Nell Mescal On Her US Debut, New Music & St. Patrick's Day

The irony of Nell Mescal’s first U.S. shows being held over St. Patrick’s Day weekend is not lost on her. And in this current moment, it would be nearly impossible. When I meet Mescal, 21, for coffee less than 24 hours after she’s hit the stage at Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, it’s St. Patrick’s Day proper, and the Midtown parade is marching right by us. Loudly.

“It's the greatest thing that [you] do the whole weekend,” Mescal, 21, says. “We don't do that at all.” The singer-songwriter, for the record, is not wearing green, but she does order a matcha latte, so please, no pinching. For Mescal, there’s still a lot to marvel about New York beyond the binge-drinking and bagpipes; this is her third-ever trip to the city, and this one in particular comes with good reason. On March 18, she played two sold-out shows to a crowd that shouted out nearly every word and hung on to every lyric of several new songs. (There were also a few crying near the back of the room.) Mescal’s parents, Dearbhla and Paul, and her two older brothers Paul, 29, and Donnacha, 25, were all in town to catch the youngest Mescal’s American debut — the junior Paul coming straight from his own Brooklyn stage, where he’s starring in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Brooklyn Academy of Music — before heading out to celebrate at a local nightclub after-hours. “And I am not normally a nightclub person,” Mescal deadpans.

Still, she’s riding the high with a day of meetings and one off, before heading to Boston, where she performed her first arena show at the TD Garden as part of Misneach Festival. Here, Mescal chats new songs, the concerts that made her cry, and a potential move to New York.

When did you get into town?

Got in on Friday, and then we did rehearsals all day Saturday. I prefer when there's a lot going on rather than a few days off. Now we've got a few days to rest. This is my third time in New York, but my band’s first.

Where did you take them to show them the ropes?

We literally haven’t been anywhere, but today they're going to do everything you can imagine. Tonight we're going to start by going to Chinatown and getting really good Chinese food. And then tomorrow, I don't know. Depending on the weather, I really want to go back to Central Park. We went to a random pizza place last night, but it was super good. But I think we were all just delirious. But then after the show, we went to some nightclub. My brothers were there. I never go to nightclubs. I don't know what came over me last night, I was just high off adrenaline. We brought 40 people.

Did your parents come too?

No, bless them. They flew in the night before, and they came to both shows, so they were so tired.

I was standing behind them at the show, and they were so proud. It was so sweet.

They're really cute.

How are you feeling about your first US shows now that they’ve happened?

It's just a crazy thing to conceptualize, I think, getting to do it. I think the whole past few days have been so emotional. This is just so cool and we're so lucky to actually get to do this.

What were your emotions leading up to going on stage?

The whole thing didn't hit me until we got into the rehearsal room. In London, every rehearsal room is so tiny and small, you can't really get a vibe. Then the rehearsal room here was like... Do you know when you see documentaries of artists and their manager is in the room and they've got all these people there? It was kind of a pinch me, which is weird, because it was just rehearsals. I'm just happy to be here. That's how I feel about everything.

What were you expecting from the crowd yesterday and how did it measure up?

It felt really like London. It felt like a homecoming show or something. Everyone was just so sweet. The front row just kept talking to me and they were like, "OK, girl!" That was cute. I've done the U.K. circuit and the Irish shows a lot now, and you get to know the crowd so well, who's coming. But I was looking in the crowd and I could see all these people I've talked to online or have been supporting for such a long time. People come from Puerto Rico and Australia.

“I'm just happy to be here. That's how I feel about everything.”

That’s wild.

Is that not the craziest thing you've ever heard? It was all very dreamlike.

And you debuted quite a few new songs.

The EP came out in May, and we never really toured it. Now it almost feels nostalgic to be playing “Electric Picnic” or “Yellow Dresser.” I love them so much. But I just can't hold it in, I want people to hear all the new stuff. So there were a lot of new ones last night.

Is an album on the way? I heard you’ve just signed to Atlantic, which is so exciting.

I have an EP. I definitely have a record, but I want it to be right. This whole thing feels like a novelty sometimes to me. I'm waiting for the day I wake up and it doesn't feel [crazy] and signing with them is just one of those things. It's like an extra pat on the back and more support for the things that I really want, which is playing shows and releasing a record. I definitely have the bones of an album, but first probably an EP. It's ready and I don't want to wait any longer. It's going to be a really hectic year and a half, but I'm really ready.

The last time we spoke, which was your first bit of U.S. press, you just had three songs out, so it’s so exciting to see this all happening.

Oh my God, I was a baby.

