Quaver & Fret

Born in Ghana, raised in the UK, with time spent living in Canada. The path trodden by Mauvey is not perhaps one familiar to most; but it is one built on belief, determination, but above all else, love.

Trying to pin Mauvey to a specific genre would be an ill-informed exercise, and one that the artist himself would recognise perhaps as an indictment on his creations. As that is precisely what his songs are, they’re creations, not just simply handwritten words played over a looping beat, they signify something far greater, they represent something meaningful and true. In order to obtain a greater understanding of his work, and maybe even his understanding of music as an art, you need look no further than the artists that have come before him that have influenced the work behind the man.

Citing Michael Jackson, Prince, Oumou Sangaré, Childish Gambino and Andre 3000 as Mauvey’s primary influencers, there is one word in particular that can be used to describe what these men have all offered to the industry – innovation. A keen argument can be made for the fact that all five of these artists have transcended beyond the stratosphere of the music industry in one way or another, and they have a left an evergreen mark on what is the continuously evolving gold standard for an artist. Mauvey recognises this as well as anyone, and it should come as no surprise when listening to his music that he strives to live to this gold standard, all whilst working towards making his own evergreen mark on it. But the innovation in sound is not enough for Mauvey, he pushes the boundaries in every direction, overcoming obstacles and breaking down barriers, all whilst trying to stay as far away from the status quo as possible. Who else would attempt to release four EPs in as many days? Mauvey.

The release of Fables in Mauve, Whole Hive Mauve, Mauvey Mauve, and Martian Mauvey in October last year would have perhaps raised eyebrows with many. Why release sixteen tracks in the space of four days on four separate extended plays? The rational thought and the logical approach to releasing such a plethora of musical experimentation would be to release it in one go, on an album. But why do what everyone else would do, when you could instead turn the vehicle around and move in a completely new direction? That, to Mauvey, would be the logical and rational move to make, not to carry on driving in the same direction.

However, whilst it can become encompassing to divulge into debate about the sound of Mauvey’s music, deciphering whether the genre of a certain track sits closer towards afro-beat, R&B, or maybe even electro-synth pop, or dissecting the approach he has to the release of it, energy would be better spent listening to the message cascaded through each and every single or extended play, both lyrically and in mood.

Love. A short, sweet four letter word. It is a word often said too easily, whilst also a word not said anywhere near enough. Some find it hard to put it into words, whereas others can write sonnets or novels to express what it means to them.

For Mauvey, he delivers love through his art.

“If my entire music career is a giant book about the rigours of love, the ups, the downs, the highs and the complicated lows, I’d have done my job of distributing love. I want to be clear about what I’m talking, singing and rapping about, no games, I don’t know everything, but I know that love is everything, there’s no better subject. My mission is to distribute love, and there is no better way to do that than through music.” – Mauvey

With emotionally charged lyrics piercing through every track produced and carefully put out into the world, Mauvey offers a small glimpse and a small fragment of his own heart and thoughts of love with every word. This passion and belief translates not only to record, but to the stage as well. When Mauvey is performing, his music engulfs him into a tsunami of intense feeling, which translates into a truly fervent display of emotion. When in attendance it can be hard not to find this intensity addictively hypnotic, as you too start to feel the emotion of each track played before you. But at the heart of it all is the message of love.

Current circumstances may not allow Mauvey to visit new places far and wide in order to spread this message physically (the twelve remaining dates of a 31-date UK tour were halted amidst the lockdown caused by this pandemic), but that does not stop the artist spreading his message digitally. Mauvey intends to release a new single or EP every month for the foreseeable future, which all started with the release of the ‘The Bull and the Matador’ A/B side single release on 22nd May.

In times like these where we have never felt so apart, but in a strange way have also perhaps never felt closer, it is the message of love that drives us forwards. And with that message in tow, Mauvey is here to help us all through it.

Mauvey’s latest release, ‘The Bull and the Matador’ is available to stream across all platforms now. For more information and to keep up to date with future releases and news about future tour dates, visit his website or follow him on social media:

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