Manchester's R&B scene; with Mali Hayes, Fliss & [ K S R ] - roundtable

Manchester’s music scene is always thriving, but the city's R&B/neo-soul movement is having a special moment.

Mali Hayes, Fliss and [ K S R ] are just a few of the artists shaping the city's sound and turning Manchester into a national capital for the genre.

For our latest roundtable podcast episode, TSOTA spoke to them about the scene, their music, their careers and much more!

Transcript

Aston Knight  0:11  

Welcome to another episode of the State of the Arts Podcast. I'm Aston Knight, contributor for the state of the arts and I was lucky enough to speak with several artists included in Manchester's rising r&b City. I was joined by singers Mali Hayes and Fliss. And for the final part of the discussion KSI dropped in to. We spoke about everything from their influences to reasons for living in Manchester. It was a dead fascinating conversation and some of the best new artists. And I hope you enjoy listening to this episode

Hi, guys, okay, so whereabouts in Manchester you from? Are you still there, if you are from Manchester, just a little bit about you guys.

Mali Hayes  0:55  

Yeah, okay, so hey, I'm Mali. I am well, I was actually born and bred Manchester. Someone once said to me the the like, you're not really from Manchester because you're from Stockport. That literally, I was like, that's definitely Manchester. So yeah, I was born and brought up in Stockport. I literally lived in the same house for 25 years of my life. I was born in the house. And I only moved a couple years ago. I don't live in Stockport anymore. But still in Manchester. Yeah, I'm 27 singer song creater. Been performing with my band for like, I want to say like six or seven years now since I graduated Leeds Conservatoire. I have to remember to say that because it used to be called Leeds College of Music, but now it's called Leeds Conservatoire. Which was a lot of fun. Oh, very fancy. So yeah, that was really fun. And yeah, I'm currently just like trying to write as much as possible. gig as much as possible. And yeah, that's kind of me in a nutshell.

Aston Knight  2:07  

Nice and Fliss what about you.

Fliss  2:12  

Yes, I'm Fliss. I'm actually from Chester, which is not too far away, but definitely not Manchester. Like the other side of Cheshire. I'm 26, I moved to Manchester on my own when I was 16 for a couple years, and I studied music on Newton Street and the northern core at the Music base with loads of other people that have come out of Manchester. And then I moved to London for four and half years, and then music at uni and then decided that I was going to come back I had got some management here in Manchester. So feel like the last like two or three years I've really like honed my craft a lot in Manchester and like sort of needed space for myself here. So yeah, that's probably me. Yeah.

Aston Knight  3:06  

Like, what is it about Manchester that's kind of made you want to stay here and develop kind of what it is that you're doing here rather than, you know, making that big move that everyone thinks that you're supposed to if you want to be music, which is going to London and going down south? tell the people why they North is way better !

Fliss  3:26  

I feel like that's like you said, like, that's what everybody says that you need to do is you need to go to London, I know, my parents were like, You should push and go to London and that and I was 18. And not really with a very big knowledge of the music industry at all. If I think that you like London is a great step once you've already honed a craft, like I was little 18 year old and I did learn a lot while I was there, but I think that it's a lot more diluted and like the Manchester music community is like a big community. And everybody is sort of like helping each other build and everybody's very supportive. And it's good to like get that experience not only of like the music industry itself, but like have a community and get that sort of support from every level from above you below you same level. And yeah, that's what I found, I think as well. Like when I speak to other people like music people from not only London, but like other cities, it's notice like nationally, how much of a community there is here like from people that have knowledge of sort of like genre? Yeah, people do notice that like there is a there is a sense of community here which is reasonable. Is it

Aston Knight  4:35  

the same family or if you have a bit of a different experience?

Mali Hayes  4:37  

No, I would definitely say the same especially like with your last point first about the sense of like community and just general support that it feels like always Mancunians give each other is really really nice. And yeah, like definitely, I feel like it most almost get asked the question like once a month, maybe even more, like he's gonna move to London, and I don't know why it's just like so. on appealing to me, I think because I just don't think that I could even I don't think I could handle London live I genuinely, because I'm just such like a laid back person who like, loves the countryside loves to take things slow. And I think London is so fast paced that it would just absolutely stress me out. Yeah, I think I really enjoy going there. And I enjoy, like planning to go spend like a week or two there, which I was doing quite regularly before the last two years. And I really enjoyed that because it would like make sure that I was doing a lot of stuff while I was I was in London, if that makes sense. Yeah. But when I just look forward to coming home, and when I do come home, there's just like a sense of, like, blissed out community, and I guess like comfort in a way I know people say like, don't stay in your comfort zone. But, you know, I think there is just like a humble support bubble of people in Manchester and in the r&b Sea, and in particular, like the kind of hip hop r&b soul scene, that it's just kind of like, I feel like I can do everything from Manchester. So why would I like go and get a full time job just to be able to afford to live in London? Yeah, so just, yeah, that's kind of why I haven't like I'm not saying I never would, but I don't know, I think I think I'm also like, just genuinely a little bit scared of London as well. That's probably why I've not done it. But I do feel like I can kind of do a lot of stuff from here as well. So

