Laura Mvula

Laura Mvula

Laura Mvula is a British singer-songwriter from Birmingham, working in soul and R&B. Born in 1986, she grows up in the Birmingham suburbs of Selly Park and Kings Heath with two younger siblings. She takes the surname Mvula after marriage to singer Themba Mvula; her birth name is Douglas.

Early life and training

She is influenced by the girl group Eternal and sings with Black Voices, an a cappella group founded by her aunt. She studies composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Before her recording career begins, she works as a supply teacher at a Birmingham secondary school, writing songs on her laptop, and later works as a receptionist before sending demos to people in the music industry.

Recording career

Mvula signs to RCA, a Sony subsidiary. Her debut extended play, She, is released in 2012. Her debut studio album, Sing to the Moon, follows in 2013, preceded by the single “Green Garden”, a song about her home in Kings Heath. Her music is described by one commentator with the term “gospeldelia”.

Recognition

In late 2012 she is shortlisted for the Critics’ Choice award at the BRIT Awards 2013. Around the same period she is nominated in the BBC’s Sound of 2013 poll, where she finishes fourth. She also performs “Green Garden” live on The Graham Norton Show on BBC One.