She may have an impeccable musical pedigree, but Mabel McVey has worked hard to get her unique blend of R&B noticed. Moya Lothian-McLean meets an artist poised for the big time.

Mabel McVey is the ultimate millennial. “I’m so sorry,” says the 21-year-old singer when we meet, head bent over her iPhone. “I’ll be with you in one minute.” Holographic nails (“They’re like my mood ring”) wink in the sun as she taps out a furious stream of messages. She’s made a last-minute decision to go to Coachella and is frantically prepping. Couple this with her adoration of Nineties culture that influences everything from her style (today, a beige velour Adidas top) to her smoky, seductive R&B sound, and she’s the living, breathing, coconut cappuccino-sipping epitome of Generation Y. Oh, and she’s the daughter of Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack producer Cameron McVey. You’ve got her pigeonholed, right?

Like most things, it’s not that simple. In person, McVey maintains eye contact, speaks with refreshing self-awareness and is honest about the extent of work that’s gone into positioning her as a breakout star of 2017. For a start, she doesn’t party. The Coachella jaunt – bookended by a New York press tour – is a rare break from a gruelling schedule, which has been non-stop since her 2015 debut single, Know Me Better, cemented her in the coterie of young British artists, including Ray BLK and Nao, billed as the great shining hope for the UK music industry.

Her sold-out London show in June, summer festival circuit and forthcoming EP Bedroom (out 30 June) are set to catapult her into mainstream consciousness, led by lush, dancehall-inflected single Finders Keepers. The song’s already accumulated over a million YouTube views and been chosen as Radio One DJ Clara Amfo’s Tune of the Week. Behind the scenes though, it’s been an unrelenting cycle of studios, touring and writing. Before attending music school in Sweden – home until she was 15 – she refused to entertain the notion of becoming a musician for fear she’d be categorised as one of ‘those’ celebrity children. So what changed her mind?

Stylist shares a bowl of quinoa with summer’s new star, Mabel McVey...

Your music is so open and visceral, is the writing process painful?
All my songs are things that have happened to me. I really did smash my boyfriend’s guitar against his TV [as witnessed in song Bedroom ‘Broke your guitar up against your television/ Smashed every glass that you had in your kitchen], not my proudest moment... I put myself in situations because I want to write songs. It drove my ex mad. We’d be arguing and I’d say “Wait, I have to write this down!” I’ve been in two long-term relationships and – this sounds awful – they were really helpful for writing heartbreak. It makes good songs. Amy Winehouse, she’s an excellent example – her heartbreak made her.

The sound of summer: Stylist meets Mabel McVey