Aston Knight  6:30  

yeah, I was talking to that to my friends last week, because a lot of my friends came down to London who spent quite a bit of time in Manchester. And one of the points they were saying is exactly that just how fast paced it is, like, you know, they're all loving life and they've all got these huge lifestyles now and really enjoying it. And like what I notice from it is the luxury of being in Manchester has just been able to slow down, especially coming out of lockdown where everything just kind of stopped. It doesn't feel like you have to kind of start chasing things again. It's kind of like Manchester's chair. There's people that like you can kind of do things at your own pace there's still kind of make your way up the ladder and chance wherever else you want to chase without that pressure of finances and all those other things that come with being downsized the thing

Fliss  7:15  

Yeah, and I think as well like just like leading on from what Molly said is like you can I go to London like really often for music work and I work with producers I'll go down for like four or five days. And like Molly was saying that means that within that like constrained time I am like working and getting like good work out of it. You don't mean so like London is two hours away. It's not like London isn't now like the be all and end all for us. Like we are proof of that I think yeah. And we can still be there and work there and it's not inaccessible, but like it's there but then on the other side of it like we did I did supported KSR the other day Mark saw Marley there saw King Kai there so occasionally they're like we said hello, I mean like me and Molly and I know that like we've been going on about it for ages now but that sense of community is like so yeah, so like prominent

Aston Knight  8:13  

so there's quite obviously an awfully she was saying like you kind of jumped into not jump 10 But started music and stuff when you moved away at 16 which quite young mallia At what age was it when you kind of well both of you really want me to kind of decide like music is for you. This is this is what I want to do full time. I'm just going to persevere because it's a hard industry to get into and like you guys are smashing it or kind of where did it start?

Mali Hayes  8:39  

Trying we're trying to smash it well

Aston Knight  8:41  

I'm trying to do you are smashed

Fliss  8:46  

Do you wanna go firstly? Yeah. Um, I like I've always known it's been one of those I can eat things I can't quite a spiritual person. I wasn't 16 But like, now I sort of realised this is what I'm meant to do. And when I'm having those down days where I'm like, oh my god, I absolutely hate this. I know that this is what I'm meant to be doing regardless of like, where it ends up. So like yeah, I've always known I was like a bit of a like theatre kid semi. And then out of like the sort of dance drama, singing school that I went to when I was younger. I knew that like I wanted to write music and create myself. So yeah, in school, I was writing songs with my friend Sammy, she played the guitar and we used to gig in Chester Sami rob my bass. She she's like quite folky. And we so we used to write like quite like low key music together, which is key and then I mean, immediately move in move into Manchester at 16. I was an r&b fan anyway, but like explored r&b and crew Eating, making it and that was just like, sort of it for me. And then I went kind of like pitch and the things I've released this sort of like Poppy r&b so far. And that was quite experimental for me and like, over the last two years released like quite a bit, quite a few singles. And we've kind of realised I want to sort of delve more into the like, r&b, r&b what I'm writing now, but yeah, I think like to answer your question, like, I've always known that this is what I've, what I've been, like destined to do for me personally, and like what I want to do so yeah.

Aston Knight  10:39  

My family loves

Mali Hayes  10:41  

that. Kind of similar. My whole family like musical, so it was kind of like inevitable that that was going to happen. So obviously always had music around me whilst I was growing up. And my mom is a producer and a sound engineer, and my dad's a singer. And then like, even grandparents are like classical composers. And on my dad's side, I've got like, DJs, and singers and all that kind of stuff. So it was just like, surrounded from when I was really, really young. My mom would always have people in and out of the studio basement that we used to have, which is really cool. Like, when I think about it, honestly, it was so much fun. Like I'd come in from school, and like flow and be shaken because like she's like mixing a song. Which was like, which is really, really cool. I think my mom said, I wrote my first song when I was like five and it was like three seconds long or something like that really silly. I think since then, like I knew I wanted to be involved in music, but kind of similar to flip. Like, I was very, like, I wasn't very good at drama, but I was I'd always trained in dance as well since I was really young. So it was either going to be dancing or singing or like maybe a combination, but a very nearly did go to university to study dance instead. But I didn't get in.

