Laura Mvula was inspired by girl groups.
The ‘Phenomenal Woman’ hitmaker has revealed she was a big fan of Eternal growing up and praised her parents, Paula and Elford Douglas, for introducing her to a range of music.
She said: "The popular British music of the day is still very much a part of what I do I think. You know all the girl pop groups and boy bands were in their heydey when I was growing up and for me, it was really Eternal that had the biggest impact on me. So I took inspiration from all around me, and I never really felt like anything was off limits …
"My parents listened to all kinds of music and they managed to stay really open when it came to their listening habits. They would listen to a lot of church music, and a lot of Motown and a lot of classical music in the morning time. It was always broad. I mean I wasn’t particularly conscious of it, it’s just what I was exposed to and what I clicked with."
And the 30-year-old singer admits she was "moved" when she first Oleta Addams sing and wanted to use her voice "powerfully" like she did.
She told musicfeeds.com.au: "I guess I was always interested in jazz music, which I think is the root of my fascination with the black American experience. That was something that I was always interested by as a kid in particular when it came to making music.
"I remember the first time I heard Oleta Addams I was just so moved by how powerful her voice and her music was. Even more so because she was a dark skinned woman who played piano like me. I really identified with her and hearing her music made me want to sing and use my voice powerfully like her."
Laura Mvula inspired by girl groups
