Born to a Bajan mother and a Polish father, sent to a foster home in London and now living in California, 19 year old upcoming singer Mercedes Payne is probably as multi-cultural as you could get. With critics hailing her as the next big thing and already forming friendships with Jennifer Armstrong it looks like Miss P may be here to stay. Us here at Fabulous sat down with the lovely lady for a chat. Here is Mercedes Payne!:

So, Mercedes tell us a bit about yourself
Well, my full name is Mercedes Amelia Payne and I'm 19 years old. I'm currently living in California where I'm working on some music. Originally I lived in London where I was sent to a foster home because my parents couldn't look after me due to financial problems so they thought it be best to send me there.

Did you ever feel neglected, being sent away?
At first, I really did feel unwanted. I was 4 years old when I got sent there and I thought that my parents didn't love me. Looking back now I realised they did the best thing for me, because by being at the home I discovered my real personality. I discovered a sense of independence and I became.....well, me.

Is it true that Billy Khan from Weekend was at the same home?
Yeah me and Billz were so close. I was never taken on by another family and spent all my life in the home and Billy was taken on by three different families but always ended up returning to the home due to his.....not very good behaviour. We both knew we were never going to find a family so we just decided to call ourselves 'family' and stood by each other. I remember when we first met, both of us arrived on the same day and I remember riding a Barbie bike out in the back garden and this group of older boys from the home came over and started to hit me. Billy came over like my knight in shining armour and gave them what for.

So when did you decide you wanted to get into music?
I've always been interested in music. In plays at the home I was always auditioning for main roles and singing out loud. It was my dream to be involved in the entertainment business, whether it be performing, writing, producing anything, I'd be happy! I only really started to record and write stuff when I seen what my Billy was doing and I thought; 'I want to make something of myself like he is'.

Who are your music idols?
Stephanie Fierce is just amazing, I adore her work. I love how she constantly reinvents herself and her 'Free' album spawned some really groundbreaking singles. Plus she's gorgeous too. I think Radio Vine is awesome too. Eh....Tisha Jackson is one of my idols too, I love her look, music and attitude. Everything about her is just beautiful. Another artist who I think is really underrated is Giselle. She has released some pretty amazing stuff over the past few months.

How would you describe your music to anyone?
My music is just.....me! I don't really abide by rules or follow the crowd so that's what my music is about....havin no boundaries. I take inspiration from really abstract artists and also R&B, I shape it and twist it a bit and the result is my music!

You've put a handful of songs up on YouTube and many have compared you to the likes of your idol Stephanie Fierce. How does it feel to be compared to a living icon before you've even released a single or better yet, without even being signed?
It's such a huge compliment, like I've said before I adore her music. I don't feel pressured by it at all, I feel honoured that my name is being mentioned in the same sentence.

When can we expect your debut single to drop?
No official date has been confirmed yet but I'm hoping for a release in May. Hopefully an album will soon follow but it is really early days yet.

What's the name of your debut single
That would be telling....haha. I'm actually stuck between 3 songs and one minute there's a clear winner and the next I can't decide which one to release first.

Well thank you for joining us Mercedes. We look forward to hearing more from you!
It was my pleasure, I loved it and it was my first ever interview so I'm very grateful



Make sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled because we can tell that Miss P will be giving us some amazing music very soon. Her official website launches soon too, so make sure you watch out for it.



"I want to thank everyone who took their time out to read this. If you became interested in me and visited my YouTube channel after reading this then an even bigger thank you! You're all making my dreams come true. I'm at a high point in my life right now and I want to share the experience with you all. Despite being named after a car....I enjoy life!"