Aston Knight  12:07  

It was a fun is definitely

Mali Hayes  12:09  

a lie. Eventually, so yeah. And then I ended up getting into Leeds College of Music, Conservatoire, whatever. Because I was like Conservatoire, really, really last minute, like literally two weeks before I was due to start. So I've kind of been like, oh my god, like, I guess I'm going to do music then. And I always enjoy doing it anyway. And at this point, I'd already kind of been doing like backing vocals on that random people's album that my mom would just kind of like having the studio and we'd also gone to me My mum used to go to I forget the name of it now, which is really bad. But this wonderful man named Wayne Ellington used to run this choir in Manchester. And JP Cooper used to go so that's kind of how we met him. And then my mom did his first EP so like mixed mastered his first EP, so I sang on that ledger Are you cool? Like, in his early days, that was literally like the first thing that he put out. And then from then, like, I was doing BBs for him, which then I was like, 1415. So that was really weird. But like, like, when you look back now, it's really weird, but like, it just felt really more to me. Yeah. And then I think once I'd like, got into uni, and you actually had to focus on like your craft, like what you were saying for this and like properly, like honing in on what you want to do. That was when I was like, okay, yeah, I feel like I could probably do this now. And then, since I literally left university in 2050, and I've just kind of been right in gigging releasing music ever since then. And I feel like that was when I really started to take it seriously though, like, even though I've done it for so long. That's when I was like, Okay, no, I'm actually going to do this now. So yeah, I would only say like, 678 years, maybe that I fully fully was dedicated.

Aston Knight  14:07  

But it's incredible, like, from what you've all said, as well, it sounds like you both had a lot of support from family, like when she was obviously saying, you know, your family wanted you to go to London, you know, like they wanted you to be successful in this dream that you had, and that you've actually like, achieved, you know, I mean, like you're doing exactly what you set out to do, as you might like, both of you have had all of that support from family, whereas usually, you know, the traditional household is sorry, would you say that they're kind of a lot of inspiration behind what you do, or is it like a certain artist or itis for albums or something that's kind of handy

if you cannot can't think of one good as your top three, like expressions, whatever that is,

Fliss  14:56  

even even that's hard, but I think I mean, like My family are the absolute opposite of Marley. Like my family are not musical whatsoever. My dad is actually like, naturally quite a good thing. But um, so as my little brother, he used to think like, Frank Sinatra around the house and he could do that erection, but they're not musical at all, like in terms of what they do. But I think it was because like, I'd always wanted to do it like and I was like, naturally just, like, go in that way that my family, they were definitely supportive. And yeah, I wouldn't say that they're, like, influenced my influences. My my main, like, core influence is I love Aretha Franklin. She's not really like, the influence behind my music, I don't think like, obviously, but just, like, in so many ways, as like a black woman, as a r&b artist of the time, they she was again, she was she is my favourite, and obviously an incredible singer. And then, sort of now in terms of when I'm what I'm writing, I do, I do sort of like reference for the people. And I think like behaviour, I really like love. And I think if someone was to ask me what kind of like, stuff I write, I would maybe say, like, sort of that if, if someone asked me, you know, like, specifically who I was going to be referencing, but then like Amy Winehouse, and all the girls, I love joy Crux these days as well. I think she's sick. And yeah, all the girls

Mali Hayes  16:43  

all go oh my gosh, yeah, I've lifted the whole time you speak and I was like, Oh my gosh, who am I gonna say? What am I gonna say? There's so many people.

Aston Knight  16:54  

So many people, literally, and it can be people you don't say just kind of who first was.

