{"id":2036786,"date":"2026-07-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2036786"},"modified":"2026-07-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-262","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2036786","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t<\/h1>\n
\n

\n\t\t\tMAGI MERLIN IS A POWER HOUSE<\/span>
\n\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n
\n

Magi Merlin deals in disruption, with avant-garde pop she coined \u201cBroken R&B.\u201d Her debut album is an amalgamation of her musical journey over 20 years and celebrates maximalist multitudes.\u00a0<\/h3>\n
\n
\"Magi<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The power is switched on for Montr\u00e9al-born, Paris-based enigma Magi Merlin. The initial creative spark struck when she was six years old, and she hasn\u2019t stopped since. She\u2019s constantly making music, finessing her process and overthinking where she can. Music is both an escape and a tool to make sense of the world around her.<\/p>\n

The launch of POWER HOUSE, <\/em>released today, 10th July, via Bonsound, offers Merlin an anticipation laced with \u201cthe kind of fear that makes you feel alive.\u201d The name comes from a core memory from school \u2013 the fact that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, and serves as a reminder of the multitudes within the individual and the power that lies in the collective. With a busy calendar leading into the new year, she will be going on tour, performing in the US, Canada, France, Belgium and the UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The lyric \u201cI am all things all the time,\u201d plucked from the fifth track \u201cThank You!!!\u201d, is an apt descriptor of Merlin\u2019s artistic and personal ideology, and is emblematic of the overall feel of the album. Chiselling a genre she\u2019s self-dubbed as Broken R&B, her sound is experimental, with glitchy intros giving way to techy upbeat pop. The eleventh track and lead single \u201cPOPSTAR\u201d stands out as a real peek behind the curtain, while \u201cWHIP\u201d is sensual, danceable, sun-kissed.<\/p>\n

Below, the polymathic presence maps her origins, rise, and dives deep into her debut record.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Listen to POWER HOUSE\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Read the interview\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

What are your musical origins?<\/strong><\/p>\n

0 cap, my musical origin story started with Alvin and the Chipmunks. I was around 6 years old and was completely taken by what was most likely a pitched-up cover of some pop song from 2002. I heard those chipmunks sing, and I legitimately wished I was the one who wrote it for them. After hearing the song, I went to my dad and sang it to him, claiming I was the one who wrote it. Of course, I fessed up and let him know I wasn\u2019t actually the songwriter on the track (a testament to my honesty and verve). But the idea of writing and creating never left my mind after that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You were born in Montr\u00e9al and are now Paris-based \u2013 how do the two cities differ, in living and in creating there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Omg don\u2019t tell Canada that! I\u2019m still based out of Montreal, and I don\u2019t have a work visa. I am hanging out here for the next month, though, so I\u2019m planning a Paris takeover where I rename all the streets after myself. It\u2019ll be really hard to get around the city, but that won\u2019t be a problem for me since I can\u2019t remember street names for the life of me anyway.<\/p>\n

Congratulations on your debut album! How are you feeling about its release?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks! I\u2019m so hyped and so scared lol! Scared beautifully, though. It\u2019s that type of fear that makes you feel alive, which I have to say has been pointing me in the right direction for a hot minute. You\u2019ve got to live by that feeling. As the great Del Close once said: \u201cfollow the fear.\u201d (Del Close is the creator of long-form improv, and he coined that phrase apparently; just looked it up\u2026so iconic.)<\/p>\n

What was the initial spark that lit the fire for the creative process? How did that grow into a full body of music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honestly, Funkywhat [my long-time collaborator] and I are constantly making music. I think one of the coolest things is being able to work at a pace that almost prevents you from overthinking, which then results in very cool, thoughtful art! Working this way also lends itself to creating a body of work that follows you at your life\u2019s pace. I was able to write about my thoughts and feelings about the world around me without getting lost in the grandeur of creating. Best vibe to be in, honestly. Every other moment in my life, I\u2019m overthinking; music is a place I can be my most annoying, fantastically assertive self.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the story behind the album\u2019s title, POWER HOUSE<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the name was in my psyche since my 8th-grade science class. The only thing I can confidently say I remember from my entire high school career is that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. I honestly believe those two words were lying in wait in my brain until it was time for me to name my record.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"Magi<\/figure>\n
\"Magi<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

What is the thematic core of the album? What does the record mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I truly believe that people, as individuals but most of all, together, are the most powerful beings in our known universe. We are all a POWER HOUSE<\/em>; in all our contradictions, nuances, and massive egos, we are incredible, capable beings. The album touches on many different topics and observations I\u2019ve personally made, but overall, the point is to remember that we are our home and that our power starts there.<\/p>\n

Describe the LP as an emotion, a colour, and an outfit?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is the full spectrum of emotion.<\/p>\n

Molten metal; it\u2019s white hot, red, orange and then cools into silver, which is annoying of me to say, but I\u2019m an artist.<\/p>\n

A lot of silver jewellery, a hand-woven top (ideally from a local designer in your city), naturally distressed denim shorts, and either a pair of Fluvog heels or sick vintage boots you got off Etsy or a random thrift store.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What else is to come for you \u2013 this year and beyond?<\/strong><\/p>\n

World takeover, but like, in a caring, inclusive spiritual way, all achieved by playing a bunch more shows where the people I\u2019m singing to sing back at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why do you make music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because it gives me the energy and hope that I can help change the world for the better by reminding myself and anyone listening that they are as essential and as powerful as they allow themselves to be. It also makes me feel really, really dope.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Words \u2013 Julia Novis<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\t\t<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\t\t10 July 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Feature Interview<\/a><\/div>\n
Music<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t<\/section>\n

\n\t\t\t\tAbigail Cowen Manifested This<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\tThe spirit of \u201970s Ibiza is well and alive.<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland MAGI MERLIN IS A POWER HOUSE Magi Merlin deals in disruption, with avant-garde pop she coined \u201cBroken R&B.\u201d Her debut album is an amalgamation of her musical journey over 20 years and celebrates maximalist multitudes.\u00a0 The power is switched on for Montr\u00e9al-born, Paris-based enigma Magi Merlin. The initial creative spark struck when she was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-2036786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2036786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036786\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2036786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2036786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2036786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}