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British R&B continues to flourish thanks to a tidal wave of inventive new talent bringing fresh ideas and influences to the table.
One of the key players leading the charge is North-West London’s Mnelia, whose balance of sky-high production value and disarming relatability is earning her a growing fanbase. A couple of weeks ago, Mnelia delivered her third EP, a very generous 10-tracker called Closure Tapes.
The surprise appearance of Kwengface on “White Lies” proved an early favourite, but one of the other collaborations, an all-star remix of “Genesis” with Bellah, Miraa May and Joyce Wrice, might be about to snatch that title.
The visuals for the track, directed by Sahra Zadat, have now landed and Mnelia’s brought the whole team out to help her—she even drafted in a U.S. crew to film Joyce’s contributions to the track. As the final track on the EP, it really felt like a lap of honour and apparently both singer and director agreed because they’ve gone all in on the classic R&B tropes: from shots in a drop-top, to the tense phone call and high-energy group dance shots, this one really has it all.
A keen student of R&B history, Mnelia says of the remix: “When it comes to R&B, remixes have a special home and I always knew that the first time I did one, it would have to be amazing. So it was a no-brainer calling my sisters up to shell it with me.”
Hit play on the video up top and revisit the Closure Tapes EP below.
