Alert – Paul Mescal’s singer sister Nell insists her success is down to ‘hard work alone’ and not her famous brother as she brushes off ‘nepo-sibling’ claims

Nell Mescal has insisted that her success in the music industry is purely down to her hard work and not because of her famous brother Paul. 

The Irish singer-songwriter, 21, – whose EP Can I Miss It for a Minute? is out now – has told in a candid new interview how her brother’s fame has impacted her.

Paul, 28, is one of the most sought after actors of the past five years – after soaring to fame in Normal People and going on to star in Gladiator II.

Nell has now said that when she was first signed for her music and came over to the UK she was encouraged to drop her surname so the association with Paul was lost. 

She told The Sunday Times: ‘When I first signed and came over to the UK, a lot of people said, ‘Do you want to change your name to just Nell?’ 

Nell Mescal has insisted that her success in the music industry is purely down to her hard work and not because of her famous brother Paul

The Irish singer-songwriter, 21, – whose EP Can I Miss It for a Minute? is out now – has told in a candid new interview how her brother’s fame has impacted her

‘No. I love my name. A lot of people will assume that any room I get into is because of one certain thing [her brother], but it’s not true and that’s something I’ve come to terms with.  I know I am where I am because of how hard I work.’ 

She added of Paul’s fame: ‘It’s strange seeing so many people fall in love with him, but of course because he’s such a great guy. It’s lovely to see him work so hard and for it to pay off.’ 

Nell, Paul and their other brother Donnacha’s parent are Dearbhla, a Garda, and Paul, a schoolteacher – both from Maynooth in County Kildare.

In the interview she added that the siblings do mostly normal things together like movie and takeaway nights and that as a family they are ‘genuinely best friends’.

Paul showed his support for his sister Nell back in May as he attended the launch of her latest debut EP ‘Can I Miss It For A Minute?’. 

Paul cut a casual figure in a boxy white T-shirt and blue jeans as he joined his glamorous sister Nell at the event.

According to The Line Of Best Fit, Nell claimed in January: ‘Can I Miss It For A Minute?’ is a concept EP written about growing up, moving away, friendship breakups, and trying to navigate between current emotions and negative memories.

‘Each song tells a part of the same story with a beginning, middle and end. Some songs are written in the moment and some are written in retrospect.

Nell has now said that when she was first signed for her music and came over to the UK she was encouraged to drop her surname so the association with Paul was lost

Nell, Paul and their other brother Donnacha’s parent are Dearbhla, a Garda, and Paul, a schoolteacher – both from Maynooth in County Kildare (seen all together)

‘It talks about my life and how I deal with experiences that have shaped me. Most importantly I think it’s about moving on from things that used to have a hold on me.’ 

Nell and her band embarked on a rescheduled run of UK dates and the eight-date tour kicked off in Nottingham and ended at London’s Omeara on 31 January.  

Paul’s next film, the highly-anticipated sequel Gladiator II will hit both US and UK theatres on November 22. 

In it, Oscar nominee Paul’s character battles three-time Emmy nominee Pedro Pascal’s Roman general-turned-gladiator, man-eating baboons, and a rhino-riding warrior.

He took over the role of Lucius Verus (Spencer Treat Clark), the grown-up nephew of the late Roman Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) who idolized the late general-turned-slave-turned-gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe).

Gladiator II – which has men fighting atop giant boats in shark-infested waters – will also feature Matt Lucas, Fred Hecnhinger, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, and Tim McInnerny.

‘Working on this film was one of the standout moments of my life to date,’ Paul gushed in the pre-taped introduction.

‘Getting to go to work every day with Sir Ridley Scott behind the camera is a good day to work in any context.’

She told The Sunday Times: ‘People will assume that any room I get into is because of one certain thing [her brother], but it’s not true. I am where I am because of how hard I work’