Photography by Lola Webster

With her new single ‘Hers’, Nell Mescal is rewriting everything she thought she knew about love. The Irish singer-songwriter is stepping into a new era, defined by her first same-sex relationship and an unapologetic embrace of her queerness.

“It wasn't really my plan to come out in this way or to be as public about it… I don't know, it's so strange,” Mescal tells Gay Times. “I'd only been dating men, and I was having a horrible experience and all my songs were sad. Then I met someone and instantly fell in love and was like, ‘Okay, so this is it. I'm going to come out now, and this is what my songs are going to be.’ It felt like the most natural thing to do.”

A self-proclaimed “musical theatre kid”, Mescal was immersed in music from a young age, often roping in her older brother – Paul Mescal of All of Us Strangers and The History of Sound fame – for karaoke sessions and duets. After moving to London to pursue her career, the indie-pop musician found herself drawn to songs reflecting the sadness and melancholy of the tumultuous relationships she had known.

But meeting her partner, comedian and actress Madison Cawley, changed that. Suddenly, love felt “easy”, “sweet” and “warm”, and the heartbreak that once shaped her songwriting gave way to vulnerability, joy and a desire to celebrate this new kind of love. After coming out to her family around Christmas, Mescal is speaking publicly about her sexuality for the first time, opening up to Gay Times about the songs that helped her understand her queerness, navigating a public relationship and finding her own space within the sapphic music landscape.

Nell, congratulations on coming out!

Thank you so much.

Welcome to the club! How does it feel having this part of you out in the world?

It's been so lovely. I’m only just speaking out about it publicly, but I came out around Christmas and it was just very smooth and really nice. Yeah, it was very warm. It's just felt really lovely. I'm very lucky that it felt that way.

"Once you meet the right person, you can surrender to this idea that love doesn't have to be so difficult. It can be really sweet and lovely."

Why is now the right time to share this more publicly and to speak with Gay Times?

I fell in love. It wasn't really my plan to come out in this way or to be as public about it… I don't know, it's so strange. I'd only been dating men, and I was having a horrible experience and all my songs were sad. Then I met someone and instantly fell in love and was like, ‘Okay, so this is it. I'm going to come out now, and this is what my songs are going to be.’ It felt like the most natural thing to do. Now felt like the right time because I'm in love.