Samantha Mumba has just given us a rendition of All I Want for Christmas. She’s wearing a stunning red, lace dress and she is in high spirits.
The OG Irish pop girl launched Giftmas Day at Dundrum Town Centre in the heart of the shopping centre. But when we look at her we just see her in that famous pink corset and cropped jeans. She squeals when we mention it and reveals that she has just rediscovered it.
We sit down with her over a coffee to discuss the music that made her and what advice she would give her younger self.
Samantha, you look fab! But we’re not sure if anything can beat your iconic pink corset!
I literally just found it in my mam’s house! I’m bringing it back to LA. I was talking to my husband and I was like, “How did I ever even fit into that?” It’s so tiny! But I found my corset and I think I’m going to put it in a little frame.
You should! It’s a piece of music history!
The year the song came out, my mam had so many kids knocking at her door at Halloween dressed as me in the corsets and the braids. [Laughs]
Tell us about your musical inspiration growing up.
I was a diehard Michael Jackson fan! I wrote to his fan club, got letters, I was obsessed. I have quite a deep voice, even when I was a kid, so when I discovered Toni Braxton, I was like, “Oh my God, she has a deep voice too!” Unbreak My Heart was my jam. I remember going into a shop on Henry Street and getting a dress that looked like the one Toni wore in the music video. It had big cut-outs on the side and they had a ridiculous knockoff. But I thought I was stunning walking around Dublin with my Toni Braxton dress on! Whitney Houston was just an icon. It was so different because there was no social media. It was just what videos came on MTV or what I was exposed to. I loved Janet Jackson as well. I loved all the great artists from back in the day. I couldn’t get enough of it.
What was your first concert?
East 17! At the Point when it was still the Point.
What has been your favourite concert?
My friends surprised me with tickets to Raye. Oh my God! I was just blown away. She is such a force and a talent. Her voice! It was the most amazing night. My most recent concert was Oasis in LA. I was raging I would have loved to have been at the Croke Park gig. It would have been a different vibe. That was incredible.
What is it like for you when you perform?
It’s funny because the older I get, the more nervous I get. I get really nervous now. I try to really take it in and enjoy it. Sometimes I feel like I’m on auto-pilot because I just want to get through it. I am so nervous and I’m looking at people and if someone didn’t look happy I would think everyone hates it. I would get in my head. Now I’ve made a conscious choice to just enjoy it. I am so lucky to get to do what I do. How do I get to call this a job? I’m very, very grateful. I’m very lucky to still be able to perform and that anyone still comes to watch me. So I’m trying to move through my nerves and enjoy it. It is such a high!
What is an album you listened to on repeat growing up?
When I was a kid, I listened to Madonna’s album that had Holiday on it. It’s called Madonna! I had on my tape cassette on repeat. TLC was on repeat. Gloria Estefan! I was an eclectic kid! Guns n Roses was a big one for me. I just love music! I love a bit of everything. My playlists now are very chaotic!
You were so young when you started off in music. Did you always know you wanted to become a musician?
I was a Billy Barry kid since I was three. I was always singing and dancing. When I got the opportunity of a publishing deal and a record deal, I don’t think my parents could say no. Back then it was such a golden egg to get. Now you don’t even need a record deal. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They would have never stopped me from having that. I was so over school as well! All I knew was that I wanted to do music. I had no back-up plan. In my head, it had to be music. I was manifesting before I even knew that was a thing.
If you could give your younger self advice, what would you say?
That’s a tough one for me, because I so wholeheartedly believe everything happens 100 per cent how it’s supposed to. Everything is happening for us, not to us. I don’t know if I would change anything. The only thing I would maybe want to say is to be a bit more business savvy. Learn the industry and learn the business side of things. But I was 15/16. It was exactly what it was supposed to be. So I have no regrets.
What is the song right now you have on repeat?
Indecision by Sampha. It’s not a new song, but I cannot get enough of it!
Giftmas Day marks the official start of the Christmas season at Dundrum Town Centre, with extended opening hours, live entertainment and the biggest festive offers of the year. Find out more here.
