INTERVIEW: MCK on latest single 'Paragraphs' and upcoming debut album: "I wanted to pour love into a bigger body of work to reflect how I’ve grown as an artist and show the output I’m capable of."

New Zealand artist MCK (full name Mckenzie Comer) recently released her new single ‘Paragraphs’, the second single from her soon to be released debut album Becoming.

‘Paragraphs’ is a gorgeous electronic pop track with acoustic guitar weaving through its consciousness. Exploring the familiar to most sensation of sending a text message and then immediately regretting it, MCK’s emotive vocals expertly convey the feelings of pain, anxiety, anger and hopelessness as she realises she may have destroyed the relationship: ‘We talked about October / Will you still want to see me then? / This is usually the part where it ends before it’s started” she sings.

MCK released her debut single ‘Magnets’ in 2018. She has since launched two EPs and a slew of singles which in the main slot into the indie-electronic pop path, with side trips into R&B and folk flavoured tracks. Earlier this year she released the single ‘An Honest Mess’, featuring Melbourne artist Mountain Boy, and is due to release another new single in June before debut album Becoming will appear. We recently caught up with MCK to chat more about ‘Paragraphs’ and her career.

Hi MCK! It is a pleasure to be chatting to you, how is everything in your world right now?
Hello! Everything in my world is constantly spinning these days — but less of a motion sickness rollercoaster and more of a joyful carnival ride.

You have just released your new single, ‘Paragraphs’ which is just spectacular, congratulations! You have said it was born from the anxiety created from sending a text message you realised you probably shouldn’t have sent - we have all been there! Can you talk us a bit more through the inspiration behind the song
Haven’t we all been there?! I think I developed this fear from a string of confusing “situationships”  that by saying exactly how I feel or asking for the bare minimum I would scare the other person off — and ‘Paragraphs’ was born on one occasion where I was upset and decided to communicate that. I wrote pretty much the whole song as I was waiting for a response. To spoil the ending it didn’t go very well (I’m not mad though).

It sounds like you wrote the song pretty quickly, while waiting for a reply after sending the text, what was the rest of the creative process like?
The lyrics were the easiest part, but the production took a lot longer to get right. I almost didn’t put this one on the album actually — but my team had faith in it so I decided to start over with my producer Joel Jones, and eventually it sounded like it belonged in the world of Becoming.

There is a really great pop vibe to the song which leans towards electronic pop while still maintaining an overarching melancholy. What was your intention for the ‘feel’ of the song when you were creating it?
This is definitely one of the most pop and lifted tracks on the album, and I knew I needed something to fill that space. I wanted it to be punchy from the very beginning, but keep the storytelling as the main focus. I’m floating between pop and folk on this particular record, which is definitely a nod to some of my earliest influences as a 16 year old discovering different styles of songwriting, people like Gabrielle Aplin and Daughter… but was also very inspired by new artists like Gracie Abrams and Holly Humberstone.

As you mentioned, ‘Paragraphs’ is from your upcoming debut album Becoming. What can we expect to hear from the album when it is released?
It’s been a slow burn over the last two years. I wanted to curate and pour love into a bigger body of work to reflect how I’ve grown as an artist and show the output I’m capable of. Becoming thematically is less about the music and more a state of being, something I had to accept about myself — that we are never final or complete, and always evolving.

I drifted away from my instruments (guitar and piano) through my early 20’s when I started working with producers and being an artist again in 2016, but this album brought me back to why and how I started making music in the first place, and I wrote and recorded most of my own parts. There’s some stripped back moments and some more emotive ballads, but there’s not necessarily any timeline or structure — it’s just about the songs.

If we take your story back to the very beginning, what role did music play in your life when you were growing up?
Oh wow, it was everything. My parents sowed that seed early on, there was always music playing in the house and I grew up listening to and studying women like Shania Twain, Celine Dion…I’d mimic them on TV and sing into my toy karaoke machine. My mum played guitar when she was a teenager and dad can hold a tune so between them I think I took the musical genes.

How did your music career start? Was it something you always knew you were going to do?
It was a different time that’s for sure! It really started on YouTube, my dad would help me make videos, record covers and eventually took me to a local studio to get a few original songs produced. At around 14 years old I got discovered by a Nashville music executive who then managed me for about 2 years, and I flew back and forth to the US playing shows and making music for a while.

It was a dream — until I turned 16 and realised that it wasn’t so cool anymore. It took me a long time to find the confidence to put myself out there again, but after a few years of growing up and finding my feet, I made peace with the history and figured out who I wanted to be as an artist.

You have been releasing music for around four years now. How do you feel you have developed as an artist during this period?
It’s crazy to think back to my first session back in 2016 — I still had a lot of self doubt and needed a lot more external validation for my artistic decisions. I certainly didn’t think I was capable of getting on the tools and contributing to production which I do a lot of now. I think it’s like any skill, once you’ve done your 10,000 hours you can walk into a room and know exactly what you bring to the table. I’ve been really lucky to have worked with incredible collaborators throughout each phase that have challenged me in different ways, which has aided in my evolution to date. The one thing I try to do is give the process breathing room and not place boundaries or expectations on what I do next — I just try and let the process lead me instead.

For so long the music industry has not been a particularly safe space for women, in the main because it has been run by older, white, straight men since its inception. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry?
With any creative industry I think there’s room for blurred lines and opportunities for artists to be taken advantage of. There’s a lot of pressure to be a certain thing or do things before a certain age, and because I knew how dangerous it could be from experiencing it firsthand when I was younger, I fiercely protected my independence and luckily have only come across wonderful men when I decided to come back and make music again.

I got into management for this reason — because I wanted to provide the kind of support I wish I had back then. Through working with artists in development and being a presence in sessions, video shoots or business meetings, I would like to think I’m doing my part to make that space slightly safer, and also set an example that we are allowed to say no, ask for what we want, and call out unacceptable behaviour when we see it. There has already been some positive change, but there is always more work to do.

What else is on the cards for MCK in 2022?
I’d love to get out on the road! A national tour of the album could be on the cards along with a trip over the ditch. It’s been a tough few years for live music and I can’t wait to connect with people directly and bring Becoming to life on stage.

‘Paragraphs’ is out now. You can buy and stream here.

To keep up with all things MCK you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.