Mali Hayes  17:03  

I mean, similar to flex, like, like, Yeah, I mean, I'm, it's been me and my mom, like since I was really, really young. So I guess you could say like, she's a bit of an influence, not necessarily of my music, per se. But she's obviously been like a massive help. And it's really interesting to hear someone who comes from like a not so musical family. And I feel like this is probably quite common, where it's like, they're really supportive, and they want you to, like, you know, embrace everything that you want to do in terms of that creative outlet. And my mom definitely is like that as well. But I think I'd probably especially because she's been in the industry for so long. She's also like, really, like undercoating or like, you should probably have a plan B. Which, like, she's never said that to me, but like, yeah, definitely got that advice. Like, I'm like, this is definitely like, all I want to do like so I'm never gonna be doing anything else. And is, is Oh, don't get me wrong. Like, I mean, I could get into how much like I want to quit sometimes and how much I just can't be asked and how much the industry is just so frustratingly irritating on so many levels, but going back to the original question, my influences I would say, my go to I always say first on par with each other, Erykah? Badu and Jill Scott they're just like my absolute love

Fliss  18:32  

is like

Mali Hayes  18:37  

I love them so much, but like kind of more like modern stuff I would say I really love Neo I think she is amazing. Lay on the have asked because I really love like singer songwriter revived as well. There's also this girl called Eloise and she's amazing. I think who else Oh my God, there's so many I love algo LMA oh my god there's so many I can't even all of the all the girls but I might as well like he's amazing. John Mackay Tom mesh skj. Like all that kind of like they're incredible. are so good. So

Fliss  19:17  

musicians as well like crazy. But musicians. I love that

Aston Knight  19:21  

for sure. It's really nice as well because like a lot of the ones that you mentioned are British, the British like dominated r&b. A huge thing because I was speaking last week to some friends when I was like, you know, when you think of British music you don't think like people don't think of r&b they think about I feel like especially if you're not British you think of grime. It's like there is such a huge r&b scene in the UK. But it's just like, give it some recognition because there's some huge artists coming out who have come out in the past and that's still coming out now. Definitely deserve the recognition. So thank you

Fliss  20:00  

I feel like I'm so guilty of that, like I, the people I listed are influencers for me when I reference work like in work and I do listen to them. But as an r&b fan I don't listen to enough UK r&b Knowing full well that there is like, like so many sick artists like, I'll have a listen here and there and I have a lot of double, but it feels I know this sounds like crazy. It feels like it feels like work. I use it to like reference, which is which I shouldn't do because, like the r&b I listened to is like Lucky day like a new album. Honestly, like Yeah, like Yeah, but now like it's kind of painful. I know that like song for like gospel leeboy Like

Aston Knight  20:49  

all the fields, but that's why r&b is it's all the field.

Fliss  20:53  

Yeah, and that's why like I tend to definitely be guilty of not listen to enough UK r&b as well. But yeah, so I feel you I feel you

Mali Hayes  21:04  

that well. There's so many just like all over but like, I don't think it's a bad thing. Like it's nice to obviously give them recognition obviously. But if that's just not who you drawn to at that moment, like that's totally fine. Yeah, like, there's still time. There's always time for this because I'm all

Aston Knight  21:19  

there is and it's hard as well. I love like I'm like the world's biggest I love nine is our bay but I love r&b as a whole but like if I'm gonna put my Spotify all day, like when I'm cleaning, if I'm in the shower, I will go off and that is r&b. And I realised that the day I was like everyone's American and I thought who is like an English r&b female artist from the 90s and the only person that pops into my head was shower day. And I felt so guilty because I was like I didn't

Fliss  21:47  

know that was Yeah, yeah, that was literally the only person I just thought of that and she's the only one

Aston Knight  21:54  

so you guys you changing the game because what is it well it's woman other night as sad as that which is sawgrass. But yeah, you know think of any female r&b artist from the UK and now from Leicester ma

Mali Hayes  22:09  

so there's a lot of them now which is great

Aston Knight  22:13  

means it's on the art it's on me. So we've what we were just saying I'm just with r&b I know r&b In the UK, but in particular as r&b and Manchester like what do you guys feel like could be done if it's not been done already to kind of get that recognition and get people kind of not saying like you guys especially that as is and what it is that you're doing because you are like in in the lens to kind of be changing what you're changing things are and what is it about what you think Manchester kind of as it's sitting needs to do to kind of give you guys more of a platform to get to where it needs to be because it needs to get there.

