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With more than a combined 2.7 million streams on Spotify and concert appearances alongside the likes of Tyler Shaw, Scott Helman, and Virginia to Vegas under her belt, Guelph-based singer-songwriter Mikalyn now takes the biggest leap of her career with her new indie-pop single “Blame.”
Mikalyn’s ascent in the music business has been, in some respects, an atypical journey thus far. She gained an initial unconventional foothold when a Brazilian record label discovered her original, piano-driven music on Soundcloud and offered to transform them into EDM hits. What followed were monster collaborations with the likes of Zuffo, Diskover, Ownboss, and Evokings.
These collaborations, although not the direction she expected to take at the beginning of her career, were crucial steppingstones in building her repertoire and fan base, ultimately introducing new listeners to her original alt-pop stylings.
On “Blame,” Mikalyn strikes chords capable of resonating with anyone who has dealt with heartbreak in their life. Displaying an emotional maturity well beyond her 19 years, the track documents the grieving process following a relationship breakdown in which harsh realities are faced and former truths get called into question.
Mikalyn’s ethereal vocal harmonies dominate the track as she asserts control over her destiny and refuses to capitulate to guilt over the relationship’s demise.
“Many people have experienced that moment when they realize they taken on too much burden in a relationship, blaming themselves for things that are not in their control, and wanting it to work so bad that they sacrifice themselves in the process. This song is about putting an end to that,” explains Mikalyn.
The captivating video for “Blame” lends gravitas to the track, providing snapshots of the relationship’s happier times before the clip culminates in the cathartic burning of mementos. There is a haunting beauty to the video that will resonate with viewers on many levels.
On the cusp of what is arguably the biggest turning point in the singer’s career to date, “Blame” is a calling card of profound significance for Mikalyn, as she confidently finds her true artistic voice.
We get to talk with the talented artist to discuss more about the single and much more!
Hi Mikalyn, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hi, thank you so much for having me! I’ve been great, busy with lots of music stuff but that’s exactly what I want to be doing.
Congratulations on the release of your latest single “Blame”. What can you tell us about the song?
Thank you! I’m so excited it’s finally out. Blame is a song about reaching a breaking point in a relationship, and realizing that it needs to end for your own sake. I feel like a lot of the time, people blame themselves for everything that goes wrong even if it’s not their fault. There’s really only so much you can rationalize and take before reaching that crossroads where you have to decide: is it worth it to continue? It can be really hard to accept that, and I know it’s something a lot of people have been through, including myself. I wrote it with Chris Grey, who produced it with TyWithTheWifi.
What was the inspiration for you writing this song? Is the song based on a real-life event?
There’s actually a bit of a funny story here. I wrote Blame around January 2021, and one of my friends had been coming to me for advice regarding her 4-year relationship. They were having a lot of problems, and I could really empathize with her because I’ve been in that position as well. As a writer, I take inspiration from everywhere, whether that be a news story, my own life, or the lives of the people around me. So when I met up with my co-writer, Chris, I had her situation fresh in my mind. I wrote Blame inspired by her and posted a snippet on my Instagram story. She ended up sliding up and saying “did you write this just for me” as a joke – little did she know, she was the main influence of the song! I ended up telling her a few months later and sending her the demo early. For those of you who are curious – they did end up breaking up but got back together a few months later. I think things are better now!
What was the writing and recording process for the song?
I co-wrote this song with Chris Grey, my collaborator-turned-best friend. Chris lives in Toronto, and I’m in my second year of University, so whenever we get together we always try to write a new song. He had the track initially, and the way our writes usually go is we freestyle different lyrics and melodies over the beat. Once we find a melody or lyric that we both like, we go from there. I think the first lyric that stuck was “say you like me better when we’re in the dark,” the opening line of the song. After that, we flush out the story and run ideas back and forth for the next few hours. Then we make the demo! This is always a fun process, with us testing out different harmonies and layers – which is my favourite part of the song. From there it’s just fine-tuning until the song is ready to be sent off to mixing and mastering.
Can you tell us a little about the music video and your experience on set?
