Mahalia Releases ‘In the Club’ Acoustic Performance: Premiere

Fresh off the release of her Letter To Ur Ex EP, Mahalia teams with Rated R&B to premiere her “In The Club” acoustic performance. 

“There’s definitely something really beautiful and intimate about a guitar and a voice. I still have parts of my live show where that’s all it is,” Mahalia tells Rated R&B.

Filmed somewhere in New York City, the stripped-down rendition shows the British-Jamaican singer strumming her guitar as she recites the song’s relatable lyrics. “People who would see me in the street and not say ‘hi’ / But then they see some success, so they call me,” she sings. 

“In The Club” calls out the people back at home (Leicester, United Kingdom) who didn’t acknowledge her until she started progressing in her career. Luckily for Mahalia, she no longer is experiencing fake love from phony people. “I think I’ve also got a lot better at surrounding myself with great people, and not wasting energy on those friends that are only there for the good times,” she says.

The original version samples 50 Cent’s hit single “In Da Club,” which initially started as a joke from her boyfriend Ben Hart, who co-wrote the song. “I was in the studio with three of my favorite people to write with, JD Reid, Max Pope and Ben Hart,” says Mahalia. “We had the verse written out then Ben started joking around singing 50’s lyrics over it. Everyone had a laugh but I thought wait a minute, that’s actually brilliant, so we ran with it.”

“In The Club” appears on Mahalia’s new EP, Letter To Ur Ex. The five-track project should tide over fans as she preps for her highly awaited sophomore album. “It’s definitely coming. I’m not going away again,” she affirms.

Watch Mahalia’s acoustic performance of “In The Club” below.