Mpho is a British singer and songwriter who moves between pop, synthpop and new wave. She is from South Africa originally, and her family moves to London when she is a toddler to escape apartheid laws.

Background

Music is part of her home life from an early age: both her biological father and her stepfather are professional musicians. She later appears in secondary school plays and concerts, where classmates ask for her autograph after particularly energetic performances. She then studies at the Brit School in Croydon.

Writing and style

Mpho’s songs are shaped by a strong interest in language and narrative. Her writing is marked by a sharp use of wordplay, influenced by hip hop, and by a depth that sets her apart from many pop peers. She goes through a period of trying different approaches before finding a sound and direction that bring her ideas together.

Selected songs and themes

‘All Change’ uses train travel as a metaphor first for taking control of a relationship and then, on a broader level, for taking control of one’s own future. ‘S.P.A.C.E. Man’ is written after the breakdown of a relationship linked to her then boyfriend’s drug abuse.

Influences

She finds direction through Switch and Martha and the Muffins, which help point her towards the musical ideas that shape her work.