Magi Merlin presents the cathartic dance anthem Pissed Black Girl and reveals the details of her new EP Gone Girl

After making an unapologetic Bonsound debut with Free Grillz, which attracted the attention of media outlets such as The Fader, Complex, Les Inrocks, CBC Music, Range and Exclaim!, Magi Merlin (pronounced MADGE-eye) now shows off her groove and assertiveness with Pissed Black Girl a new enticing soulful single, with which she continues her ascension alongside her trusty producer Funkywhat. Today, Magi Merlin also announces the details of Gone Girl, her upcoming EP and boldest body of work yet, which will be out on May 27th, 2022.

Carried by sculpted backbeats and tilt-a-whirl synths, Pissed Black Girl is an irresistible dance floor anthem that puts the spotlight on Magi Merlin’s bluesy and bewitching voice ; showcasing a masterful control of her voice by meticulously slowing down her vocal delivery throughout the song to a more plaintive tone that still sounds effortlessly cool. Underneath its seductive and inviting rhythm, the track channels years of pent-up frustration, transforming the anger of dealing with fake progressives into something cathartic, ecstatic and life-affirming. Magi subverts the tired trope of the 'angry Black woman' through her lyrics as a means to empower herself. The more I think, the more the anger brews / (“Fuck you" ain’t enough to clock it) / Pissed black girl at your gate / Ivory tower, how’s your view, she luringly sings.

Speaking about the new single, Magi says: "I wrote this song in the summer of 2020. I was made to really look at my identity as a Black woman and what that identity means to the people I surround myself with. I didn’t realize a lot of the people I had around me at the time that identified as progressive, leftist and “allies” were not as supportive as they made themselves out to be. Talking with them just resulted in arguments instead of compassion and understanding. This made me very angry and the only thing I was able to do to vent my frustrations and arrive at some form of catharsis was by singing about it.”

“The title of the track references a story an ex-friend recounted to me as well as what I and many other Black women who speak their minds are reduced to: an “angry Black woman”. This ex-friend told me about a time they went to a predominantly white party in the suburbs and one of the party-goers, while staring out onto the front lawn of the house, said: “wow, there’s a n٭٭٭er on the lawn” – one of many atrocious acts that go unchecked in white suburbia and various other white spaces. If there is anything I’ve learned from my experiences with ignorant and bigoted people, it is how unapologetic I need to be about my existence. I’m a girl; I am pissed and I’m Black. What about it?"