I don’t want to be sexy for men, I want to be empowered for me, says Mimi Webb
SHE has been on Bizarre’s radar for a while having become one of the most exciting home-grown talents in years.
So I’m pleased to say Mimi Webb shows no sign of slowing down nor cheapening her image just to hit the top spot.
Instead, the singer, who released debut album Amelia last week, is keen to let the music speak for itself instead of lowering the bar by stripping off for cheap gimmicks like many of her pop counterparts.
During an exclusive chat with Bizarre ahead of her European tour, Mimi told me: “It’s not about being sexy and alluring to men, it is about being confident and empowered in myself.
“I have just been focused on my stuff really, but for me I just wanted to come across with empowerment and confidence.
“I feel like you are who you are and there is no point comparing yourself to others as you are special and who you are. That is what I wanted to get across with this album.”
She added: “I love fashion and I love feeling confident.
“I feel like you are who you are and there is no point comparing yourself to others as you are special and who you are.
“That is what I wanted to get across with this album.
“I am 22, growing into a woman and my music will grow with me.”
The album is on track to land in the top three and already spawning three Top 40 hits including House on Fire, which peaked at No6.
She added: “It’s so easy to get bogged down with the pressure.
“I have seen friends get so freaked out.
“It can ruin the moment.
“I am trying to let it all soak in and enjoy the process as I am never going to get a debut album again.
“But yeah, I have times on my bed over thinking things.
“Over the weekends, in particular, it is so easy to worry and as you don’t know what the chart updates are, but I’m going with the flow.”
Keen to swerve the obvious pitfalls that come with life as a young pop star, the Red Flags singer tells me she now almost lives two different lives.
One is chart-conquering inner diva Mimi, with millions of fans hanging on her every word via social media.
The second is former country girl Amelia, who is more than happy to settle down quietly with a good book in her plush apartment in Chelsea, West London.
Mimi said: “I really wanted to get across the differences between Mimi and Amelia.
“There is Amelia, which is this relaxed side of me where I am a countryside girl at home. And then there is Mimi, when I’m on stage.
“Even on tour I like to relax over partying. I had some friends with me on tours and some want to go crazy. But I have that boundary as when I’m ready for bed and my cut off time hits I like to be alone.
“You are around people 24/7, and I love that but I also like my own time to reboot.
“It is actually really nice to be able to have those two sides and to switch on and off.
“It is really important to me to have that in this industry.
Dark or low times
“It’s nice to have Dad and Mum and my day-one friends who all call me Amelia in my life while I do this job.”
As for the album, most of which was written last summer, Mimi is keen to stress it’s more than about slamming boys who have messed her about.
She said: “It represents a message to my younger self.
“It’s for when there were dark or low times but you have this message that everything will fall into place in the long run.
“You have to go through all those challenges.
“It’s not just heartbreak and love but also self love and growing as a person and going through those difficult times.”
Looking to the future, Mimi is keen to hit the studio with some of her showbiz pals.
She said: “Now the album is out I can look into what I want to do in terms of collaborations.
“I have not done that yet and I am excited to dip into that world.
“I am really looking forward to that and rethinking where I want to go in terms of direction.
“I have so many people I want to work with.
“Obviously there are some really big ones like Harry Styles and Coldplay.
“I also want to go out to America and grow out there as an artist.
“I really just want to try to smash it and get all those areas going.”
Lewis axes shows
LEWIS CAPADLI is battling bronchitis.
The Pointless singer has been left “devastated” after being forced to reschedule shows in Switzerland and Italy this week.
Lewis wrote to fans online: “I’ve been really struggling with my voice but I was desperate not to let any of you down.
“I’ve been to see a voice specialist in Sweden who’s told me I have bronchitis and that I should be on vocal rest for at least three days to give me any chance of not damaging my voice and being able to continue touring.
“I’m going to be doing everything I can with rest and medication to be ready for Barcelona onwards.”
Hopefully his team schedules some well earned rest where they can.
‘Mind over matter’
SUGABABE Mutya Buena was left DEAF following the girl group’s hugely successful set at Glastonbury last year.
So may people wanted to see the band that organisers stopped any more music fans trying to get to watch the band on the Avalon Stage.
But while they were riding high during the set – it wasn’t that fun for Mutya.
Siobhan Donaghy said: “Glastonbury was a real turning point, just because we shut down the field and it all got overwhelmed, what a success it was.
