Just over two years after the release of her acclaimed EP Gone Girl, Montreal's Magi Merlin returns today with Bip, a brand new single that leans more towards pop than her previous work, but is still as soulful and assertive. This is the first part of a double single that will be released on November 21st, 2024 via Bonsound.
Recorded alongside producer Funkywhat, Bip blends pop and house music, sprinkled with acoustic guitars and elements of hyperpop, creating a hooky playground where Magi Merlin’s effortless vocals carry a strong message. Its self-referential title evokes a cute, familiar sound that embodies the track's tone and texture.
This song is a call to learn from our strengths and weaknesses, and to acquire self-confidence in coping with womanhood, explains Magi Merlin. It’s about a system that is unfair to women, women of colour, and marginalized people, so ultimately to the vast majority of us all.
Bip is available on all music services.
Watch the visualizer via YouTube.
Magi Merlin will be supporting Ruby Waters at the Bronson Center in Ottawa on November 20th, and at the Beanfield Theatre in Montreal on November 21st.
Back in 2022, she unveiled Gone Girl, a striking EP that draws on influences from 90’s house, drum-and-bass, Motown and acid-flecked hip-hop. It was widely celebrated upon its release and attracted the attention of Complex, Bandcamp Daily, CBC Music and Nylon, to name a few. Since then, Magi Merlin performed at several festivals (Osheaga, Montreal Jazz Fest, FEQ, Tacoma Pride, etc.), supported Noga Erez on her European tour, as well as Omar Apollo in Mexico City, and played a captivating show at the Fairmount Theatre as part of POP Montreal.
About Magi Merlin
Magi Merlin (pronounced MADGE-eye) grew up in Saint-Lazare, Canada. A place that may sound unfamiliar to you, but it is a lot closer to home than you realize. A suburb like all others. The epitome of normalcy. Unless, of course, you replace white with black; straight with queer, then normalcy is challenged. This, amongst other subjects – such as the impact of capitalism on art, nepotism, and the relationship one has to taking pleasure in belonging to those things while rejecting them all — is what fuels Magi Merlin's creative universe.
It would not be entirely accurate to refer to her as only a singer or a songwriter. Music is indeed at the core of her artistry, but her world expands beyond the medium. It is one that is equally visual as it is auditory, one that is continuously shaped through collaborations with producers such as Funkywhat, designers, photographers, video directors and even film directors: Magi Merlin recently made her acting debut with a role in the movie Mile End Kicks from writer-director Chandler Levack (I Like Movies), alongside lead Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), Devon Bostick (Oppenheimer), Stanley Simons (The Iron Claw) and Juliette Gariépy (Red Rooms).
This fall, Magi Merlin will return with the double single Bip / 9volt: two complementary, cathartic songs. One is docile, clever, and a bit sad as it goes on about acquiring confidence in coping with womanhood. The other is fierce and is meant to give you the energy to make the difference in a world that definitely needs it. They represent two sides of the same coin, share the same BPM, and are a great reflection of Magi's artistic versatility. Bip / 9volt provides a glimpse of what's to come from Magi Merlin in the next year or so, after having spent the last two years in the studio exploring and refining her craft.