Magi Merlin [pronounced Mahd-j-eye] calls her sound ‘Broken R&B’, but really, it’s whatever she feels like breaking down and rebuilding in the studio. From indie pop and ’90s house to R&B, hip-hop and jazz, it’s a collage where the glue often is a masterful use of harmonies and a clever juxtaposition of lyrical lightness and depth.
She now enters a new era with POPSTAR, a fierce, declarative single that reframes fame as responsibility. The track positions the popstar not as a savior, but as a messenger, inspiring listeners and reminding them that real change happens collectively. In addition to being a writer, composer and co-producer behind this new work, she has also taken the lead on art direction, aiming to use her keenness for fashion and storytelling to build a visual universe that’s as intentional, infectious and self-defined as her sound.
After her 2022 EP Gone Girl, the Montreal-based artist gained praise from outlets including Bandcamp Daily, The FADER, The Line of Best Fit, and Nylon, which led to touring with Noga Erez and a LATAM date with Omar Apollo. Ever since, Merlin has kept busy, working on new music, releasing singles and a smaller surprise project: A Weird Little Dog, which dropped as she began a US tour supporting saxophonist Nubya Garcia. She then reworked IDLES’ POP POP POP, flipping it into a club banger which she performed live for Glamcult TV. She’s made continuous festival appearances at Osheaga, Festival d’Été de Québec (opening for Ty Dolla $ign), Treefort, Reeperbahn, Montréal Jazz Festival while simultaneously making her acting debut in Mile End Kicks (with Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick and Juliette Gariépy). Magi Merlin continues to unveil her work as a creative powerhouse, one layer at a time, every move pointing toward a larger body of work soon to be released to the world.
