{"id":1974121,"date":"2025-08-22T09:36:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T09:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1974121"},"modified":"2025-08-22T09:36:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T09:36:40","slug":"nell-mescal-on-signing-to-a-major-her-new-ep-and-nepotism-accusations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/nell-mescal-on-signing-to-a-major-her-new-ep-and-nepotism-accusations\/","title":{"rendered":"Nell Mescal on Signing to a Major, Her New EP and Nepotism Accusations"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tIn Nell Mescal<\/a>\u2019s north London bedroom, two vision boards stand tall and proud: one at the end of her bed, and one on her ceiling. \u201cThey are positioned so that when I get up in the morning, I have to look at them,\u201d the songwriter tells Billboard U.K. <\/a><\/em>over Zoom, with a glint in her eye.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThese collages of images represent Mescal\u2019s artist goals and dreams, serving as a daily force of inspiration. \u201cWhen people come over, I\u2019m like, \u2018Don\u2019t look at my wall, it looks crazy,\u201d 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. \u201cAnd what I will say very quickly is, I have Billboard <\/em>magazine on my wall too,\u201d she adds, laughing.<\/p>\n

\n\tThough Mescal chuckles at her own ambition, it\u2019s 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\u2019s 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<\/a> [Charli xcx, Ed Sheeran] this past spring.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s this jump to a major label, as well as the many identity-forming experiences that can accompany young adulthood, that inform and color Mescal\u2019s forthcoming second EP The Closest We\u2019ll Get<\/em>, due Oct. 17. Its six songs, which weave together profound introspection with resolute self-affirmation, are steeped in a folksy warmth \u00e0 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.<\/p>\n

\n\tHeartbreak is a theme she touched on across last year\u2019s Can I Miss It for a Minute?<\/em> 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\u2019s star continues to rise ahead of her own \u2013 the actor landed an Academy Award nomination in 2023 for Aftersun<\/em> \u2013 she has faced scrutiny online regarding the influence of his fame.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tShe 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 \u201crelentlessly\u201d when she started making music in school, an experience she depicts on the emotive track \u201cWarm Body.\u201d She adds: \u201cRegardless of what\u2019s happened, I was always going to be chipping away at the music \u2013 it\u2019s all I\u2019ve ever cared about. But signing to a major label was one of those huge moments of feeling like, \u2018Wow, people do actually believe in me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tWhat\u2019s something you\u2019ve learned about yourself in the transition from indie artist to major label signee that surprised you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI guess I thought I was going to falter. You always have that voice inside your head that\u2019s going, \u201cYou can\u2019t do it.\u201d But I also have a voice that\u2019s like, \u201cNo, you can.\u201d 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\u2019t been able to before. There were times where I thought, \u201cAm I just blindly doing this?\u201d But actually it felt like, \u201cNo, you just stand in the power of what\u2019s happening, and what you\u2019ve created and what the people around you have created.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHow do you take care of your mental health now that expectations are higher? Has the label supported you in setting those boundaries?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tEveryone on my team has been amazing. But you know what \u2014 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. <\/strong>From the very beginning, it\u2019s only been about the music. These aren\u2019t new emotions I\u2019m feeling, and it\u2019s not new pressure. I think regardless if I had stayed independent, or if I hadn\u2019t, I would still have had a goal and a mission that I\u2019m on, a world that I\u2019m building, too. I\u2019m still putting that same pressure on myself.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat do you feel like your relationship is with the music industry? And how has it evolved? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI think I would like to be at the point where I feel as though I\u2019ve really found where I\u2019m at in the music industry, but I think that [position] just keeps changing. You can go two steps forward and then feel like, \u201cWoah, what the hell\u2026 I\u2019m like 10 steps behind now.\u201d I can\u2019t be on a ladder that I don\u2019t feel is necessary to me, but I\u2019m making the music that I really like making, and I\u2019m surrounded by really beautiful, amazing musicians. I\u2019m trying to pave my own way.<\/p>\n

Have you been in situations as a songwriter where your ideas weren\u2019t heard?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, definitely. There have been times where I\u2019ve struggled; I had one of those moments last year where I was not really making the music I wanted to make. I wasn\u2019t feeling content, I guess. I turned around to loads of people in my life and said, \u201cFor the next six months, I\u2019m going to throw myself into everything that is making me uncomfortable and hope that my life changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI had to reckon with my mental health, my physical health, my friendships\u2026 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.<\/p>\n

\n\tHow did these \u2018small changes\u2019 manifest in your personal life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI 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\u2019ve started trying to play the guitar more, and writing songs without the fear of hurting someone else. I\u2019m telling the truth more than I have ever done before.<\/p>\n

These new songs are about heartbreak and getting over that pain. I had to learn to not be heartbroken anymore \u2013 and decided to channel that energy into every other aspect of my life. I woke up one day being like, \u201cLook at this space that I\u2019ve allowed for my friendships, and I love these songs that I\u2019m writing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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, \u201cOK, I\u2019m kind of killing it, my life is a lot more fun.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tNell Mescal<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEoin Greally<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tHave you noticed a change in how people interact with you online now that you\u2019re showcasing more of your music live and building your fanbase? You\u2019ve previously <\/strong>faced nepotism accusations<\/strong><\/a>\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s ever gonna go away, but I think I\u2019m witnessing it at such a small amount. I\u2019ve kind of gotten to a point where I don\u2019t care. The audience that has formed through TikTok, Instagram and the live shows is just so kind and so sweet \u2013 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI kind of try not to listen to anyone else online. I\u2019m lucky there hasn\u2019t been a lot of hate, but whenever it gets like that, I go, \u201cWell, while you\u2019re here for whatever reason, here\u2019s a song of mine that I love. If you like it too, then I win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn some of your <\/strong>earliest social media covers <\/strong><\/a>with your brother Paul, you were wearing a Beatles t-shirt. What was it like when you found out that he\u2019d been cast as Paul McCartney in the forthcoming Beatles biopic series?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI cried it felt like insane news. It just felt like such a moment. I was like, \u201cWow, this is really f\u2013king crazy.\u201d And then I was like, \u201cF\u2013k, he\u2019s gonna get so much better at guitar than me.\u201d I don\u2019t know what his favourite Beatles song is, but mine is probably \u201cEleanor Rigby,\u201d 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 \u2013 so everyone has me to thank for this one!\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tYou\u2019ve spoken extensively about your <\/strong>Adrianne Lenker fandom<\/strong><\/a> in the past. What did it mean to work with her producer, Phillip Weinrobe, on your new EP?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tPhilip is a producer who I\u2019ve been obsessed with for so long. We jumped on a call after I reached out via email, but I still didn\u2019t think that he was actually going to say \u201cyes.\u201d 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 \u201ccelebration,\u201d \u201ccreativity and \u201cinspiration.\u201d From there, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m about to give birth to the most amazing EP.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI was really nervous when we started working together but I had to stop being scared and see it as a really positive thing. He\u2019s one of my musical heroes. I love everything that he\u2019s made, especially [Adrianne\u2019s] Bright Future<\/em> and the new Billie Marten record. It was a magical experience.<\/p>\n

\n\tLooking back in five years, what would you want this Atlantic signing to have meant for your career and identity as an artist?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWhat 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 \u2013 and I want people to believe in what I\u2019m doing. No matter what, I don\u2019t want to have strayed from that. I would like to continue trusting myself and building the relationship I have with myself.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey say that romantic relationships are a mirror to who you are, but I actually think that\u2019s 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\u2019re all thinking the same thing and trying to get to the same place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n