She's rocketed to fame and pop stardom thanks to TikTok, meeting Harry Styles along the way and living the dream which so many young people strive towards.

But what is life under the spotlight really like for former Canterbury schoolgirl Mimi Webb? Here, she tells KentOnline reporter Ruth Cassidy about touring Europe - and dealing with online trolls...

Mimi Webb's had a top 10 album, toured across Europe and her songs have been played hundreds of millions of times on the radio and across social media. But, such has been her meteoric rise to fame, she admits she still gets starstruck.

“I met Harry Styles and you just feel so - wow," the 22-year-old says.

"It’s very inspiring and it's just a shock to the system because you don't really know how to react.”

Meeting Adele, one of her major musical inspirations, has been another high point during the past few years.

But when she's not rubbing shoulders with superstars, Mimi loves to revisit some of her favourite places in Canterbury, where she was born and raised.

Mimi is currently gearing up for the UK leg of her European tour but in May she is set for a well-deserved break.

She is planning to spend some time with her family and go to the city's Mexican restaurant Cafe des Amis, cocktail bar The Pound and her beloved local pub in the nearby village of Bridge.

“I love going to my pub, that’s The Red Lion, that’s my local," she says.

“I’m literally obsessed with Cafe des Amis. It’s one of my favourites - I’m always there.”

After this brief period of downtime, she needs to prepare for the busy summer festival season - during which she will be performing in front of thousands at Reading and Leeds.

Mimi, who now lives in South Kensington, has come a long way since she left school at Kent College in Canterbury. And she owes much of her success to TikTok.

Her first single Before I Go went viral on the social media platform in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, and has now gathered more than 85 million plays.

From the outside, it seems like her success arrived overnight - but she says Covid coinciding with her rise to fame has in fact made for a couple of “really long years”.

“My family couldn't really believe what’s happened and although it feels so fast it’s not really been the fastest,” Mimi says.

“I was signed a few years before I even started releasing music but I think once the pandemic hit and we were stuck at home, time just seemed to go so much faster.

“But for me there was a really long few years of grafting before TikTok was even a thing. But I don't think I would be here without being able to use Tiktok.

“While I was in the pandemic, every day was filled with making content, which was great because there wasn't really anything else to do. It worked out so well having that platform there.”

Now a couple of years into her career - and with her first album Amelia peaking at number four in the UK album chart - the artist reflects on what she’s learnt since getting signed by a record label at just 18 years old.

“I think at the start, when you are first an artist, you think that when you get signed that's it, your career's done and dusted," she says.

“It's so exciting and you don't really know until you're in it that there’s a lot of work to be put into it. That’s something I was shocked about.

“When I was a young girl, a kid growing up, I just thought that if you get that record deal then it’s a done deal.

“At the time I lost my head. I was like - I’m signed, that's it, I’m gonna be huge.

“But it was actually more building those blocks.”

After completing her European tour, Mimi is gearing up for the UK leg where she will be performing at huge venues all over the country. It will conclude at the end of April with a performance in London at the historic Hammersmith Apollo.

The busy pop star lifestyle comes with huge demands - with media rounds, soundchecks and the performances themselves.

But Mimi says finally being able to connect with her fans at concerts following the pandemic has made her “start to feel like it's all paying off”, even if getting to sleep afterwards is a struggle.

Describing her day-to-day routine, Mimi says: “We normally get off the bus around midday, then we arrive at the venue and I have to go straight to press for a few hours. I’ve just been on radio stations all around Europe.

“I go and have some food, we have soundcheck and then we have more press at the venue and finally warm-ups and suddenly it's showtime.

“Because I haven’t performed for a while the adrenaline has definitely come back. So to be able to shut off afterwards and get some sleep on the bus has been really tough.”

The Seven Shades of Heartbreak singer also feels the pressure of social media - with rumours about her representing the UK at Eurovision taking off earlier this year.

“I absolutely love Eurovision but I'm just really looking forward to supporting my girl Mae Muller on it this year," she says.

"I don’t know where that all came from - but yeah, I won’t be doing it this year unfortunately.

“I haven't really had to deal with rumours like that before. I think Eurovision was the main thing that blew up and everyone was obviously really excited. Tiktok is mental isn’t it?

“With social media in general, I think people just take what you say in the way they want."

Her advice on how to deal with rumours and online speculation?

“I think everyone assumes and has assumptions.

“You just have to let them do their thing and not let that kind of thing get to you.”

But while it comes with its difficulties, the showbiz lifestyle also delivers some "amazing" moments.

“I love being able to go on tours and do these incredible shows," Mimi says.

“When you start to see the lyrics being sung back to you, that's when you're like 'Oh my God, this is amazing' and then you start to feel like it's all paying off."

Mimi’s debut album Amelia is available to stream now and she will be performing at festivals, including Reading and Leeds, throughout the summer.