Maynooth, IE · indie-pop · singer-songwriter

Nell Mescal

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Irish songwriter writing sharply about adolescence over guitar-pop that keeps getting bigger — a rising voice entirely her own.

Nell Mescal was born on 28 April 2003 and grew up in Maynooth, County Kildare, where she was bullied at school. At 14 she was diagnosed with scoliosis and underwent back surgery, and it was during her recovery that she began developing her music seriously before leaving school early in 2021 to move to London.

She released her debut single, "Crash," in 2020 with producer John Leader, followed by "Deja Vu," "Swingsets" and "Missing You." Cover versions posted on social media brought her early attention from figures including Jennifer Garner and James Bay, and her first professional show came at Shoreditch House in 2021, supporting Phoebe Bridgers.

"Graduating," released in 2022, was written directly about her decision to leave school for music. "Homesick" followed, and she performed it on RTÉ's The Late Late Show in January 2023, her first television appearance. The single "Punchline" led into her first headline tour later that year.

Her debut EP, Can I Miss It for a Minute?, arrived in May 2024 through LAB Records, described by Mescal as a concept record about growing up, moving away and navigating old memories. She signed to Atlantic Records in 2025, releasing the track "Thin," followed by further singles "Kissing the Ground" and "Settles" in 2026.

Mescal grew up on Mary Chapin Carpenter and Fleetwood Mac through her parents and cites Birdy, Lennon Stella, Bon Iver and Taylor Swift among her touchstones. Reviewers have drawn comparisons to early Tate McRae and Lucy Dacus.

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indie-popsinger-songwriter