Marshall Jacklin – Five Questions With

Toronto Indie Artist Marshall Jacklin Shares New Single, “Movement”

Toronto-based alternative artist Marshall Jacklin has unveiled his new single, “Movement.”

“Movement” is an exploration of the beauty found in the fleeting moments of youth when risk is synonymous with fun. Crafting a narrative within a limited timeframe (2:30) presented a unique challenge, inspiring a division of labor between each release element to provide context. 

One distinctive choice was using a title that was never mentioned in the piece. “Movement” is not merely symbolic, but also the name of an annual music festival in Detroit, held every summer. 

The collage cover art is a visual journal composed of images from this event and the broader Detroit area, providing a glimpse into the places and objects that decorate the weekend of the track’s character set. 

First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello! I am Marshall Jacklin, a multidisciplinary artist from Toronto. I sing, play, perform, record, produce, and write – I like to have a hand in every part of creative work. My art focuses on the mundane daily efforts that connect us all. To quote Bill Fay, “Life is people.”

Tell us a bit about your recent release.

“Movement” is an exploration of the beauty found in the fleeting moments of youth, when risk is synonymous with fun. In the song, a young set of characters drive from Canada to Detroit for a music festival. They dance, indulge, and connect, without having to consider consequences or costs thanks to their age.

I wrote this song years ago. Recording it now, I sing it with a longing for that freedom, when each choice was weightless. As we age, we begin to understand that every time we say yes to something, we are saying no to something else.

In youth, we take for granted our willingness to jump without looking. As life continues, we get hurt, we become cautious, and we refuse to invest ourselves in anything without a thorough risk assessment. We know what can go wrong because things have gone wrong.

The question “Movement” asks is, can we make space for the reckless without abandoning our pragmatism? Can we find a balance?

How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?

As I have grown myself and my art, I have transitioned to a lyric-first approach. The majority of my songs are about situations and emotions that aren’t often covered in music. I believe that songs can encompass a wider space of human emotion, beyond the romantic.

It is important to me to write about the people I have known in my life and to carve a connective space, where subjects and emotions considered uneventful, not worthy of being written about, can be expressed and given the thought and depth they deserve. I wish to inspect what we, as an educated and informed North American culture, still overlook.

Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?

For this release, there will be a live music video for “Movement” which I recorded and filmed while spending a week alone at a cottage in northern Ontario this past summer.

There will also be a bunch of content on my Instagram and website, including musical walkthroughs and lyric breakdowns; follow me to keep up to date!

Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?

In the novel “Oh, William” by Elizabeth Strout, she writes:

“A tulip stem inside me snapped. This is what I felt. It has stayed snapped, it never grew back. I began to write more truthfully after that.”

I had a moment like this in my life a few years ago. Debilitating (I nearly gave up writing), it serves as a marker for the most dramatic change I’ve had in my writing.

For me, this stem was naivety and self-deception. I am an optimist; otherwise, I could not be here. However, I now come by optimism by actively searching for what I can be hopeful for, instead of simply turning my eyes from the difficult, from being willfully ignorant, both personally and societally.

This is the work of being an engaged human being, and this is what I do my best to write about.

Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?

Tara Kannangara has a new EP coming out that I am excited for. Aphrose had a great record that came out late last year. Vicki Lovelee has a new single that just dropped. Hollie Hughes has a wonderful album that I did some production on that came out last year as well, and Denim Blu has new music on the way.

Canadian music is important and deserves our support. Go see someone live if you can!

Connect with Marshall Jacklin:
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