Mysie

Elizabeth Marjorie Florence Sempa (born 1995), also known as Lizbet Sempa or Mysie, is an English singer-songwriter. She won the Rising Star Award at the 2020 Ivor Novello Awards.

Early life Elizabeth Marjorie Florence Sempa grew up in Croydon Her grandfather was an Ugandan jazz musician and member of the group Kampala City Six. Sempa trained in Acting at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 2017.

Career 2013–2016: Beginnings as Lizbet Sempa Under the name Lizbet Sempa, she gained initial attention on SoundCloud in 2013 around the age of 17, self-releasing her first tracks "Epiphany", "Mistakes", and "On These Hills" and the EP Indirect Thoughts. This was followed by the singles "All These Things" in 2015 and "Deep Inside" in 2016.

2019–2022: Branding to Mysie, Chapter 11, Undertones and joyride Feeling "pigeonholed" into making a certain type of music, Sempa rebranded to Mysie, a nickname of her middle name Marjorie. She debuted the new moniker with the 2019 single "Rocking Chair" and the EP Chapter 11. Other singles released that year include "Fall Away", "Doves", "Sweet Relief" and "Heartbeat". In addition to being mentored by Fraser T Smith, Sempa was awarded Rising Star at the 2020 Ivor Novello Awards.

Sempa's next EP Undertones and the singles "Seven Nights" and "A Thousand Miles" were released in 2021. She made her Live at Leeds debut that October. Her fourth EP joyride was released in 2022, as well as the titular single, "birthstones", "fade" and "gin + juice". Sempa supported Corinne Bailey Rae on her 2022 tour and was once again selected for The Great Escape Festival's First Fifty.

2023–present: Controlla In 2023, Sempa began shifting her public image, experimenting with the singles "CTRL", "PLAY" and "Double Dutch". She also featured on "BLU" by Italian artist La Niña. Her debut mixtape Controlla (stylised uppercase) was released in 2024. The accompanying singles were "Little Too Late", "PHASES" and "Kitty on Top". She supported IAMDDB on her European tour.

Artistry Growing up, Sempa's parents played the likes of Sade and Alicia Keys in the household, while school and living in South Africa gave her an appreciation for indie artists Radiohead and The Killers and Afropop's Brenda Fassie respectively. Listening to the radio station Magic 105.4 in the car left a significant impression on Sempa as she discovered Duran Duran, 10cc and Lionel Richie. She joined a dance group called Wet Wipez as a teenager, through which she became familiar with J Dilla, Thundercat and Flying Lotus. Early in her career under the name Lizbet Sempa, she also recalled admiring the likes of Georgia Anne Muldrow and Hiatus Kaiyote in her youth. "Deep Inside" (2016) was compared to Adele and Laura Mvula.

Sempa cited Empire of the Sun, Tame Impala and Mac DeMarco as influences as well as Sampha, Moses Sumney, Disclosure and Rosalía.

Discography Mixtapes CONTROLLA (2024)

EPs Indirect Thoughts (2013) Chapter 11 (2019) Undertones (2021) joyride (2022)

Singles

Collaborations "Deletia" (2021), with Fyfe and Iskra Strings