Mahalia
Mahalia Burkmar is no stranger to performance - she wrote her first song aged 12 and signed to a major label at 13-years-old. She’s 19 now, and six years in the game has rewarded her with a calm confidence, which was clear to see as she emerged onto the Norwich Arts Centre stage.
Mahalia began with No Pressure, traversing the stage, crouching to get closer to her adoring audience. Her voice was on top form, near flawless. Only a guitarist shared the stage with her, meaning the heavily produced song relied on a pre-prepared backing track. This setup might have been a let down had Mahalia not stuck mostly to her first album, the acoustic-based Diary of Me.
For these songs, Mahalia whipped out her guitar and unashamedly played songs written during her early teenage years. She prefaced each tune with context, sharing tales of bullies, first loves, insecurities. Mahalia kept it light with a self-deprecating tone and giggles directed at her former concerns. Yet, when she actually played these songs there was no irony. Lyrics like “Oh my gosh whatever” from Silly Girl took on great meaning. To portray the intensity of being a teenage girl - its a difficult, special thing for an adult to be able to do.
The performance wasn’t too saccharine, or too serious - Mahalia deftly straddled the two. She sang from her soul, had fun, and we had fun watching her have fun. Mahalia has (hopefully) many years of performing ahead of her, and I sincerely hope she returns to the Norwich Arts Centre for another fabulous Sunday night show.
