21-year-old British singer Mahalia often laments about relationships that aren’t working. Whether tinged with regret, like her 2017 breakout hit "Sober," or laden with fed-up sarcasm as in 2018's "I Wish I Missed My Ex," or even firm admonition in her most recent single, “Do Not Disturb,” the singer/songwriter has proven that when it comes to love, she is clear about what she doesn’t need. But in the single and new video for “Grateful,” we see yet another side of Refinery29 "Z-Lister" Mahalia — one that is stripped down, sensual, and most importantly, blissfully in love.
The video, premiering exclusively on Refinery29, shows the self-proclaimed "psycho-acoustic soul" singer in a retro-style dressing room, doing her hair as she sings the song’s first line: “You, you make my heart go boom.” She smiles to herself as she looks in the mirror, thinking about the person she wishes she were within that moment.
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She continues to croon to the smooth, soft neo-soul ballad, she dances to the beat in a groovy freestyle that seems to flow right out of her: “You know that I will love you down / I will be every kind of faithful / If you could show me all the way around / I will be very very grateful,” she sings in the chorus.
“Grateful,” off of Mahalia (née Mahalia Burkmar)’s album dropping this summer, shows off the carefree energy of budding young love. The singer, however, already has nine years under her belt. She was signed to Atlantic Records when she was 13, only a year after she started playing guitar at open mics in her hometown of Leicester, England. Since then, she’s released three EPs and one full-length, toured with Ed Sheeran, Ella Mai and now is embarking on her own U.S. tour. And while there’s likely a lot of pressure leading up to her first performances, as it’s already been a long road leading up to now, in this glimpse of what’s to come, it’s nice to see the singer take a long exhale.
Check out Refinery29’s exclusive music video for “Grateful” below.