After unveiling the single Bip in October, Magi Merlin returns with 9volt, the second part of her new double single out today via Bonsound. Quite different at first, the two songs share the same BPM and are meant to be listened to together. Both recorded alongside producer Funkywhat, they complement each other perfectly, revealing the creative duality that drives the Montreal-based artist.
Magi Merlin will be performing tonight (November 21st) at the Beanfield Theatre in Montreal, in support of Ruby Waters. On December 7th, catch her live in Québec City opening for Busty & The Bass at Grizzly Fuzz.
Bip / 9volt are available on all music services.
While Bip is sweet and sunny and 9volt is dark and moody, both are meant to emulate two different perspectives of a similar feeling, explains the artist. They represent two sides of the same coin where Bip is flight and 9volt is fight. They’re both loud and fun to jump around to, aiming to give catharsis for the listener.
9volt is me charging myself up so I have the energy to make a difference in a world that needs it, says Magi Merlin about her new song.
Directed by Walid Jabri, the two-part music video for Bip /9volt highlights the duality of emotional and logical human experience. With a good dose of humor, it also reflects on the impact of competition and rivalry in art, by pitting Magi against her sister, who looks exactly like her. After Magi gives in to her competitiveness and attacks her rival, she finds herself alone with her band — a representation that she needs to focus on herself and her craft first. This reflection suggests that a form of concurrence can exist in an artistic context without competition or criticism taking over.
Watch the music video for Bip / 9volt via YouTube.
Back in 2022, Magi Merlin unveiled Gone Girl, a striking EP that draws on influences from '90s 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).
Magi Merlin now returns with the complementary, cathartic songs Bip and 9volt, providing a glimpse of what's to come in the next year or so, after having spent the last two years in the studio exploring and refining her craft.