Fliss  22:53  

I want to love the dawn of Manchester for this is Victoria Jane. She is given like obviously she's got her r&b show now her future soul show on Radio One and she is plugged in Manchester like no one's business and I have got to say that like if it wasn't for her I wouldn't I there would definitely need to be like something in place or like some movement but it's to me like I have so much to thank her for in terms of like not only just for me but like everybody she's doing absolute bit so to start it with a positive yeah Korea Jane is just like definitely moving the movement. She like r&b radar, which is like based in in Canada and North America. She she's like part of that community now. So not only like nationally, but like internationally. Like she doesn't have to be plugging Mantis she plays as well. Like, you know, Bruno Mars on this impact. She plays Jazmine Sullivan she plays all that like r&b artists that everybody knows who wants to hear. It doesn't have to be she's got a show already Award. She doesn't have to be like doing that. But she still is doing it anyway for the community and getting out there and that in that way. She also does like playlists for various platforms that she plugs Manchester a lot in. And with r&b radar, like she is all over like they're quite vocal in dialogue on social media. Like openly and she's like plugging people all the time and even me as a as a consumer of r&b I listened to stuff because of her and like she I'd heard of like the KTLA beforehand but then she plugged me on to them and now I literally cannot get enough of them and they are are like very, very special coming out of coming out of Manchester.

Aston Knight  25:04  

So more than more people like Victoria.

Fliss  25:08  

Victoria, yeah, yeah, for sure.

Mali Hayes  25:11  

That was like my first thought as well. And like, just off the back of that as well. Because is it the blues projects? Why am I forgetting the name now? Yeah, yeah, they're London based. And I actually think it's really nice that they're not just showcase in London is like they are really picking up on like people all over the country really, which is really nice. But it just seems to be quite heavily Manchester, which is.

Fliss  25:41  

But I've noticed that as well with just a really quickly integer, integer, that plus minus equals platform as well. I'm not actually sure where they're based, but they're doing like live live performances of people, as a lot of Manchester is going on that as well. I know like abnormal sleeps, and Francesca, and the KT na has been on there. So plus minus equals as well. Sorry, carry on.

Mali Hayes  26:09  

No, that's, that's great. So I didn't I didn't even know about that. So that's good to know. But yeah, I think having it as like, they are literally like a London based collective, I guess. And the fact that they picked up people from Manchester or wherever else in the country and, you know, gave us like a place to like, feature ourselves, I think that is really, really important. And it's, you know, it's just nice to feel like that they're not just I don't know, because it's not like they shouldn't showcase London people. That's not what I'm trying to say. But it's just like, it just feel nice to almost like be one it elsewhere other than your own city. Because even though the support here is so beautiful. And, you know, everyone really like rallies behind you and stuff, you obviously want to break out into other places as well and make sure that you're making those other connections and be heard elsewhere. So I think to have platforms like that, and going back to Victoria as well, like, literally, I thought she was based in London, like and she was like, No, I still literally live in Manchester. And I was like, Okay, I kind of love that you're still here, and he does leave us.

Fliss  27:18  

She's at every gig like I love her. I love her. So

Mali Hayes  27:21  

she's really like flying the flag for just, I think not only just Manchester, but just really supporting artists who are up and coming and even who are not often come in who are a little bit more established. But it just feels like she's really trying to interject all the time. Like no matter what it is that she's doing, she's always trying to interject was in there, which is like you said, it's just so appreciated. because not a lot of people would really give us the time of day probably. So it's really nice to have someone that does do that for us

Aston Knight  27:53  

know for sure. She sounds incredible. Like everyone you kind of mentioned like, it's exactly what needs to happen. And yeah, the fact that it is happening. But also just for obviously like you guys speak in the way that you speak about it like you guys are in the industry. So I feel like it's it's amazing what's happening, but it's a lot easier for you guys to kind of know about them. So for people like me, you know, the fans who want to kind of get on to, you know, what's often coming in, in r&b and Manchester. How would we kind of find that because I've never heard of the people that you just mentioned. And now that you've told me I'm kind of like, how have I never heard of that, like, well, what what do you think can be done to kind of give us kind of the insight as well without actually being a part of the industry?

Fliss  28:42  

Fair? Like that's a really hard question because like, like, obviously I am a fan as well but also have the privilege of like working with a lot of these people and like whatever. I think if you're a fan of someone in Manchester, follow them on Instagram because guarantee there'll be plugin someone else I know that sounds Yeah.

Aston Knight  29:02  

It's it's there for you know,

Fliss  29:05  

yeah, definitely. And I feel like we we keep going back to community, but everybody's always plugged in each other. Like everyone shared each other's new stuff on their stories. Like for me, and, like sort of touching on what Molly said. I feel like London gets a bit like, I mean, London's amazing and people come out London are amazing. But they've got like teams and stuff behind them that are like pushing them forward. In the Manchester community. There's a lot of independent artists and we all just push each other on it like and help each other on social media. So I think looking at it logically from where I see new people stuff. If you like an artist follow them on their socials. Genuinely you'll probably find someone else that you that you'd like go into the comments. section because everybody's