The Blame music video was shot at Studio Bon Soliel, in Toronto. Chris and I always brainstorm the concept, make mood boards, and then find the perfect setting. I had actually shot a music video that was never released at that location, so I had it in mind from the beginning. The premise of the music video is I just accepted the fate of my relationship, I’m reminiscing on the old times through various objects and flashbacks, and putting them in a box. At the end of the video, I burn the box along with all connections to the old relationship. My experience on set was great – since I’m an independent artist, our “crew” is small and the people we do have take on various roles. I was co-director and played myself, Chris was the videographer, other co-director, and also played my boyfriend in the flashbacks. My dad and his mom took on the role of holding up various lights, making sure we got from point A to point B, and helped with shooting behind the scenes. The shoot took 2 days – the first day we shot indoors. Despite a few setbacks – road closures, picking up film and getting lost on the way, and locking the keys with all the equipment in the car, we managed to get it done. The second day was also super fun but presented a different set of challenges. We had to shoot outside, so it was a race against the setting sun. Since we shot this video late August, the bugs were awful and it was super hot that day, so sitting in front of a huge fire (one that burned a lot bigger than anticipated) was somewhat difficult. We shot the subway scene around 11:00pm to make sure that the subway would be empty as possible. Despite everything, it was so much fun and I’m so excited about the end result!
What role does Guelph play in your music?
Guelph plays a big role in my musical journey because it’s where I did the most learning. I moved to Guelph from Northern Ontario when I was 7, and the music community was a way for me to feel at home in a new place. Guelph is an arts-centric city, and has a lot of different opportunities, so I got super involved with that! I joined Guelph Youth Singers and was a part of that choir for 5 years, which was super developmental for my music today since it taught me a lot about the beauty in harmonies. I also met my amazing teachers, Ben and Melanie, in Guelph. Ben is my piano teacher, and Melanie is my vocal coach. They’ve taught me everything, and I still go to them for lessons over zoom!
You have had quite an atypical journey in your career so far. With the large reception your music has received thanks to several of your original songs being turned into EDM hits, does that place any pressure on you as you work on new material or rather the opposite?
Getting involved in the EDM genre was actually very serendipitous. A record label in Brazil reached out with me, and I ended up sending them my demos – many of which were piano ballads! Seeing these songs transform was amazing, and also unexpected! I honestly think it doesn’t place too much pressure on me regarding new material, because I’m sort of switching lanes. A lot of the music that people know me for is the EDM stuff, but that’s not what I know myself for, if that makes sense. So in a way, releasing the type of indie-pop music I’ve been making in the background for years now is a relief because now people can finally see the other side of me! Of course, when I start thinking about the numbers too much it does stress me out a bit, but I try to focus more on the big picture. This is a marathon, and I’m still in the beginning stages! There’s still a lot musically that I want to show everyone.
Does the new single mean we can expect more new material soon?
Yes it does!! Blame is actually the second single off my upcoming EP, which I’ve been working on for a while now. There will likely be 1-2 more singles before the entire EP comes out, so stay tuned for those.
Any tentative release date or title in mind?
If everything goes to plan, I’m hoping to release the EP early 2022. Title wise – I’ve been brainstorming for one for a while now, but nothing has stuck yet! However, the next single is called “Phases.” It’s probably my favourite song, and I can’t wait to release it. The EP tells a story of love, loss, and new beginnings. It’s about finding myself, really!
What else is happening next in Mikalyn’s world?
I’m currently writing a lot and also getting my degree in Popular Music Studies at Western University, which has been super fun! It’s opened my eyes to lots of approaches I didn’t know before, and I’m having a lot of fun learning to apply them all. Now that restrictions have started to lift, I’m working on getting a band together for live gigs. I can’t wait to start performing regularly again! Of course, theres the EP as well which is super exciting. There’s lots of fun stuff in the works, and soon I’ll be able to share it with all of you! Thank you so much for supporting me on this journey.
Website https://www.mikalynmusic.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MikalynMusic/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mikalynmusic/
Twitter https://twitter.com/mikalynmusic
