Artist Of The Week // MERCI, MERCY
With a bubblegum pop sound sweetening her personal lyricism, merci, mercy is a rising new star to keep your eye on as she releases her debut EP no thank you, no thanks.
At the young age of 19, merci, mercy is set to be an upcoming mouthpiece for this generation’s personal feelings and frustrations as she releases her debut EP no thank you, no thanks. Bringing personal anecdotes about social anxiety, self-destructive coping mechanisms, and cynicism about romance, the stories told on the EP extend beyond merci, mercy’s own life as these experiences are all-too familiar to everyone trying to navigate through our world of social media and online dating.
Her candidness offers a refreshing honesty and authenticity that makes her an artist you can’t help but want to confide in. From her confessions of finding an unhealthy escapism in alcohol in Tequila & Lemonade, to her cry for care and companionship in Something You Like, she opens up her thoughts and spills them into broad daylight. Despite the potentially burdening weight of such lyrical themes, listening to her will make you feel like you’re flying away from the stresses of daily life as she coddles you in a glittering, sun-dappled indie pop sound that will evoke memories of summer. There’s a lot of fun to be found in her hooking and infectious sound, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a part of the EP that you can resist dancing along to.
With an unconventional upbringing, where she was thrust into a foreign life in Thailand and China as a teenager, we felt intrigued on how this shaped merci, mercy into the person she is today. We spoke with her about the making of the EP, and advice she would offer to those who could resonate with her music, getting to know the rising artist in more depth.
What’s a motto you live by?
I got where I am today without having a plan B so I guess I’d choose the motto never have a plan B if you want to achieve plan A. I like it because it gives you an even bigger push – you don’t have anything to fall back onto.
If your sound had a colour, what colour would it be?
I’m just choosing a colour I’ve been really loving lately, electric blue. I think my sound is all over the place, it doesn’t know what colour it wants to be just like me. It is indecisive as fuck.
If you could set the EP as a whole, or different tracks on the EP to a TV show or movie, what would it be the soundtrack for?
I’d set the whole EP in the TV series, ‘I May Destroy You’. It’s about a girl who is at a really mentally stressful time in her life. I just recently saw a poster of my EP being promoted right next to a poster of the show and thought that exact thing.
Did you come across any surprises, whether pleasant or unpleasant, when recording your EP?
I did find a lot more about myself when writing this EP. I had to open up myself completely to the producers I worked with. It was a scary but really relieving thing to do. It helped me come to terms with things that were worrying me. I realised I had a drinking problem and that I didn’t value myself very much. Since then I have been able to get help and see a psychologist, which I don’t think I would’ve been able to do without writing this EP.
What’s your fondest memory of producing the EP?
I got to visit Melbourne for the first time writing this album. It improved my anxiety so much by having to travel so much on my own. Having to meet up with strangers, write music with them and unload all my problems onto. I met some really amazing people who I hope I get to work with for the rest of my career. So far no one has made me feel like I didn’t belong. My favourite memory though was seeing myself as a cartoon and working with Bianca Bosso. She is an absolutely wonderful human being who is full of pure talent. So lucky I got to work with her and I mean who wouldn’t want to be turned into a cartoon, it’s cool as.
What advice would you give to a listener who was connecting with the feelings of social anxiety and overwhelming emotions that some of your tracks grapple with?
That the feelings you are feeling are not crazy and do not define who you are. You should not be ashamed of how you feel. Embrace it. I hope people who listen to my music see that it is not weak getting help, but can actually be so empowering for yourself to do. It’s nice to have the support from others but sometimes the only way to heal is to help yourself. So hopefully my music can inspire people to take care of themselves.
What are your fondest memories of living in Thailand and China?
I loved being able to see how other people across the world lived. It shaped me into who I am today. I met so many amazing people who I still am in contact with now. I was very independent in Beijing and made me grow up quicker than the average child. Which has definitely made for something good when it comes to writing music about serious issues I face on the daily.
If you could tell your teenage self one thing before she went to live abroad, what advice would you give?
I would tell myself to please not be so hard on yourself. Let yourself love and be loved. To not let people tell you who you are, and to not let people try to put you in a box. And that life will get better so be patient. Also probably don’t start drinking alcohol young because you think it’s a cool thing to do, it will not be worth it in the long run, you have the rest of your life to make stupid choices.
If you had to advertise the EP in one sentence to someone who has never heard of you or your music, how would you pitch it?
Imagine a human being who is fully honest and open about the struggles they face with their self identity and self life on the daily.
And finally, slightly cliché, but what does music mean to you?
Music is the one thing in the whole world that stops me from completely destroying myself. It is my everything and I feel lucky to live in a time where there is so much music available.