“Mutya was temporarily deaf when we came off stage.
“It was absolutely booming.
“It kind of threw us.
“It was quite overwhelming but apparently it was so loud hardly anyone could hear us singing anyway, so we needn’t have worried.
“I had to go mind over matter, I have to laugh about it, it’s so ridiculous.”
She added to the Spinning Plates podcast: “We had to have this security meeting about whether people were going to have distress in the crowd, arm signals, I’d never heard anything like that.
“I didn’t know what the signals were, so we had to keep an eye on how everyone was.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m playing Glastonbury’.”
Show stopper
ROBBIE WILLIAMS is going to shut down one of London’s busiest streets for one of the biggest scenes in his biopic Better Man.
It will be Regent Street, in the centre of the capital, at the end of the month.
The shoot has been green lit by the Mayor of London’s office as well as The Crown Estate, which owns Regent Street.
A source said: “Filming takes place at the end of the month and is one of the most complex scenes in the whole film.
“It’s a massive spectacle with over 1,000 dancers and props.
“Closing one of the busiest streets in London isn’t without its challenges but bosses have managed to get full sign off and believe it will be worth the stress.”
Robbie took over the Royal Albert Hall for two nights in November to film other scenes.
Better Man is being directed by Michael Gracey, who was behind the camera for record breaking smash movie The Greatest Showman.
Robbie’s biopic is tipped for release at the end of the year or early 2024.
Pink still has high ambition
PINK has vowed to up the ante on her upcoming Summer Carnival tour with even bolder stunts.
She said: “The insurance company’s like, ‘You’re getting older’, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, well, you’re cutting the cheque. Look I can still do a full split!’
“You can tell when you go to a show and the artist cares, and you can tell when they don’t.”
The superstar is known for her death-defying moves on stage, including aerial silk dancing, which previously saw her hospitalised in 2010.
Other stunts included her swivelling around a huge hula hoop and flying across the crowds on wires.
The Trust Fall singer added: “I’ve been to those shows when they don’t and it’s offensive.
“It’s offensive to me that you would take somebody’s money.
“Just go take a break, buy a bar on a beach and f*** off?
“Don’t just take people’s money then go up there with your hand in your pocket sitting on an amp singing a song that I loved as a child.
“Don’t ruin my life, f*** you. That’s how I feel about it.
“And I’ve been to those shows, and I hate them.
“I won’t listen to their songs anymore.”
Walk on the wild side
ZENDAYA showed her wild side in an animal print two-piece at Louis Vuitton’s Paris Fashion Week show.
The Euphoria actress joined singer Pharrell Williams at the catwalk show, his first since he became creative director of their menswear.
Pharrell took on the role from Virgil Abloh, who died in November 2021 and was described by the fashion house as a “visionary” when they confirmed his successor last month.
Zendaya, who will be filming the third series of hit HBO show Euphoria this year, is having an equally successful year.
It’s claimed she will earn more than £900,000 per episode for the next run of the show – where she plays the main character Rue Bennett.
It really is alright for some…
Dave’s a food fighter
DAVE GROHL has shown once again he is the nicest man in rock.
The Foo Fighters legend has vowed to donate more of his time to helping the poorest residents of Los Angeles.
I told last week how Dave had quietly volunteered at LA shelter Hope Mission to cook meals for those struggling to get by.
And now he is now teaming up with Feed The Streets to help even more people in need.
The organisation penned via Instagram: “He spent 18 hours straight smoking brisket, ribs and pork—with a cooking crew. They [his team] stayed up all night and into the sunrise.
“The next day Dave and his team, exhausted and sleep deprived — packed up the food and drove it to MacArthur Park.
“All they had to do was drop it off and leave, however they decided to stay and work the line — serve the BBQ with our crew until everyone at the park was fed.
“If that ain’t a hero we don’t know wtf is.
“Stay tuned he will be back on the blocks soon.”
Jared a head poncho
ACTOR Jared Leto got a peace of the action at Paris Fashion Week.
The House Of Gucci star wore a patterned grey and white poncho and gave the V-sign to fans as he enjoyed a night out in the French capital.
Jared is set to return to the world of superheroes after landing a role in Tron: Ares.
He will play the mystery lead character in the third instalment of the Tron franchise.
Hopefully it does better than 2022’s Morbius, his previous venture into the futuristic world of heroes and villains.
The Marvel flick failed to make an impact at the box office, forcing Sony to re-release the film to little fanfare.