Magi Merlin has released POPSTAR, a new single co-produced with Funkywhat, arriving days after she wrapped a European tour opening for Yaya Bey. The Montreal-based artist has been building toward this moment methodically, and the timing is not incidental.
The single comes with some momentum already attached. POPSTAR aired multiple times on BBC Radio 6 Music ahead of its release, including on Huw Stephens‘ show and the New Music Fix programme, giving it an international profile before most Canadian outlets had weighed in. That kind of pre-release traction from a broadcaster with BBC Radio 6’s credibility is not nothing.
Merlin has described the song’s central idea in direct terms. “I think I can see the true responsibility of a popstar,” she said. “It is to be a messenger, to influence and to inspire change in the people listening. I don’t think the point is to single-handedly change the world; it’s to remind all of us that we can, if we do it together.” The single builds on the sonic territory she established with her 2022 EP Gone Girl, which drew coverage from Bandcamp Daily, The FADER, The Line of Best Fit, and Nylon, and led to touring slots with Noga Erez and an international date with Omar Apollo.
Since then, Merlin has kept a steady pace. She released the surprise project A Weird Little Dog during a US tour supporting saxophonist Nubya Garcia, then reworked IDLES‘ POP POP POP into a club-oriented version that earned a public endorsement from the band’s lead singer, Joe Talbot, on social media. Festival appearances at Osheaga, Festival d’été de Québec, Treefort, Reeperbahn, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival have kept her visible across multiple circuits simultaneously.
Merlin plays Toronto’s The Baby G on March 24 and returns to Montreal for a show at Casa del Popolo on March 25.
Photo – Sophia Perras
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