Mahalia – ‘Luvergirl’ EP review: a refreshed and renewed look at love

Anyone who knows Mahalia and her music knows that she loves love. From her dazzling 2019 debut ‘Love And Compromise’ to 2023’s gorgeous ‘IRL’, the Leicestershire R&B star is singularly hooked on exploring romance and relationships in all their beautiful, messy, complicated glory. It’s no surprise, then, that she returns to the subject matter again on her new EP, the aptly titled ‘Luvergirl’.

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A big part of the EP and its dancehall and reggae-inspired sound was driven by Mahalia’s Jamaican heritage, as well as a month-long trip to the Caribbean earlier this year. It’s where she immersed herself in the Jamaican music scene, giving herself the space to create freely. Unlike the more “serious” (as she calls it) sound of her previous albums, ‘Luvergirl’ is more concerned with being fresh, fun and flirty. It’s perhaps best exemplified by standout track ‘Pressure Points’ with Lila Iké, a groovy, slow jam where she turns up the heat.

That’s not to say that this EP is blasé about all things love. Instead, Mahalia colours the project with a sheen of subtle control and confidence, of her taking charge of the situation. “Gimme touch and affection, don’t make me wait / Pick up the pace, baby,” she sings on the sensual ‘Pick Up The Pace’, featuring Bayka. There’s also the commanding, dancefloor-ready ‘Instructions’, where she tells her man: “I don’t wanna go home until everyone here knows you’re mine / Let’s give ’em a show, baby.”

But what Mahalia does take seriously on ‘Luvergirl’ is how she rediscovers her voice and the way it sounds in the context of her heritage. One of the best moments is the brazen forbidden love anthem ‘Pity’, which not only samples Tanya Stephens’ ‘It’s A Pity’, but also features a re-recorded vocal from the reggae icon. It all culminates in the EP’s powerful closer, the touching ballad ‘Farewell (Pretty Jamaica)’, an ode to the country that inspired it all: “Green, black and yellow / These colours that you left in my heart / I can’t seem to forget ’em, no.”

Mahalia’s first two albums – ‘Love And Compromise’ and ‘IRL’ – felt like companion pieces of the same story, of working through her own complex ideas about love and trying to heal from them. ‘Luvergirl’, then, is the R&B star coming out the other side, refreshed and renewed. Inside, she’s still a romantic, but with ‘Luvergirl’, there’s a sense of true liberation, setting the stage for a new chapter that’s unburdened by what came before.

Details

• Record label: Warner Music
• Release date: August 15, 2025

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