Mimi Webb Went from TikTok to Topping the Charts: 5 Things to Know About the British Pop Singer

Frank Fieber Mimi Webb

There's a new way to make it big in the music business and Mimi Webb is the latest prime example. During the pandemic, the 21-year-old amassed well over a million fans on TikTok with her family-filled singing videos. Now she is weeks away from hitting center stage on her very first European tour.

"There's lots of exciting things I want to do", says Webb, 21, who hails from Canterbury, England. She's currently riding the wave of her debut EP Seven Shades of Heartbreak which dropped in October and features crowd favorites "Dumb Love" and "Good Without," the latter of which peaked at No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart and earned a spot on Billboard's Top 40 Airplay.

Inspired by fellow UK native Adele, the singer and songwriter became known for her covers of Sam Smith's hit "I'm Not the Only One" and Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI's single "Stay." In this week's issue she tells PEOPLE she was "nervous" to bring her music to the U.S., but despite the anxiety, "the dream is to break out in America, and that's big."

Frank Fieber Mimi Webb

RELATED: Adele's New Album 30 Becomes Best-Selling Record of the Year Just Days After Release

Here are five things you should know about the rising pop star.

She fell in love with music at age 12.

"I've always just loved music and performing. As a little girl, I just loved being center of attention," says Webb, who got serious and took up piano and guitar lessons at age 12. To train further, she relocated from her hometown to Brighton and moved in with a host family so she could attend the British Institute of Modern Music — whose alumni include Grammy-winning R&B singer Ella Mai. There she says she was "living, breathing music every single day."

TikTok made her famous.

When she discovered social media could propel her dreams, she kicked her aspirations into high gear. "TikTok has just been such an incredible app to use, especially in the lockdown. I remember thinking to myself, 'How am I going to release music and get people to hear it and to know my face?'" says Webb, whose family members joined in on her viral videos, "TikTok was just the perfect app for that."

She wrote a hit song over Zoom during the pandemic.

While people quarantined indoors due to COVID-19, she was busy making music, virtually. The pop singer wrote "Good Without" with two friends. She says, "I actually really enjoyed writing on Zoom. It's nice being in your bedroom, and then cutting my own vocals. It's nice to be able to just have your one-on-one time with the song as well."

RELATED: TikTok Sensation Brandon Davis Opens Up About the Car Crash That Nearly Cost Him His Life

Her debut EP Seven Shades of Heartbreak hits close to home.

Webb says Seven Shades of Heartbreak was inspired by two real-life relationship situations she's gone through and that the process proved therapeutic. "A lot of the songs were written about the past and also a relationship that I was in while I was writing this EP. It actually helped me realize that I had to get out of that relationship."

She'd advise her younger self to stop and smell the roses.

"I'd say, 'Just enjoy every moment, because I think it's such a roller coaster, and it really can happen overnight," says Webb, adding, "I think you need to always really appreciate the ups and even the downs. It makes you a better person."

Frank Fieber Mimi Webb

Webb's UK tour kicks off Jan. 19, 2022, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.