An image of Irish singer and songwriter, Nell Mescal

Nell Mescal’s third single ‘In My Head’

Nell Mescal released her anticipated third single ‘In My Head’ via LAB Records on March 24, 2023. The new cut is accompanied by the Dora Paphides directed music video.

“In My Head is a song about searching for a love you had in the past, a feeling you’re never sure you’ll find again so you seek comfort in relationships that are emotionally draining and one sided” explains Nell. “It’s about thinking that it must always be your fault and eventually leading to resentment towards the other person. We all have that person we look back on and miss, this track captures the moment they slip into your head”.

Listen to “In My Head” here and watch the music video:

Nylon shares their interview with Nell, and calls the song, “a grand, swirling track with an equally grand video that buoys between the bittersweet of “Dancing On My Own” and the operatic builds of classic showtunes.” Read the Nylon interview with Nell Mescal here.

Mescal was recently profiled by The New York Times, and you can read her interview here.

“In My Head” follows indie thriller ‘Homesick’ and Nell’s debut ‘Graduating’; both tracks catapulting Nell into a whirlwind six months including her first live tv performance on Ireland’s The Late, Late Late Show and her first ever headline tour. The likes of i-D, The Line Of Best Fit, DIY Mag, Clash & The Independent, Evening Standard, The Telegraph & Radio 1 have all shone a light on the 19-year-old who has also been tipped as one to watch this year by The Times, NME, Rolling Stone, Dork Magazine, Gigwise, Hot Press, Irish Times & more.

This is only Nell’s third official release but her compelling, honest songwriting has quickly connected with an ever-growing, devoted fanbase. She shows no sign of slowing down and a busy live schedule continues to build, with very special shows supporting Birdy next month, before slots at The Great Escape, Dot To Dot, Boardmasters, All Points East, and more to be announced in due course.

More about Nell Mescal

Nell Mescal is a 19-year-old singer and songwriter from Maynooth in Kildare, Ireland. She has been singing all her life and has been performing in groups and choirs for as long as she can remember. This young emerging talent began writing music when she was just 13 years old and finally took the decision to make music her career during the pandemic, something that in hindsight, has given her the time and space to focus on her sound and what she wants to articulate in her songs.

Since leaving school, Nell has now moved to North London and found herself surrounded by other young creatives and kindred spirits. Many of whom are helping Nell to discover more about what she’s capable of, are collaborating with her and giving her a thirst for knowledge that will allow her to take creative control of her future as a musician. One such acquaintance is another young rising star, music producer Steph Marziano who has produced all three of Nell’s singles so far.

Debut single ‘Graduating’ was released in July 2022 with follow-up ‘Homesick’ kickstarting 2023 via LAB Records. ‘In My Head’ will be released via LAB this March.

2023 LIVE DATES

April 23 – Eventim Apollo – London*
April 25 – 3Olympia – Dublin (sold out)*
May 6 – The Road to The Great Escape – Glasgow
May 12 – The Great Escape Festival – Brighton
May 27 – Dot to Dot Festival – Bristol
May 28 – Dot to Dot Festival – Nottingham
July 30 – Kendal Calling – Cumbria
Aug. 13 – Boardmasters Festival – Newquay
Aug. 28 – All Points East – London

* – supporting Birdy

Follow and connect with Nell Mescal on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok

Source: Press Release

An image of Irish singer-songwriter, Nell Mescal

Photo by Jemima Marriot

Nell Mescal shares new single ‘Homesick’

One of Irelands’ most exciting rising talents, Nell Mescal kicks off her year with new single ‘Homesick’, released today via LAB Records. The single coincides with her second headline show in London tonight at The Grace, following the sold-out-in-a-day debut headliner she played in late summer 2022.

“Homesick,” once again produced by Steph Marziano, shifts the tempo from her critically acclaimed debut “Graduating,” showcasing another thrilling element to this young talent’s musical dexterity. Watch the video for “Homesick” below:

“I wrote Homesick on a trip to LA. It’s about when I first moved to London from Ireland and really missed home, but also being determined to stick it out so it doesn’t look like I failed at moving away” explains Nell.“The lyrics give a bit of insight to how hard it is to move away at a young age and the loneliness that comes with it, while the music is upbeat and hopeful to show that you can do hard things and that you can make a home wherever you go if you give it time.”

“Graduating”s release last summer catapulted Nell into a whirlwind six months. With only the one official release behind her, she assembled a tight-knit live band for her first Irish headline tour, a sell-out London debut, All Points East Festival, a winter tour supporting Phoebe Green, and she was chosen as one of the First Fifty for The Great Escape Festival.

The likes of i-D, The Line Of Best Fit & The Independent have all shone a light on the 19-year-old who has also been tipped as one to watch this year by NME, Rolling Stone, Dork Magazine, Gigwise & more.

More new music will be released in due course and an ever-growing live schedule continues to build with her first batch of dates listed below.

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Photo by Naoise White

Singer and songwriter Nell Mescal chats about her love of words, music and creativity

17-year-old Ireland-native Nell Mescal knows how to make the most of her free time. During a school-year of lighter work, she didn’t sit around, but instead, she’s taken the time to launch her music career. Having released two singles so far this year, she hopes to release an EP in the near future. The younger sister of Normal People’s Paul Mescal, Nell comes from a very talented family. Her two singles – “Crash” and “Deja Vu” – are irrefutable evidence of that talent. Delicate piano playing is rounded out with full-bodied, intoxicatingly powerful vocals, reminiscent of a young Adele.

