You need to hear MEYY, the Belgian popstar mining the depths of her soul

“Music is like a ritual, almost sacred thing for me”, says MEYY in her characteristically open manner. Throughout our conversation the 22-year-old displays an aptitude far beyond her years, moving from deep emotional excavation to revealing personal lore in a matter of minutes. Like most musicians, her art is a deeply personal endeavour – but unlike most, she’s unafraid to let others in on the process. Frank and unguarded, MEYY is an exercise in the artist as an open book.

Born in Belgium, in a small town outside of Brussels, she began writing songs at the tender age of 11, but it was only over the COVID lockdown that she was discovered by management in London, asking her to move to the capital full time. Initially apprehensive, it was those closest to her who convinced the young artist to take the plunge. “If it wasn’t for the people around me who were like, ‘you need to do this’”, she remembers fondly, “then I don’t think I would have done it.” Now, residing in London just shy of a year, MEYY hasn’t looked back, grateful for the artistic fulfilment the move has afforded her. “It just felt so good”, she tells me. “There’s a certain energy in the city – you don’t come here to chill, like everyone’s trying to do something.”

For MEYY, that something is Digital Gloss, a new seven-track EP that, despite its name, reckons with emotions far deeper than surface level. The glitched-out, gleaming pop sound was developed organically, over time – a point that MEYY is keen to impress. “It took me so long to even allow myself to look for my own sound”, she reveals, before finally moving the conversation back to the capital: “I think I’ve only been doing that since I moved to London”. When I ask if she’s found a new home, the response is decisive. “I want to stay here forever,” she says, beaming.

Below, we chat to the singer about everything from DJ sets to French slang – and her looming cancellation.

Hi MEYY! Congratulations on the release of Digital Gloss. Can you guide us through your inspirations for the EP?

MEYY: This EP is about one person, really. It’s about one story from last year, since I moved to London. The inspiration came very much from my own life and my own experience in love. I’ve discovered new facets of love and of myself, and how I guide myself through love. Despair was definitely a big theme for me last year. That also translated into the sound a bit, in that it was very intense. Some of the songs sound so desperate to me they’re like a prayer or something. That’s how I experienced love last year.

On the record, you sing in both English and French. Is there a specific kind of vibe – musically or lyrically – that draws you to one or the other?

MEYY: I grew up in Belgium so Dutch is my mother tongue, and then we also speak French. My French is good, but it’s not perfect. I listen to a lot of French music myself, and the lyrics on the song “Pretty” came from a little poem I wrote about a person. I wrote it in French, just because I love French. It adds an extra texture to the song, especially with slang. I feel like in English, I can't really use slang – it just feels a bit unnatural for me to be saying “init” or something. So it was cool to have a bit of French slang in there. It builds more personality.

How would you compare the music scene in Belgium versus the scene in London?

MEYY: The music scene in Belgium is definitely flourishing and has so many cool acts, but it’s so different from London because it’s so small. Because of the number of people, you just reach a certain level where you can’t really break through, especially when you make alternative music. But I think that also took a lot of the pressure off of it. When I was with my friends making music, we were really just making music. It allowed us to be free and very sincere.

Do you have any shows lined up for the rest of 2023?

MEYY: I’m going on a little headline tour. I have a show in London, at The Grace on May 11.

What’s the most recent note from your notes App?

MEYY: It’s of my DJ set that I’m going to be doing soon at Wired PR’s 10th-anniversary party.

What’s your favourite cornershop snack?

MEYY: Candy Kittens. When I was a child my grandma used to give me so much candy, and it got so bad. I had four teeth pulled out by the time I was eight because I was just eating so much. So I stopped eating it, but Candy Kittens recently brought me back. They’re vegan as well, so then I’m like, “Oh, it's good for me.”

What’s your ghost outfit?

MEYY: When I’m home, usually I’ll just wear boy clothes – just oversized everything. So that.

What’s the most recent picture/screenshot on your camera roll?

MEYY: The first one’s kind of spicy, so I don'’ think I should show that. The next one is from this game we’re making to go with the EP release, and this is a screenshot of the intro video:

What’s your star sign and are you a typical one of that star sign?

MEYY: I’m a Virgo. I feel like the typical Virgo is very obsessive and hard-working. I think that’s definitely me.

Any recurring dreams?

MEYY: I’m a lucid dreamer, so I’ll often go back to the same place. It’s been the same once since I was five. So I’m a fairy, and then I go into a cloud castle – actually it’s not really a castle, it’s more like a sphere – but it’s up in the clouds. The nine Muses from ancient Greek mythology are there. I just chill there with the Muses in this pretty place and fly around stuff. It’s so peaceful.

The last meme you saved?

What do you reckon you’re most likely to get cancelled for?

MEYY: I have a very bad temper. It’s getting better, but when I get into an argument with someone and I feel like they’re being absurd or disrespectful or discriminative, I can get so angry and just mean. But when I get to that place – I’m not gonna lie – there’s no going back. What if one day I’m in an interview and someone asks me something that really, really upsets me?

Digital Gloss is out now on Unity Records.

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