With the release of 2019’s On My Way to the Listening Party EP, 2021’s Drug Music EP and a subsequent batch of singles, the mysterious yet rising Canadian artist Magi Merlin (pronounced MADGE-eye) exploded into the national scene: The Canadian artist received praise from CRACK Magazine, opened for Lido Pimienta and played at Osheaga Festival alongside ODIE, Jessie Reyez and others.
Merlin’s latest single, the Funkywhat-produced “Free Grillz” features the rising Canadian artist’s vocals, a mix of fiery, self-assured bars and sultry crooning for the song’s hook gliding over icy trap hi-hats, skittering snares, glistening synth arpeggios and a tweeter and woofer rattling bass line. The song finds the rising Canadian artist hoping to aspire at least some of the tropes of hip-hop fame while reflecting on bitterly harsh, daily realties — like having people mispronounce your name, misogyny and having to kick that clingy man, who won’t leave you alone out of your life and so on. And she does so with a playful and winning sense of humor, and world dominating swagger.
“This track was originally written as a request/order from good buddy and main collaborator Funkywhat,” Magi Merlin explains. “I had never written a rap track so it was a moment of exploration. It developed and became a track that I truly feel empowered by. I call out the people who constantly mispronounce my name and I brag about big butts and money I haven’t made yet. A win-win-win for me, Magi!”
Directed by Walid Jabri, the accompanying visual for “Free Grillz” shows the rising artist proudly flaunting her own set of grillz, on blazing motorcycle rides through Montreal, blowing off a boring guy during a dull bar date and tearing it up in a mosh pit, the video sees the Canadian artist referencing the lifestyle brought up in the song’s lyrics. The video shows an artist, who is ready to jump into the spotlight and take over the world.
Magi Merlin will be supporting the single with a handful of tour dates — including a headlining show at Purgatory on March 9, 2022. She’ll follow that up with an appearance’s at this year’s SXSW. Check out tour dates below.
North American dates
March 9 | Brooklyn, NY – Purgatory – Tickets
March 16 | Austin, TX – SXSW – M for Montreal Showcase – Swan Dive
March 17 | Austin, TX – SXSW – Range Magazine Showcase – Lucille
March 18 | Austin, TX – SXSW – Space Agency showcase – Hotel Vegas
March 31 | Montréal, QC – Le Ritz (co-headline with Isabella Lovestory) – Tickets