She calls herself a singer songwriter but that label doesn’t really capture what Mabes is. There’s something too plain about it for someone who makes music that feels so effortlessly real. Her sound sits somewhere between folk and pop, but what truly defines her isn’t genre, it’s honesty. Every lyric, every note, carries the warmth of someone who’s lived her songs before singing them.
Mabes has a rare way of making listeners feel seen. Her songs are open, unfiltered, and deeply human, like a quiet conversation with a friend who understands. She doesn’t hide behind gloss or perfection. In her videos and on social media, she appears just as she is, in denim, flared jeans, or a hoodie, guitar in hand, eyes closed, lost in her own melody. It’s not an image, it’s who she is, and that truth has drawn people in from around the world.
Music came naturally to her. Her parents were big music fans, always playing records at home, and by fifteen she was writing her own songs. She describes her sound as honest with a country twang influenced by pop, and says Laura Marling taught her how to turn emotion into poetry. She also draws inspiration from John Mayer, The Smiths, Carole King, and Kings of Leon, artists known for storytelling as much as melody.
When it comes to writing, Mabes doesn’t plan much. Songs start as feelings, moments, or things she overhears. “If I’m struggling to finish a song, it’s probably not meant to be,” she says. Her process is instinctive, built on vibe and emotion.
Her breakout track America gave her an early taste of recognition, first played on BBC Introducing and later picked up by Radio 1. The response was bigger than she expected, but Mabes stayed grounded. “It was surreal hearing it on the radio,” she says, “but for me, the most important thing is always the song itself.”
Her newest single Bigger Picture digs into reflection and family. She wrote it while looking back at her teenage years, realizing how much she misunderstood her parents then. “I was rebellious and thought they were too strict,” she says. “Now I see they were just doing their best. Adulting is hard and I get that now.”
After experimenting and performing for years, Mabes is closing the first chapter of her career with a mini album — a collection of songs written since she first picked up the guitar. To celebrate, she’s performing her first headline show in a small barn behind a pub, lit with fairy lights and filled with the people who’ve supported her since the beginning.
Mabes once walked away from music, taking a nine to five job in London after an early setback. But that time away made her realize what she truly wanted. “I learned that music isn’t just something I like doing, it’s who I am,” she says. Now she’s writing more than ever, with a calm confidence in where she’s headed. “Every experience brings a new song,” she says. “And that’s how I know I’ll never stop.”