Michaela Slinger spoke with us about her latest single, and more!
Vancouver-based indie pop artist, Michaela Slinger has recently unveiled her new single, “Just This Once,” via 604 Records.
Michaela is known for crafting songs that exist at the intersection of pop, indie, and singer-songwriter. Her stop-you-dead vocals and poetic observations about love, aging, and selfhood feel at once timely and timeless, and the new single is a synth-pop anthem with a retro feel. “Just This Once” was written by Michaela and Ryan Stewart, who also produced the track.
“Just This Once was born out of frustration I was experiencing with someone I love, where I felt like we were talking around issues rather than getting to the heart of it,” explains Michaela. “The worst part of that approach is that if you leave issues unattended for too long, they’ll turn into resentment, and I think resentment is often hard to bounce back from.”
Listen to “Just This Once” below, and find out more about Michaela via our mini-interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi! I’m Michaela Slinger. I’m a pop-adjacent artist and songwriter based out of Vancouver. I’ve been laser-focused on crafting the best sophomore EP that I can, and I learned a ton from the release of my debut LP Panorama last April with 604 Records. Over the past year, I’ve done 4 writing trips to Los Angeles and Nashville, played my first show in Toronto and my first US shows in LA, Boston, and Philly, and definitely realized that I don’t have my airport game dialed—I’ve been borrowing a big old suitcase from a friend along with my carry on and guitar and can hardly juggle the whole set up alone.
You have unveiled your new single, “Just This Once”, what can you tell us about the writing process and inspiration behind the single?
“Just This Once” was born out of frustration I was experiencing with someone last summer. We’d been in and out of various degrees of pandemic restrictions here at home, and I think the lack of control and freedom I felt was really getting to me. In this situation, we were talking around issues and going in the same circles, and I just craved total punch-to-the-gut honesty since the world was already so uncertain. This song is me pleading with this person to lay it all out and say exactly how they’re feeling, even if it hurts me—I just wanted everything out in the open.
You wrote “Just This Once” with Ryan Stewart, how was that experience?
Amazing. Working with Ryan has been a highlight over this past year. He’s been on my radar since I started pursuing music—I think I’ve got a funny email from, like, 2018 where I pitch myself and my first demo of my first single “Flux” to him. We wrote “Just This Once” last June on the very first day we ever met and wrote together. It was undeniable from the first demo. I think we both approach writing with a similar mentality: trying to check ego at the door and just prioritize whatever is best for the song. He’s producing my entire EP, and we’ll be in the studio throughout the summer.
You have performed across Vancouver, as well as in Toronto, and the US. With live music back after the pandemic, what shows/ festivals do you have coming up and what can audiences expect?
I’m so excited to be playing my first festivals this summer! There’s a string of shows across BC: Surrey Canada Day, Laketown Shakedown, Khatsalano Street Fest, and Filberg Festival. All the dates are on my website.
What else can we expect from you in 2022?
More singles from my upcoming EP, and (if all goes to plan) a tour sometime in the fall!
Connect with Michaela Slinger:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok