Mali Hayes interview: 'Swagger is the word!'

 

Those qualities have often been displayed by United's greats and the many cultural powerhouses to have emerged from the wider Greater Manchester area. So as part of this year's kit launch, we acknowledged that by inviting several up-and-coming musicians and creatives along for the ride. As long as they were Reds, of course...

 

Singer Mali Hayes was among them. Raised in Stockport, she has drawn comparisons to nu-soul legends Erykah Badu and Jill Scott for her blissful tunes and emotive vocals.

We caught up with her for a chat shortly after the release of her new single, 'May'...

“Yeah, I remember growing up in good old Stockport, and football was a massive thing when I was growing up. I was so influenced by all the other kids who watched all the games. One of my really good friends was an avid United supporter and I very much latched onto that as well.

"I remember watching various games and we would be absolutely chanting in the back garden and stuff! I’m pretty sure I never had a United shirt, but I had United pyjamas. So, I would always wear them when I was watching the game!

"But it just felt really special because of the way the community really comes together and really rallies around each other. I always found it really, really special. To be supporting United and then also them supporting me in a very small way is just really, really special and it means a lot.”

“I think clearly everyone who is involved, it really emulates them, because everyone has such different personalities and it’s maybe hard to show that on the pitch. Because you’re doing something so specific, playing the game.

"But it’s really important to try and get your personality across and I feel like the new kit is going to help push that for each individual on the team, which I think is amazing.”

“I think being able to showcase your artistry and your creativity, individuality, whatever you want to call it, is really important. Sometimes it’s hard to do but I think having something that you’re wearing individually, or something that just really sticks to you as the artist is really important.

 

“Swagger is the word and I feel like they can do that more on the pitch. I just try to do that in my personality as much as possible. I’m quite a shy, laid-back person so I try to make sure that’s portrayed in my music, but also alongside my fun side, my hair, what I wear... I try to get that to come across as much as possible.”

“I think more so when I was graduating from uni. I decided to study music in university, which was great and a very last-minute decision, because I didn’t know if I wanted to go to university and then I ended up in getting clearing, as it’s called

. 

“So I literally had like two weeks to sort my life out and take myself to Leeds and decided to study. But, once I graduated, I had some opportunities to gig my own music and I’d sang some backing vocals for Manchester artists such as JP Cooper and that really pushed me and gave me the insight that I wanted to do it myself.

“It was just so inspiring, and coming straight out of uni and having the opportunity to write and record my debut EP was amazing, and from then on it’s just kind of carried on and it’s been really nice to have the support from various outlets like Brownswood record label and then Future Bubblers... from there it’s just been a really amazing experience and I’m just really thankful for all the opportunities like this one today. It’s been absolutely amazing.”

“It just feels like an absolute honour. Again, you touch on the childhood, you don’t think things like this are going to happen when you’re getting older. So it feels really, really special to work with such a lovely group of people; everyone’s been so wonderful.”