Has it gotten to a point where this does feel real, that you are making a career out of being a musician?

It gets to a point where you can't have a part-time job. For the first year when I moved to London, I was still working and couldn't really justify being like, "I'm a singer-songwriter and that's all I do." Because it's f*cking hard. Then you get busier and busier, to a point where it’s like, “OK, this is the only thing I can focus on.” And thank God, because it's the only thing I want to focus on. It definitely does feel more like a job now, but the best job you can possibly have.

Do you think your onstage persona has changed?

Sometimes I'm jealous of the people that have a persona and they've got their artist projects and maybe they use a different name. It's a daunting thing to go off and just present as yourself and have no smoke screen. But it's just me, and I can't change it and I don't wish to. There's a beauty in that I think you can really connect to someone and look into someone's eyes and be like, "This is who I am. Thank you for accepting it." But it's daunting. Because then if someone doesn't like the show, you’re like, "Oh, you don't like me." That's OK, too.

Do you find yourself taking in other concerts from a different lens now?

I grew up not going to shows. I played in choirs and stuff like that. When I moved to London, my manager at the time told me to just go to every show I could possibly go to and get a vibe of what I want, because I’d never done it before. That's how I started to figure out what kind of band I wanted, lights and stuff like that. I went to a [Gracie Abrams] show in the O2 the other day and it was f*cking good. Being in venues like that, you're looking at the stage, at the setup, and that's just all I want to do.

Gracie in particular has a really special way of making every person in a big venue feel seen.

That's the thing. That's the thing about it's just being you. You have to find that balance, like in her B-side stage, because that's the part where she can give absolutely everything. And that's what I love about artists like that. Or even artists like Adrianne Lenker, where she's got a guitar and that's it. There's still a mystique, but you know that she's giving you everything.

“I went to a [Gracie Abrams] show at the O2 the other day and it was f*cking good. Being in venues like that, you're looking at the stage, at the setup, and that's just all I want to do.”

Do you still go to shows often?

I go to the shows of my absolute favorites or my best friends. I went to see Adrianne Lenker on my 21st birthday, and I was like, "I can never see her show ever again,” because it was the best thing I ever seen. I texted my agent literally a day before my birthday. I was like, "This is actually the craziest thing I've ever asked anyone. Can you get me and my entire family tickets for the show?" The five of us had these amazing seats, and I was a bit heartbroken around that time. We had all gone out for my birthday the night before, and I got to the venue and I started crying. And I was like, “Oh God, today's going to be emotional.” I think the only person that didn't cry was my dad. I cried so hard I had to blow my nose on my mum's tote bag. That's how hard I was crying. It was a best show I've ever been to. When she left the stage, I felt like I just lost a family member.

Do you see yourself straddling that pop/indie/folk genre line as an artist?

I don't think I'm a folk artist. Maybe somewhere in the middle, with more alternative. I want to play big shows like that and I want to have that for my live show, and that's how I've always just pictured it.

Have you read your Wikipedia recently?

No…

This is quoted from an NME article apparently, but it says, “Her music has been compared to Lucy Dacus and Tate McRae.”

I f*cking wish. I’m not sure what sounds like that. But, first of all, I would love to f*cking dance like Tate. I hope people don't come to my shows and think I'm going to be able to dance like that. I tried. I did years of dance lessons and it didn't take.

Do you feel like your music sensibility or how you write music changes based on your location? Do you see a difference from Ireland to when you moved to London to when you're here?

The jump between Ireland and London was just such a pivotal moment in my life. I think my writing just changed so drastically because I've got older now. I went to therapy. But I’ve written here, and the demos are always so cool. New York is as creative as people say; I just want to pick up a guitar and do stuff. The first time I came here, I was a bit heartbroken. And I feel like that's the perfect time to be in New York. I was like, “Oh my God, I'm writing songs about Union Square.” I think I'm going to give London a few more years, because I do love London. It took me a good two years, but I love it. I live with my brother now and he’s in recruitment, so it’s very different but I think I need that. He's such a grounding presence. And living with him has definitely been a huge reason why I love it so much.

And he also came over for the show?

He’s got some best friends here, and they all came. He was crying his eyes out. I've actually never seen him that emotional. It's so cute. It's also so cool to be able to see young men, with all his friends, be so emotional.

What does your family think of St. Patrick’s Day in New York?

We don't do that at all. I haven't really been home for St. Patrick's Day in five years, but I definitely know it was like all led up to the one day.

It’s mostly an excuse for everyone to drink all weekend.

And then everyone's happy. I love it.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.