All Eyes on Montreal’s SALLY PHANTOM With “Going Insane” — A Debut Backed by Veteran Hitmakers
With a powerhouse voice and an unmistakable presence, Montreal’s Sally Phantom emerges fully formed on her debut single, “Going Insane.” Rooted in alternative pop-rock but stretching into gothic soul, cinematic grunge, and alt-pop balladry, Sally’s sound lands somewhere between the torch-song drama of Amy Winehouse and the theatrical darkness of Evanescence, with flashes of Lana Del Rey, Ethel Cain, and Paramore woven throughout. Backed by a team of seasoned industry veterans, this young artist arrives not as a hopeful, but as a headline. Co-written and produced by Canadian music mainstays Hugo Mudie (The Sainte Catherines, MUDIE, Pouzza Fest), Karl Houde, and Adrian Popovich (Sam Roberts Band, DFA1979, The Sheepdogs), the track is a masterclass in collaboration: raw, addictive, and impossible to ignore.
“Going Insane” began as a spontaneous creative spark and quickly evolved into something far more deliberate. From Houde’s gripping instrumentation to Popovich’s heavy-lidded synth work and precise mix, the production walks a razor’s edge between gritty and cinematic. But it’s Sally’s performance that cuts deepest—her vocal range is wide, expressive, and unflinching, with the same dramatic heft that made legends of Amy Winehouse and Evanescence. Her songwriting, co-crafted with Mudie, dives into addiction, identity, and emotional unraveling, delivered with rare lyrical poise and intensity.
“It’s a conversation with God,” she says, “a personal letter to my addictions, and a reflection on the pain of loving someone I couldn’t have.” Writing the song meant returning to the moment she realized something had to change. “Addiction had controlled my life since my teens. At 23, my dad sent me to rehab, and it saved me. Sobriety gave me the courage to feel again—and this song was how I admitted that to heal, I had to finally feel.”
With an undercurrent of menace balanced by elegance and control, the video for “Going Insane” mirrors the emotional chaos of the song. Shot in a grainy VHS aesthetic and layered with religious iconography, it extends the song’s tension and vulnerability into a visual realm.
“There was a darkness I carried with me for a long time,” Sally explains, “and it’s still there—just in a healthier way now.”
The result is a debut that feels fearless in both sound and vision, leaning into imperfection and emotional rawness rather than polishing it away.
That emotional honesty has always been at the core of Sally’s identity. “I’ve dreamed of this since childhood. I used to sing for hours on my grandmother’s bed. Seeing Lady Gaga’s Just Dance video changed everything—I finally saw an artist I could relate to.” As a teenager, she expressed herself through her style, her hair, and her defiance of convention. Music has always been the constant, even when addiction got in the way. “I don’t follow a set writing process. Inspiration comes in fragments, even in dreams. But when it hits, I have to grab it or it’s gone.”
At just the beginning of her career, Sally Phantom is already surrounded by the kind of creative force and vision most artists chase for years. This isn’t a bedroom pop debut or a hopeful viral moment. It’s a calculated launch with firepower behind it. With a full-length album expected in 2026 and momentum building fast, “Going Insane” is the first shot from an artist set to move quickly toward FM radio, national press, and inevitable label attention. The machine is in motion, and Sally Phantom is at the wheel.