Soul singer Deva Mahal grew up in Hawaii and now lives on Wellington's rocky South Coast. Photo: Tommie Love
Fresh from watching her dad win his fifth Grammy Award, Deva Mahal tells Charlotte Ryan how performing with aerialists at WOW inspired her upcoming show at the Wellington Fringe Festival.
Mahal, who grew up in Hawaii and has lived on and off in New York City, is now settled on the south coast of Wellington.
Earlier this month, in NZ-designed dresses, she and her sister Zoe Moon flew to LA to watch their father Taj Mahal win his fifth Grammy, even making a cameo in the televised version of the star-studded ceremony.
Inside the Grammys venue , Mahal chatted with musicians Norah Jones, Muni Long and Victoria Monét, said "hi" to Chappell Roan and "screamed her face off" when Beyoncé, who was standing nearby, won Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter.
The calibre of performances was insane this year at this year's Grammy Awards, she says.
Doechii - "a leader for black female artists" - delivered one of the best of all time and also a really powerful acceptance speech for best rap album, she said.
"She's just really intelligent and incredibly talented and she pushes all the buttons and she's so unapologetic as a dark-skinned black woman in a male-dominated genre. She really just changed the script and she's so innovative and pushes every boundary."
While people may not expect defiance from a soul singer, Mahal says she has always been a "rule-breaker" herself.
She's pumped to share a bit more of this side along with new songs including South Coast, featuring Estère, with the Fringe Festival audience in Wellington on 8 March (which happens to be International Women's Day).
The show's more theatrical vibe will reflect a love for the stage that Mahal reconnected with while singing with her sister at the 2023 World of Wearable Arts Awards.
"[That performance] really brought out in me something that I haven't really been feeding for a while - my love for stage performance, this whole spectacle of dancing, singing, performing, staging, blocking."
Tickets for Deva Mahal's 8 March show at Wellington's Hannah Playhouse are available here.
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