“I didn’t realise how much jumping through hoops I was doing."
British-Punjabi artist, producer and DJ Mya Mehmi has signed with Dialled In Records and her debut EP, M1, will be out on November 27, 2026.
The seven-track project, written and produced entirely in her North London flat, blends atmospheric R&B with candid reflections on loneliness, desire and a relationship with a partner unwilling to love her openly.
The announcement coincides with the release of her first single, ‘Still Feel Sad’, accompanied by a music video shot and edited by Mehmi herself.
Born in Bradford, raised in Leicester and based in London since the age of 17, Mehmi describes herself as a “motorway baby”.
The roads connecting these places inspired the EP’s title, with the familiar journeys serving as a metaphor for the people and patterns she repeatedly returns to, even when she recognises they may not be good for her.
Her independent approach extends beyond songwriting and production to the visuals accompanying her music, which she shoots, directs and edits herself.
As a self-taught producer, Mehmi has creative control and builds an artistic identity rooted in her own experiences.
M1‘s central theme is Mehmi’s relationship with her singing voice, which she spent years trying to conceal.
Before transitioning, she would lower her voice and soften its inflexions because she was afraid of sounding too “girly”.
She admitted: “I didn’t realise how much jumping through hoops I was doing.”
Mya Mehmi allows these inflexions to come through.
‘Still Feel Sad’ captures the atmosphere of an afterparty that has continued long after the night should have ended.
The gritty, haunting track explores the loneliness that can persist even when someone is surrounded by love and their life appears to be falling into place.
Speaking about M1, Mehmi said: “Produced and written by myself in the solitude of my North London flat, this project is the most vulnerable I have ever been in my music.
“Facing many sides of myself, I have tried to be as honest as possible about my good, bad and ugly.
“Ultimately, I hope it makes people like me feel brave, desirable and most importantly less alone.”
Mehmi’s creative career spans music, nightlife and conversations about relationships and identity.
She has performed at COLORS: Tones of London, Maiden Voyage and Dialled In’s own festival, while her work as a co-producer of Pxssy Palace has helped shape spaces that centre Black and brown queer and trans communities.
She also hosts the podcast Straight No Chaser, through which she explores relationships and the world around her from her perspective as a British-Punjabi trans woman.
Her debut single ‘Parivaar (Interlude)’ marked a milestone in 2023 when she became the first trans woman to feature on the BBC Asian Network music playlist.
With M1, Mya Mehmi brings these experiences together in her first full body of work, placing her voice and personal storytelling at the centre of the project.
She joins Dialled In Records, which is committed to showcasing South Asian artistry across different regions and sounds.
Listen to ‘Still Feel Sad’
