnerability, in the process revealing a statement of purpose and artistry that Mescal has worked toward for years.
Heartbreak is a theme she touched on across last year’s Can I Miss It for a Minute? EP, but here it comes into focus through rich, kinetic instrumentation and the burgeoning confidence of a young woman increasingly at ease with her status. As her eldest brother Paul’s star continues to rise ahead of her own – the actor landed an Academy Award nomination in 2023 for Aftersun – she has faced scrutiny online regarding the influence of his fame.
She has contended with this discourse by speaking out on the long and winding path she has followed to get to this point; Mescal was bullied “relentlessly” when she started making music in school, an experience she depicts on the emotive track “Warm Body.” She adds: “Regardless of what’s happened, I was always going to be chipping away at the music – it’s all I’ve ever cared about. But signing to a major label was one of those huge moments of feeling like, ‘Wow, people do actually believe in me.’”
What’s something you’ve learned about yourself in the transition from indie artist to major label signee that surprised you?
I guess I thought I was going to falter. You always have that voice inside your head that’s going, “You can’t do it.” But I also have a voice that’s like, “No, you can.” I was waiting for that moment where it felt like it was all too much, and it never really came. I just channelled every scary emotion into something more positive, and I learned that I could trust myself in the way that I hadn’t been able to before. There were times where I thought, “Am I just blindly doing this?” But actually it felt like, “No, you just stand in the power of what’s happening, and what you’ve created and what the people around you have created.”
How do you take care of your mental health now that expectations are higher? Has the label supported you in setting those boundaries?
Everyone on my team has been amazing. But you know what — all of this has been no more intense than it was when it was just me and my manager. [As an artist], you always have the exact same fears, no matter who joins or no matter who leaves. From the very beginning, it’s only been about the music. These aren’t new emotions I’m feeling, and it’s not new pressure. I think regardless if I had stayed independent, or if I hadn’t, I would still have had a goal and a mission that I’m on, a world that I’m building, too. I’m still putting that same pressure on myself.
What do you feel like your relationship is with the music industry? And how has it evolved?
I think I would like to be at the point where I feel as though I’ve really found where I’m at in the music industry, but I think that [position] just keeps changing. You can go two steps forward and then feel like, “Woah, what the hell… I’m like 10 steps behind now.” I can’t be on a ladder that I don’t feel is necessary to me, but I’m making the music that I really like making, and I’m surrounded by really beautiful, amazing musicians. I’m trying to pave my own way.
Have you been in situations as a songwriter where your ideas weren’t heard?
Yeah, definitely. There have been times where I’ve struggled; I had one of those moments last year where I was not really making the music I wanted to make. I wasn’t feeling content, I guess. I turned around to loads of people in my life and said, “For the next six months, I’m going to throw myself into everything that is making me uncomfortable and hope that my life changes.”
I had to reckon with my mental health, my physical health, my friendships… every part of my life. I threw myself into all these different situations, and six months later, I was really tired but I was so proud of myself and so, so happy. I opened up my world again. I was 18 when I moved to London, having dropped out of school. There were times during those four years where it felt like I was just surviving. It has felt necessary for me to be brave and start making all these small changes.
How did these ‘small changes’ manifest in your personal life?
I started taking therapy more seriously because I was using it as just a place to vent; I needed to implement the advice I was being given into my personal life. I began looking after my physical health a bit more, which then bled into better protecting my mental health and creating boundaries with friends. I’ve started trying to play the guitar more, and writing songs without the fear of hurting someone else. I’m telling the truth more than I have ever done before.
These new songs are about heartbreak and getting over that pain. I had to learn to not be heartbroken anymore – and decided to channel that energy into every other aspect of my life. I woke up one day being like, “Look at this space that I’ve allowed for my friendships, and I love these songs that I’m writing.”
I think such a huge part of this was that I really wanted to feel my age; I wanted to be 21 instead of being, like, pretending I was older than I was, just because it felt like I had to sometimes. When I turned 22 and I was like, “OK, I’m kind of killing it, my life is a lot more fun.” I keep seeing people talk about it online, where you can make life so boring for the sake of having a routine. Without doing new things, nothing changes.
Nell Mescal
Eoin Greally
Have you noticed a change in how people interact with you online now that you’re showcasing more of your music live and building your fanbase? You’ve previously faced nepotism accusations…
I don’t know if that’s ever gonna go away, but I think I’m witnessing it at such a small amount. I’ve kind of gotten to a point where I don’t care. The audience that has formed through TikTok, Instagram and the live shows is just so kind and so sweet – I feel comfortable with that group.. Of course, we all hope that a song takes off online, but being able to engage with people while coming up [as an artist] has been so special.
I kind of try not to listen to anyone else online. I’m lucky there hasn’t been a lot of hate, but whenever it gets like that, I go, “Well, while you’re here for whatever reason, here’s a song of mine that I love. If you like it too, then I win.”
In some of your earliest social media covers with your brother Paul, you were wearing a Beatles t-shirt. What was it like when you found out that he’d been cast as Paul McCartney in the forthcoming Beatles biopic series?
I cried it felt like insane news. It just felt like such a moment. I was like, “Wow, this is really f–king crazy.” And then I was like, “F–k, he’s gonna get so much better at guitar than me.” I don’t know what his favourite Beatles song is, but mine is probably “Eleanor Rigby,” and we have very similar music tastes. I do feel like wearing that [Beatles] top is part of how I manifest most things in my entire life – so everyone has me to thank for this one!”
You’ve spoken extensively about your Adrianne Lenker fandom in the past. What did it mean to work with her producer, Phillip Weinrobe, on your new EP?
Philip is a producer who I’ve been obsessed with for so long. We jumped on a call after I reached out via email, but I still didn’t think that he was actually going to say “yes.” After I came off the call I started crying, and then I pulled angel [oracle] cards, which have little phrases on them. It was the most insane thing ever, as these cards read “celebration,” “creativity and “inspiration.” From there, I was like, “I’m about to give birth to the most amazing EP.”
I was really nervous when we started working together but I had to stop being scared and see it as a really positive thing. He’s one of my musical heroes. I love everything that he’s made, especially [Adrianne’s] Bright Future and the new Billie Marten record. It was a magical experience.
Looking back in five years, what would you want this Atlantic signing to have meant for your career and identity as an artist?
What I say to anyone new who comes onto the team is that I want to release the music I want to make. I want to play a lot of shows, and I want to keep growing that live map – and I want people to believe in what I’m doing. No matter what, I don’t want to have strayed from that. I would like to continue trusting myself and building the relationship I have with myself.
They say that romantic relationships are a mirror to who you are, but I actually think that’s true in every single thing in your life. With any relationship you have, it begs you questions and asks you all these different things. I would like to become more confident in my music, and not worry too much about how many other people are working on it, too. I want to have trust in that we’re all thinking the same thing and trying to get to the same place.