'M31' / Mulalo [Interview]
Mulalo joins forces with NERVE on “M31”, a heart-racing shout out to the Hume Highway and life in the fast-lane.
If there is someone you should rally behind, it’s one of Naarm’s finest rappers in the game, Mulalo! This multi-talented mogul is shaping Australia’s hip-hop scene with her fiery lyrics and passion for photography, fashion and DJ’ing. This month, the songwriter released her hard-hitting track “M31”, a collaboration with Meanjin rapper and producer NERVE. Co-creator of LIZANDBETTY and Meanjin-based creative, Wayan Preston, speaks with Mulalo about the process behind her speedy success.
What song describes you the most?
A song to describe myself right now would be PartyNextDoor’s unreleased track “Point Me To The Dancers,” but a song that describes me overall would have to be “I’m Sexy, I’m Cute” from the opening scene of Bring It On.
I love your new track “M31”! What was your inspiration for the lyrics and production?
Around the time I recorded “M31” I was obsessed with cars and car modifications. I thought I was going to rebuild Suki’s car from 2 Fast 2 Furious, so a lot of the music I was recording had heavy racing themes. After I recorded my vocals, NERVE tweaked the track to give it that motorsport vibe.
What was the process behind making “M31”?
The process of making this song was very organic. I was in Brisbane for a vacation and after NERVE saw that I was in the city via my Instagram story, he hit me up to do a session in No1 Network’s brand new studio. Of course I obliged, who wouldn’t?!
It was such a fun and comfortable environment to record in, which I think reflects itself in the song. NERVE is such an insightful person to work with. There were times where my delivery was way off and he would say “Mulalo, that again, like this” or tell me “you gotta come in harder.” In my opinion, this is what made the song so strong!
Looking back I was extremely nervous to go to the session because I didn’t know what to expect. Contrary to popular belief, I’m very shy, but the second he played the first five seconds of “M31” I knew I was leaving Brisbane with a new song and friend.
In the music video you talk about fashion and wear some AMAZING pieces. How has fashion played a role in your life?
Fashion has played a major role in my life. Actually, I remember being little and watching FashionTV (a Foxtel channel dedicated to international runway shows) for hours on end, admiring the looks and dreaming about one day wearing those looks myself.
Who are your favourite fashion designers?
There are so many designers that I’m obsessed with, a lot of them are local: Maroske Peech, Alix Higgins, Karla Laidlaw, jewellery brand 27Mollys and so many more! For international designers I would wear a mix of The Row, Molly Goddard and Isa Boulder with a Telfar or Bottega Mini Jodie bag.
Listening back to your track “Check”, it still hits! Were you surprised at the reception it received?
I had a lot of self doubt and was deeply insecure when I put out “Check”. I was beyond shocked when anyone other than me cared about it, because it was a very nerve wracking experience that pushed me so far out of my comfort zone.
When you’re not making your own music, I know you also enjoy DJ’ing. How did you start getting into DJ’ing?
As I said before, I used to be deeply insecure and DJ’ing was something I wanted to try but never really did because I was afraid that I would be judged for my music taste.
I was in South Africa for New Years and was envious watching my cousin DJ. So, after a week of being back in Australia, I got a controller and spent a year and a half practicing alone in my room. I still haven’t played a proper set yet since the pandemic has made everything virtual, but that will come.
What are your favourite songs to get people moving?
I love playing Jersey club remixes, techno and anything to do with female rap. Honestly, my taste is everywhere!
My top 3 songs that I want to play during a set (when we’re allowed to go out) are:
SXYLK “FRACTIONS TOOL”
VENGANZ “Pussy Talk (City Girls x Doja Cat x Arca x Wrack x Wasted Fates)”
Yvette “Ratchet Twerk Song Pt.2”
In your opinion, which albums have zero skips?
PARTYNEXTDOOR “Colours 2”
Dolly Parton “My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy”
T-Pain “Three Ringz”
How did you go about finding your sound? Are you still developing it now?
I’m definitely still developing my sound, but now I have a clear vision of what I want to sound like and where I want to go. Actually, I recently scrapped everything I’ve previously recorded because it did not align with that vision. If I owe anyone thanks for encouraging me to explore and push my sound it’s my friend and producer Kuya Neil.
What do you think about hip-hop music in Australia? How do you think it compares to hip-hop overseas?
In all honesty, I was (and still kind of am) unaware of hip-hop in Australia. I was uninterested because what I did see at the forefront of Australian hip-hop was genuinely embarrassing. All of it was a really bad and watered down version of US and UK hip-hop/rap.
Now that I make music and am more aware of hip-hop in Australia, I know that there are some really amazing artists that are producing music authentic to themselves.
Where do you see your music evolving towards?
I hope my music evolves into a small percentage of a wider artistic practice. I see music as the first piece of a very big puzzle, that includes visual media and fashion. I envision myself living alone somewhere remote, where I can garden, read, be creative and smoke weed all day - that’s what makes me happy!
Who are some of your dream collaborators when it comes to making music?
This is such a hard question, but there are three that I can’t get out of my head: Nadia Rose, Saucy Santana and Quay Dash!
Do you have any new music coming soon and/or future collaborations to look out for?
Hopefully, I will have something out around my birthday. November 14th!
Stay up to date with Mulalo on Instagram, Twitter, Bandcamp & Spotify!
Interviewer Bio: Wayan Preston is a Meanjin-based, all-round creative dabbling in the fields of music, design and art. She is the co-creator of LIZANDBETTY, a project that blurs the boundaries of art, design, high and low culture to produce images, objects, events and promises. Wayan is the presenter of Something Else, a 4ZZZ radio show that highlights urban contemporary genres from talented local BIPOC artists.
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