by Martina Fuchs
MONTREUX, Switzerland, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At the just concluded iconic Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, British R&B and neo-soul singer Mahalia said she dreams of performing in China one day and building more cultural bridges with her music.
"Absolutely! My whole life I just wanted to travel and be able to do something that could take me to places, this was my goal. I would love to go to China," Mahalia, who has never been to China, told Xinhua during the festival's 58th edition held on July 5-20.
Mahalia stressed that building cultural bridges with music is a top priority for her.
"It's really important. The more I tour and when I go to Australia and America and parts of Asia or Europe, I can see that people enjoy the music," she said.
"I'm immensely proud of how far I have come but I'm also excited about how far I can still go. For me, the sky has always been the limit," she added.
Mahalia, a Leicester native, is one of the leading lights of the British music scene. At the crossroads of neo-soul, R&B and hip-hop, she has already collaborated with music superstars such as Burna Boy, Stormzy, Raye and Jacob Collier.
Mahalia was just 13 years old when she signed to a record label. She performed in Montreux for the first time at age of 20 in 2018. Recalling her debut in the festival as "incredible," she said she is "very excited to come back at the age of 26."
Mahalia, who has released studio albums including "Love and Compromise" in 2019 and "IRL" in 2023, has received many Grammy, BRIT, Soul Train and MTV Push nominations over the years, as well as two MOBO-wins for Best Female Act, and Best R&B/Soul Act.
"I'm currently working on new music. I've got plans to release (it) this year, which is really exciting. But I'm just having fun," Mahalia said.
The Montreux Jazz Festival, founded in 1967, traditionally lasts two weeks every summer on the Lake Geneva shoreline. Nearly 250,000 spectators attend the festival every year.
This year, the festival will travel to China for the third time and take place in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu province, from Oct. 25 to 27 under the Montreux Jazz Festival China's theme "When West Meets East." ■