DEBUT ALBUM BY MAE MULLER ‘SORRY I’M LATE’ OUT 15TH SEPTEMBER 2023
From Eurovision acclaim to an upcoming headline UK tour, Mae Muller’s evolution promises to captivate. Join us as we uncover the essence of ‘Sorry I’m Late’ and delve into the artist’s transformative narrative.
You’re finally about to release your long-awaited debut album, the brilliant Sorry I’m Late. What can you tell us about it?
Some of the songs that are on there I wrote about five years ago, some I wrote only a year ago, so it really shows a real span of how I’ve grown over that period as a woman, as an artist and just as a human being. It was really important to me then, to show a different, more vulnerable side to me on the album. I’ve built most of my songs on the past on a platform of women empowerment, not taking any sh*t and basically never letting them see you sweat. The other side of that coin though, is actually being really vulnerable and allowing yourself to be hurt, because all these experiences that make us be strong women and strong people, they can come from a place of pain. For a while, I really wanted to hide that, but for this album I really wanted to embrace that vulnerability and show people that I could do the sassy, ‘bad B’ thing, which is an important part of who I am, but it’s just as important to show the other side, so I hope I’ve done that. I feel like I have though, so that makes me really happy. Women in general, whether it’s in the workplace, in relationships or as mothers, sisters and so on, are meant to be this strong, empowered fixers who are the emotional careers, the ones who hold everything together. There’s a lot of pressure in that, so I think it’s actually really powerful when you can just go ‘I’m not feeling powerful or strong today!’, then you actually come out the other end feeling empowered for being able to do it. I think we need to stop holding women up to such high expectations. We’re not just the strong statues that can power through anything, we have our moments and that’s alright. So there are a lot of songs on this album that, if you are feeling down or under pressure, you’ll be able to connect with and relate to.
You could easily have released your debut album a lot earlier than you have. Now it’s actually here, are you glad you didn’t rush it in the end?
The one big thing for me was that I really wasn’t rushed to get this album out, which was really nice, but that also ties into the title, as I know it took me a while, so I’m sorry I’m late, but I’m here now and I’m so happy I took my time with it. I don’t think it sounds like a bunch of songs that have been thrown out together in a rush, as it really tells a story and has a message to it, which is so personal to me. It did take a span of five years to get there, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. You don’t want to be sitting in five or ten years, looking back at your debut album and wishing you’d taken more time with it, do you? Especially with your debut album. I really didn’t want that, so I’m glad we took our time with it.
There’s a strong thread of storytelling running through the record. It feels like that’s an important part of who you are as an artist?
Oh, it definitely is! When I was releasing my early stuff like Anticlimax and Therapist, the storytelling was so important, but I do feel like after the pandemic, I kind of lost that for a little bit. I love my songs that have had chart success and streaming success obviously, but my storytelling was getting a bit lost with then, which as an artist, is something that’s really important to me, so on this album, that’s exactly what it is, it’s me getting back to telling stories. I’ve always considered myself a songwriter first and foremost, as that’s my real passion, so it was important for me to show that I can write. That’s my first true love.
The album’s themes are very personal, but at the same time there’s a universal quality to them at the same time. You’d imagine they’ll really resonate with fans when they hear them?
I really hope so. Being a woman myself, I feel it’s really important that I write music that young women can relate to, but it’s also for anyone that has just been put down in their life. I have so much love for the LGBTQ+ community, because they’ve been so accepting of me, so it’s really important that they listen to this album and feel accepted too. I wanted it to be an album that everyone can enjoy and feel empowered by. That’s my main aim.
Your single I Wrote A Song was everywhere due to being the UK’s Eurovision entry, but the album must have been finished before you were picked for Eurovision?
The album was done and dusted long before Eurovision. In fact, it was meant to come out a lot sooner, but when that came up, the whole plan had to change. It was a shame, but it was so the right thing to do as so many more people know who I am now. It was actually so perfect, as right after Eurovision, I had an album ready to go! I think it was really important too that, after pretty much doing one single song for four months, as much as I love it and am so proud of it, I had to be able to day ‘here’s 16 more songs for you all!’, so it really has come at the wee perfect time for me.
How much have things changed for you since competing in Eurovision?
Even at the few shows and festivals I’ve done since then, it feels like there’s more of an audience there, there’s more support and just more people knowing who I am, which can only be a good thing. It’s quite nice too, as even when I’m walking down the street, there’s a whole new and different range of people who will come up and say hi to me. I’m now getting older blokes coming up to tell me how much they loved me in Eurovision, which I’m really not used to, but it’s so nice when they do.
Has it opened up any doors in regard to working with new people in the music industry?
When you’re in front of an audience like that, it definitely opens you up to working with more people, more writers and more producers, so I’m slowly starting to get back into the studio now, as there was just no room for writing songs for so long there. So I’m definitely going to work with some new people, but I’ve already got such an amazing group of writers and musicians that I really enjoy working with too, so I’m going to figure it all out soon.
Did seeing all that high-end production first hand give you any inspiration for your own live shows?
It was all on such a huge scale, but I was definitely inspired by the choreography that I saw there, so I want to have the freedom to do more of that. My stage style is actually very different to Eurovision, as I love to chat and have audience interaction, as in I like my shows to almost feel like you’re in your front room with your mates, but I’m definitely looking forward to bringing some of that more polished choreography into the mix.
You have your own headline tour coming up, which is your biggest yet. How are you feeling about it?
I’m so excited about it! Touring and playing live is definitely my favourite thing about doing music and being an artist. Doing a headline show too, that’s just the most rewarding thing, having people sing your words back at you and just seeing how much it means, it’s the most rewarding thing in the world, but I also have such a good time doing it, too! I’m very, very lucky that I get to do it, that’s for sure.
You have a full festival season calendar as well this summer. How different is it playing one of them as opposed to your own shows?
It’s a different energy for sure. When you do a headline gig, you know every single person in that room has left the house to see you and you only, which is an amazing thing, whereas a festival is just like a big party. You don’t know what to expect and a lot of the time, you’ll be playing to people who might not know much about you, so you have to win them over, which is always fun.
The people that do know you though, seem to really, really adore you and it looks very much that the feeling is mutual, would that be right?
Without your fans, you’ve got nothing, absolutely nothing. Some people think record labels and maybe artists run this sh*t, but it’s the fans. Without them, nobody at the record labels would have a job! Nobody would be able to do this thing that we all love without them. So I think it’s really important that you respect them, but also personally, I feel very, very close to my fans. I’m very protective of them and of course I’m very grateful to all of them, as their support over the years has always been incredible, so I try really hard to have a close relationship with them. They mean the world to me.
