The BackBeat Podcast

View Original

MERCI MERCY DELIVERS FIRST TASTE OF MUSIC FOR 2024 & ADVOCATES SELF-WORTH IN NEW SINGLE ‘THE WORD LOVE’

Photo Credit: Minori Ueda

2024 has started with a glow for Sydney’s merci, mercy. In January, the alt-pop singer-songwriter played headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney to packed, rapturous crowds. Now, she shares the first taste of a forthcoming body of music with her glistening new single ‘The Word Love’.

With its buoyant beats and joyful lyrics, 'The Word Love' embraces like a shared smile or a warm hug from its very first bars. An advocation for self-worth, ‘The Word Love’ was co-written with Robby De Sa (MAY-A, Gretta Ray) and reveals a more optimistic side to the lovable songstress, whose charming and addictive alt-pop tunes more often mask darker lyrical content.

“‘The Word Love’ is about being your own worst critic. Someone could say that you are love itself, yet you’re still hesitant to believe anything other than what you’ve told yourself you are.

The song came about during a time last year when I was sober for a month. During this time, I asked my partner “if I was a word what word would I be” and without any hesitation he said the word “love”. I was in disbelief. The following week I had a writing session with Robby De Sa (love him) and ‘The Word Love’ came to be. This song means so much to me because it reminds me that I'm loved despite what I tell myself.” 
– merci, mercy

The single follows on from the release of merci, mercy’s third EP Like An Orchid, late last year, which gave fans the popular cuts ‘Silver Lining’, ‘Shovel’ , Lonely & Horny and ‘If You Had Any Friends’.

Now with 27 million streams to her name, merci, mercy’s songs have seen rotation on triple j locally, with global support from Jack Saunders and Mollie King at BBC Radio 1, Zane Lowe at Beats 1 as well as extensively across Europe on stations throughout Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, France and Ireland. This is accompanied by press love from the likes of Paper Magazine, Flaunt, The Line of Best Fit, Clash + NME.

Live, merci’s on-stage presence continued to blossom last year with tour supports for international acts Valley, Connor Maynard and Lights, a festival performance at Changing Tides, and a key spot on Mushroom’s huge Mushroom 50 concert at Rod Laver Arena. Further support slots for global star Declan McKenna and her earlier mentioned headline shows at Melbourne’s The Wesley Anne (sold out) and Sydney’s The Vanguard in January had fans hanging on her every word and hinted at many more exciting things to come.

Listen/Watch here