METTE

METTE

  • Friday 16 August
    Lift • 21:20 - 22:10
Multi-hyphenate pop talent
Origin
United States
genres
  • Pop
  • Dance
For fans of
Georgia, Empress Of, Romy

For METTE, the route to music was circuitous but destined. Now, she has found herself ready to emerge with music that explores tender emotions, complex feelings, and her life’s narrative.

Growing up, she railed against the small town monoculture of Alexandria, Minnesota. The daughter of two ‘army brats’ (both of her grandfathers served in the U.S Army), her familial home instilled in her not only a disciplined work ethic, but a passion for music. Anita Baker, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, Pink Floyd, Lauryn Hill, and The Delfonics were the soundtrack to METTE’s younger years. With an eclectic musical taste, METTE began taking musical theatre classes, learning to play the bassoon, and attending youth choir, where she felt the first firm draw towards performance. It quickly became clear that performing was the end game. “I didn’t have the confidence to do music straight away, but dance just came more quickly to me,” she says. Identifying as a Black woman of mixed-race heritage, METTE didn’t see herself often mirrored in the live performance space growing up. But suddenly in 2014, with one single phone call inviting her to audition as a dancer for Pharrell, her direction started to change.

After traveling the world with Pharrell performing concerts all over the globe, METTE won the coveted starring role in the N.E.R.D and Rihanna ‘Lemon’ video. This opportunity hurtled her towards fame. After years of grueling touring, METTE found herself in London working on a film project and was inspired to explore her musical dreams. And then Covid hit. “I was going through something when lockdown hit. I hadn’t seen my mom for 18 months, and out of my longing came a song about mothering, birthright, and her legacy… a celebration of imperishable bonds.” The outcome was what would later become her single, Mama’s Eyes; a track that has filled dance floors across the world with its syncopated dance beat that gradually heats up into a celestial gospel choir preaching the chorus.

METTE’s signature is music to move your body to. Unrestricted by the need to align with one genre, she finds her sound at the crossroads of dance music and a myriad of possibilities. Her fans will undoubtedly want to see her dance and express herself through movement, and they can and will get that.