Get into Nell’s creative process in her interview, and listen and/or download her singles on all streaming platforms.

Did you grow up in a musical family? What drew you to music?

Nell Mescal: Well, my mom and dad actually met while doing a musical. My dad especially grew up heavily involved in music – he plays piano and guitar, and he sings and he acts. I think myself and my eldest brother, Paul, we both got that gene more so than my other brother, Donnacha, he’s more sporty. We all have different airings at this point but I feel like I meant we all were drawn to sport, but he definitely is more so – he doesn’t sing at all. It’s just funny because me and Paul very much love to sing and do more of the creative side, but Donnacha is very good at finding music, which is cool. I always go to Donnacha to find new playlists. I feel like everyone has a little bit of everything, which is nice.

So what drew you to the piano? Was it your musical parents, or you just wanted to learn to play?

Nell: So my mom and dad put myself and one of my brothers into piano when we were younger. I didn’t stick with it because I hated learning scales and stuff, so I quit and I was so dramatic about it. We’ve had a piano in our house obviously my whole life, but when I was 13 my dad brought home with another piano and I started playing with it. That day I got a whiteboard marker and I wrote down any chord I could remember, so it was C, D, all the way up as far as I could, and I wrote this really bad song all using my whiteboard marker markings. Since then I’ve taught myself how to play – I’m not great but I’m trying. I’m trying to get better, especially over quarantine with all the time we have.

Is there any instrument that you’d like to play that you haven’t learned to play yet?

Nell: I’d love to play the guitar but like the piano, I did guitar lessons, learned two Irish songs, and was done with it. Then my dad would try and teach me and I would just fight with him and fight him because I was like, “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” when he really does. At the start of a lockdown I tried to pick it up again and I was terrorizing my family with it. My brothers were just like, “If I hear you play that same song the way you’re doing it…” because I wasn’t even playing, I was just singing really loudly and strumming whatever chord I could find, so it was shocking.

You have two original songs out now, do you plan on releasing more?

Nell: Yeah, 100%. I have a few already recorded and I’ve been spending a lot of time writing music and honing in on different parts of my craft and trying to learn more. I’m definitely really excited to get into the studio and record more because I’m so excited about the new music I’m writing.

Is there an EP or an album eventually in the works as well?

Nell: Hopefully, who knows? I definitely have loads of songs but it’s just trying to figure out which ones tell the story I want to and fit into that four or five songs, or however many go onto an EP. So hopefully very soon. It’s weird because some songs take…speaking of the two that are out, “Crash” I wrote I think a year ago last week. I was fake studying for one of my exams and I had this melody in my head and I tried to write the song and it took me, I’d say a month to finish the song. Then for “Deja Vu” I was sitting, watching TV and then all of a sudden I just was like, “Oh, I really want to play piano,” and I wrote that song in two hours. So, I never really know what’s going to happen.

Do you like to write your songs yourself or do you like to collaborate with other people to write songs?

Nell: Yeah, I’ve never collaborated with anyone. I’ve written all my songs on my own and just videoed myself and sent it to all of my family members saying, “Do you like it?” And if they’re like, “No,” I’m like, “Okay, well, that’s okay because I still love it so I’m going to do whatever,” you know? So I just do that, as in I write on my own but I do share with my family and be like, “Oh, what do you think?” And they’re like, “Yeah, good.” And I’m like, “Okay, thanks.” But I’ve only written on my own so hopefully, I can collaborate with a few people in the future, but at the moment it’s just been by myself.

Listen to Nell’s singles via Spotify:

Is there anybody else that inspires you? That really calls to you when you’re writing songs and your music besides Lennon Stella? Because I know you’ve done several other covers as well, anything that speaks to you, but are there certain ones that speak to you wholly a lot more than others?

Nell: I’ve definitely been listening to a lot of Jensen McRae and Phoebe Bridgers and Orla Gartland. But I feel anytime I listen to a song that’s just so good and just so interesting I definitely feel like I have to sit at the piano for at least two hours and try to write something as good as this. So it’s definitely just whatever I listen to in that moment. All my songs are written from my own experiences. I’ve always said I never want to write about something I don’t know about, so I’ve always just stuck to writing about whatever’s been going on in my life. Any inspiration I get from anywhere else is just kind of cool. I love listening to artists that just tell a story because I think it’s so good. I just love listening to those kinds of artists, like Jensen McRae and Phoebe Bridgers and Lennon Stella, I just love them.

Is there anybody during your parents’ era that they grew up that you really liked that’s storytelling?

Nell: I grew up listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter and Fleetwood Mac but I literally listen to every single genre of music. I’m in love with country music, I love musical theater and anytime I listened to any of them I’m like, “I have to sit down at the piano right now.”

How have you been dealing with your creativity during quarantine? Are you just writing songs? Are you focusing on your music? What’s going on for you?

Nell: Yeah, I’ve been really trying to write as much music as I can. I allowed myself to not write music if you get me. So if I’m not able to think of something I’m not going to sit and brood over it for hours and hours and hours, I’m going to wait and see what happens. So I’ve been lucky that my creativity hasn’t completely stopped and I’ve been able to write some music that I really love and music that I’m really excited about. I’ve been really looking into the production side, which has been really interesting.

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