Sounds of Bristol 2018 - Mercy's Cartel

Sounds of Bristol 2018 - Mercy's Cartel

Posted on: 15 Feb 2018

There’s a huge array of creative talent in Bristol, and whether its music, art, design or anything else, 365Bristol wants you to know about it. With that in mind, we present the Sounds of Bristol series: a detailed look at some of the brightest musical talent in the city right now. In this edition we chat to Essex-born singer-songwriter and producer, Mercy's Cartel.

Mercy Sotire has been in Bristol for three years since moving from Essex in 2015.

Since moving to Bristol from ‘TOWIE’ heartland Brentwood three years ago, Mercy Sotire – better known as Mercy’s Cartel - has really doubled down her focus on music, seeing it as a viable career option rather than a part-time passion. Still in the early stages of a musical journey, her vocals, song writing and production skills show signs of a major emerging talent.

 

Mercy says she picked up her first instrument aged just seven, being surrounded by music as long as she can remember. Heavily influenced by Hip-Hop and R&B, she lists Kanye West, Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse among her inspirations. “All these artists have influenced my music", she explains, "especially since they’re so genre-bending."

 

As for her own increasingly fearless sound, Mercy finds it tough to find the right words to describe the music she's making at the moment. “The Canteen described it as ‘cool, poised R&B’, and I do agree with that. I think my sound is melodic and funky, but also kind of dark and slightly aggressive”.

 

Stressing that there's "an art to delivering an important message while always being a stimulating artist to listen to", Mercy's current direction has a clear hip-hop influence, making use of devices like wordplay, metaphors and a gritty flow to enhance her lyricism.

 

Drawing comparisons with Rihanna and soulful British singer-songwriter Nao is something she’s pleased with, but not getting hung up on. “I don’t really get compared to many people”, she says, “which is what I want. Some people make parallels [between me and Rihanna] but I think that’s because we both make use of our lower register and rap cadences”.

Mercy is keeping her options open in terms of future collaborations, and is willing to work with anyone she's a fan of.

In recent times, Mercy’s abilities as an artist in her own right were highlighted by BBC Introducing in 2017, with her track Worthing getting airplay on the station. She identifies that and a resulting live show at The Cambridge Spring Ball as her two biggest achievements so far, acknowledging that they seem relatively small feats, but that they taught her about herself and gained her some invaluable exposure.

 

She has high hopes for the future, but even making it onto the festival circuit will be something to celebrate for the 21-year-old. “You really have to engage with festival crowds and I love cracking a joke or two on stage” she says. On the topic of people she might like to work with in the future, Mercy is keeping her options open, expressing an interesting in working with “anyone who comes my way and I’m a fan of!”

 

Right now she’s working with Outhouse, a local producer who she credits for elevating her ideas and allowing her to be “a bit pedantic” during the creative process. They’ve been working long and hard on recent projects, and Mercy relishes working with someone who’s as driven as she is. They’re constantly listening to more music for more inspiration, spanning countless genres.

 

Upcoming events in Mercy’s calendar include an EP release scheduled for the summer, called Ambien. The 8-track mixtape is her only project she’s not keeping under wraps though, electing to maintain an air of secrecy about any other work in the pipeline.

 

Having been a Bristol resident for three years, Mercy believes the local music scene is “great”, but thinks more could be done to accommodate a wider range of genres. “Only a section of genres get a lot of opportunity,” she explains. “I’d like to see a stronger musical community because there are so many great artists here. I think maybe artists around my age would do better if we networked more across genres and had more of a presence at the universities”.

Mercy's most recent live show was a headline performance at The Canteen late last year.

Her most recent live show was a headlining gig at The Canteen, her favourite venue in Bristol to play at. Despite being slightly apprehensive beforehand, the show ended up going very well, drawing a husband and wife across from Wales specifically to see Mercy. “She saw my music online and heard I was performing there. I thought that was insane, I was so happy - I added her on Facebook afterwards!”

 

Motion’s Marble Factory space is a personal favourite of Mercy’s for watching live music, calling it “just the right size for an artist who’s got quite a big following but not big enough to suffocate you”. She picks Nao & Jorja Smith as her favourite show there, seeing them back in November 2016.

 

The Essex native always keeps tabs on the Bristol music scene, and likes the sound of psychedelic rock group Paper Tiger at the moment. “I love their lead guitarist’s melodies,” she says – evidence of a musical taste that goes much further than her own comfort zone of hip-hop, R&B and jazz.

 

The Bell in Stoke’s Croft is a regular hang-out for Mercy, as it’s the only pub she’s aware of in the area that plays such a good mix of Funk, Soul, Rap, Hip-Hip and more. But what’s her absolute favourite aspect of life in the city? “I love how vibrant the city is while maintaining a level of ‘mellowness’. I think the energy here has played a major part in my artistic discovery. Thanks very much, Bristol”.

 

Mercy’s Cartel doesn’t have any shows scheduled for the near future, but fans can expect an EP release in the coming months. For more information and to follow updates, check out Mercy’s Cartel on Facebook and Soundcloud, visit her Youtube channel or watch her recent Sofar Sounds session here.


Article by:

Matt Robson

 

Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
 

Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.