Toronto, ON-based artist Merival released her new single, “Sinner” last month.
“I’m very curious about how and why we relate to each other as people. When the thread breaks between two people and it is unfix-able or untenable – when you are simultaneously wanting it to work out, and grieving, and also recognizing that it never would have worked – there’s a poignancy there that I find fascinating,” says Merival.
Check out the single below and find out more about her in our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Anna Horvath and I live in Toronto. I love my city, I read a lot, I love spicy food and emotional vulnerability.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
Hmmm. I hate to lean on an over-used word like ‘confessional’, but I do draw from very personal experiences, and I think it connects well with people who want that kind of honesty. musically I think it’s pretty down to earth – like, you’re not necessarily going to hear sounds you haven’t heard before, but I’m gonna arrange them to be maximally emotionally affecting, haha.
My writing style is pretty unstructured so far. I tend to spit out a song quickly and not do a ton of editing – chords, melody, lyrics all at once in a continuous stream. that’s not always accessible so I’m working on learning different ways to put things together.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
February 2nd in Montreal and February 7th in Toronto. there will be more announced soon to coincide with my record release – stay tuned! my solo shows are pretty conversational, I’d say – I work off of who’s in the room and whether they’re into talking back to me while I’m on stage. I really value those interactions. I try to pull everyone into the space.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
Probably my most recent single, “Sinner” – I’m really proud of the structure and lyricism in that one, and the arrangement we ended up with still blows my mind when I listen to it.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
So many! A lot of my local pals. Dorothea Paas is a monster songwriter, check her out for sure. also Anna Wiebe (incredible new record coming soon), Omhouse, Ada Lea, Charlotte Cornfield, Bernice, Un Blonde, LAPS, Thanya Iyer, Faith Healer. There is soooo much good stuff going on.