Magi Merlin deals in disruption, with avant-garde pop she coined “Broken R&B.” Her debut album is an amalgamation of her musical journey over 20 years and celebrates maximalist multitudes.
The power is switched on for Montréal-born enigma Magi Merlin. The initial creative spark struck when she was six years old, and she hasn’t stopped since. She’s constantly making music, finessing her process and overthinking where she can. Music is both an escape and a tool to make sense of the world around her.
The launch of POWER HOUSE, released today, 10th July, via Bonsound, offers Merlin an anticipation laced with “the kind of fear that makes you feel alive.” The name comes from a core memory from school – the fact that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, and serves as a reminder of the multitudes within the individual and the power that lies in the collective. With a busy calendar leading into the new year, she will be going on tour, performing in the US, Canada, France, Belgium and the UK.
The lyric “I am all things all the time,” plucked from the fifth track “Thank You!!!”, is an apt descriptor of Merlin’s artistic and personal ideology, and is emblematic of the overall feel of the album. Chiselling a genre she’s self-dubbed as Broken R&B, her sound is experimental, with glitchy intros giving way to techy upbeat pop. The eleventh track and lead single “POPSTAR” stands out as a real peek behind the curtain, while “WHIP” is sensual, danceable, sun-kissed.
Below, the polymathic presence maps her origins, rise, and dives deep into her debut record.
Listen to POWER HOUSE…
Read the interview…
What are your musical origins?
0 cap, my musical origin story started with Alvin and the Chipmunks. I was around 6 years old and was completely taken by what was most likely a pitched-up cover of some pop song from 2002. I heard those chipmunks sing, and I legitimately wished I was the one who wrote it for them. After hearing the song, I went to my dad and sang it to him, claiming I was the one who wrote it. Of course, I fessed up and let him know I wasn’t actually the songwriter on the track (a testament to my honesty and verve). But the idea of writing and creating never left my mind after that.
You were born in Montréal and are now Paris-based – how do the two cities differ, in living and in creating there?
Omg don’t tell Canada that! I’m still based out of Montreal, and I don’t have a work visa. I am hanging out here for the next month, though, so I’m planning a Paris takeover where I rename all the streets after myself. It’ll be really hard to get around the city, but that won’t be a problem for me since I can’t remember street names for the life of me anyway.
Congratulations on your debut album! How are you feeling about its release?
Thanks! I’m so hyped and so scared lol! Scared beautifully, though. It’s that type of fear that makes you feel alive, which I have to say has been pointing me in the right direction for a hot minute. You’ve got to live by that feeling. As the great Del Close once said: “follow the fear.” (Del Close is the creator of long-form improv, and he coined that phrase apparently; just looked it up…so iconic.)
What was the initial spark that lit the fire for the creative process? How did that grow into a full body of music?
Honestly, Funkywhat [my long-time collaborator] and I are constantly making music. I think one of the coolest things is being able to work at a pace that almost prevents you from overthinking, which then results in very cool, thoughtful art! Working this way also lends itself to creating a body of work that follows you at your life’s pace. I was able to write about my thoughts and feelings about the world around me without getting lost in the grandeur of creating. Best vibe to be in, honestly. Every other moment in my life, I’m overthinking; music is a place I can be my most annoying, fantastically assertive self.
What’s the story behind the album’s title, POWER HOUSE?
I think the name was in my psyche since my 8th-grade science class. The only thing I can confidently say I remember from my entire high school career is that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. I honestly believe those two words were lying in wait in my brain until it was time for me to name my record.
What is the thematic core of the album? What does the record mean to you?
I truly believe that people, as individuals but most of all, together, are the most powerful beings in our known universe. We are all a POWER HOUSE; in all our contradictions, nuances, and massive egos, we are incredible, capable beings. The album touches on many different topics and observations I’ve personally made, but overall, the point is to remember that we are our home and that our power starts there.
Describe the LP as an emotion, a colour, and an outfit?
It is the full spectrum of emotion.
Molten metal; it’s white hot, red, orange and then cools into silver, which is annoying of me to say, but I’m an artist.
A lot of silver jewellery, a hand-woven top (ideally from a local designer in your city), naturally distressed denim shorts, and either a pair of Fluvog heels or sick vintage boots you got off Etsy or a random thrift store.
What else is to come for you – this year and beyond?
World takeover, but like, in a caring, inclusive spiritual way, all achieved by playing a bunch more shows where the people I’m singing to sing back at me.
Why do you make music?
Because it gives me the energy and hope that I can help change the world for the better by reminding myself and anyone listening that they are as essential and as powerful as they allow themselves to be. It also makes me feel really, really dope.
Words – Julia Novis
