Fast-forward to March 2020.
Now of age, worth her weight in gold and backed by the seminal track “B—- From Da Souf,” which also has become something of a moniker for her and like-minded women, the 21-year-old is right where she belongs — on top. With millions of views on YouTube, hundreds of millions of streams to her credit and ringing endorsements from Saweetie and Trina (both of whom appeared on the “B—- From Da Souf” remix), K. Michelle, Rihanna and more, the boppy “No Hook” was an appropriate follow-up to continue her seemingly impenetrable wave. Three million views later, she landed a record deal with RCA Records.
Unsurprisingly, it was only a matter of time and choice, as the offers were plentiful.
“I was taking so many offers between LA and New York,” she says, recalling the chaos that led to her decision. “To me it came down to who was going to stand out because I was taking so many meetings. As soon as I walked into the RCA building, they had like every single person staff-wise in the room. [From the] CEO down to friggin’ interns in the room. So, it was like the interest was there. They made it fun. It was like it was a home environment, very cool. [There were] young people [in the room]. It [wasn’t] a roomful of old White men. That made me feel comfortable. I like to talk to people that know the culture. It’s not just numbers with them. So, I got that vibe and then, of course, the bag was right.”
As an artist who’d purposely gone the independent route to learn more about the industry and abundant nuances therein, which often afflict young talent, Mulatto was confident she’d made the right decision. Having released her EP Hit The Latto at the tail end of 2019, her momentum was insane.
Then she was forced into lockdown.
“I’m in the house quarantined,” she says with a faint laugh. “I’m scared to death of the ‘rona. So I’m either in the house or at the studio. That’s it.”
Mulatto confirms that her label has been beside her throughout the process of establishing a new norm by incorporating digital meetings, working on video treatments and doing as much promo as possible. The private studio sessions, of course, are also working in her favor, as there is little else to do.
“I don’t [have anything] to do but write and make music. It’s actually working out for the better because we got singles, features, projects, just everything ready to go. I’ve been recording like crazy – eight-hour sessions every day. It’s like a real job. When we [are] back outside, [we’ll] hit the ground running because I got content like crazy.”
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