If your summer wasn’t soundtracked by METTE’s infectious singles MAMA’S EYES and VAN GOGH then you missed out on unknown realms of sonic joy. The Minnesota-born singer, actress and dancer caught the music industry’s attention earlier this year when dance track MAMA’S EYES transported us from bleak winter into bright spring. The thumping, dance rhythms combined with a gospel-inspired chorus kickstarted sunnier days - and sent us straight to the club.
Having released two more - equally danceable - singles VAN GOGH and FOR THE PEOPLE earlier this week, METTE returns again today with a suckerpunch of ecstasy by way of her debut EP, METTENARRATIVE, a project she first began working on four years ago, whilst visiting London. Prior to her music career, METTE had already found success in dance and acting. She trained as a dancer after being inspired by the choreography at Justin Timberlake’s Future Sex/Love Sounds tour, before spending more than half a decade dancing backup on tour with Pharrell.
Since then, she’s secured acting roles in major movies such as Hustlers, Cats, The Old Guard, and most recently, Barbie - though the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes prevented any conversation around this. In 2023, METTE is moving from backup to centre stage. As well as the release of her EP today, she plays her first London headline gig at The Lower Third next week. Below, we talk to the singer about her inspirations, her dream collaborators and the most valuable lessons she learnt from working with Pharrell. Her EP, METTENARRATIVE, is out now.
You’re already a successful dancer and actress, was pop star always part of the plan?
It’s always been a part of the dream. I actually had a friend of mine message me on Instagram and he was like, ‘You’re doing everything you said that you were gonna do!’ There’s still impostor syndrome, that happens every once in a while, but I’ve been working toward this goal for over a decade. So it’s tangible now. It’s finding its way into my reality, but it’s always existed in my consciousness.
What was the moment that you knew you wanted to be a dancer?
Justin Timberlake’s Future Sex/Love Sounds tour. The dancers were amazing.
How has training as a dancer influenced the music you make today?
My music is an amalgamation of a few different genres. But at its core, I must be able to dance to it. I must be able to have the music lift me and lift my spirit. I also think the discipline of dance gave me a decent amount of discipline to step into my artistry. For me, it’s finding the ways in which my music can near my experience as a dancer, and then just build, build, build, build physical and aural language together. ââAny music I listen to I have to be able to move to. That’s imperative.
Did you ever feel pressured to be good at everything?
Oh, absolutely. I’ve even had people in my life say ‘just pick something!’ I’m not trying to do everything. I’m just trying to be myself. I was never one for competition. I lose myself when trying to compete with others, I lose myself and my essence. I really struggled when I was in dance competitions because I just couldn’t get it. If I’m just myself there’s no winning and there’s no losing. There’s this availability to be free. And that is why I’m an artist.
What’s something you can’t do that you wish you could?
I really wish I had better hand eye coordination. I would love to play tennis.
Snog, marry, avoid: dancing, acting, music?
Wow, my three children. Ok. I would say snog dancing - if we’re talking about the best physical movement in the world. That’s hot. Marry music. Music is my love forever and through dance I can become closer to it. And I would avoid acting at the moment because I’m a SAG-AFTRA member.
What’s something you learnt from working with Pharrell?
I shadowed him in the studio and I watched him make music. That was one of the most amazing experiences that I’ve ever been gifted. Because before that, I didn’t know how records were made, or how people collaborate in the studio. So he kind of gave me a little gaze into what my life as an artist would entail. And also how to have grace in the studio with other artists and collaborators. I watched him create time and time again. Bring whole worlds from his mind into the world for us to experience in tandem. That was probably one of the most amazing experiences of that time for me.
Who’s someone that you’ve never worked with who you’d like to?
Oh, gosh. I would really love to work with Christine and the Queens. Charli XCX would be really cool. Daniel Caesar. Jacob Collier. Robyn. Andre 3000. I would love to work with Janet Jackson.
Do you feel nervous about being in the spotlight now rather than dancing backup?
I think nerves are good. Because they give me this kind of inkling that I’m doing something that’s challenging myself, or something that is exposing me, or teaching me something. So I like that. Right now is such an exciting time because I am learning so much about myself and what I want to say to the world. I don’t feel nervous like, ‘can I do this?’ I don’t feel that. I know I can do it. But that’s also something that I didn’t always believe. So it feels like a success for me to even say that to you right now.
What can we expect from you over the next few months?
The EP, METTENARRATIVE comes out today, then I have my own live show. On the 28th of September at The Lower Third here in London. Next year, I really want to go out and meet the people who listen to MAMA’S EYES, VAN GOGH or CHOCOLATE CITY [another track from the EP]. Like, who are the folks that make those songs the soundtrack to their life? Those are the people that I want to meet and perform for. So next year I really hope to tour a tonne.
