"Fun as hell": Canadian indie pop star soaring after musical leap of faith
In another life, Vancouver musician and performer Michaela Slinger would be working a 9-to-5 job. But her connection to music proved to be too strong for the rising singer-songwriter.
“I knew as a young child that I wanted to perform. I had big Broadway dreams and my interest shifted fully towards music and songwriting in high school,” said Slinger to Daily Hive. “I then got caught up in university and various pursuits until I found myself in a full-time job upon graduating as an executive assistant at a non-profit at the age of 21.
“I felt disassociated from who I was, and this voice in my head (probably that inner child) was loudly insisting that I pursue music. So I took a sick day from work to record what became my first single, ‘Flux,’ and the rest unfolded from that big leap of faith.
That creative jump has brought Slinger’s music to new fans all over North America as well as to a recent performance on Portside Live, a new online concert and interview series in partnership with Daily Hive.
Portside Live profiles popular and emerging artists while giving viewers an opportunity to get to know the band beyond the stage. The opportunity to be featured stemmed from a past connection between Slinger and the series’ Executive Producer Keivan Hirji.
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“Keivan and I worked together virtually during the pandemic to pull together a get-out-the-vote campaign for youth in the provincial election,” explained Slinger. “One of my other interests is in civic engagement and climate work, and I’m fortunate enough to have done work with a wonderful youth-led organization, CityHive, which is how I found myself on the campaign with him. We stayed connected online and I was honoured to have been asked.”
Michaela Slinger (Sydney Robertson/Submitted)
Fans tuning in will hear the Vancouver performer’s process of writing her new record This Can’t Last Forever over 18 months between Vancouver, Toronto, Nashville, and Los Angeles.
“I try to be honest about what it’s like to pursue this wild and ever-shifting idea of ‘success’ or ‘stability’ in the music industry. You’ll see me having an absolute blast with my incredible band and then also stripping it back to just me for a solo performance of my song ‘Petty Things,’ where the crowd generously sings along with me.”
Michaela Slinger/Facebook
Slinger will also talk about a unique experience early in her career when she sang the anthem at a sold-out Vancouver Grizzlies NBA game.
“I was just three years old, and think I have a memory of the performance. But it could just be a memory I’ve made up from watching that video a couple of times.
“In my head, I recall walking to the centre court for sound check and walking through the legs of a player. They were absolute giants to me. I enjoy watching that video because I appear fairly unfazed singing to 18,000 people. It’s reassuring to know that I’ve always been called to perform and that it’s a state I exist naturally in.
“I also adore my cheeks in the video, though they do seem almost concerningly large for my face.”
The 604 Records recording artist has come a long way from that fresh-faced performance at GM Place (now Rogers Arena). Slinger recently finished her first concert tour across North America in support of the recently released This Can’t Last Forever, performing in 18 cities in six weeks.
“I performed at The East Room in Nashville, a house concert in Woodstock, at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles, The Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, and about a dozen other places in between,” shared Slinger. “The whole experience was a process of self-discovery and learning about what it’s like to be a touring musician.
“Highlights for me include opening for Donovan Woods (a writer I love) at the Jackson Triggs Amphitheatre and opening for Dermot Kennedy and Sasha Alex Sloan on the Budweiser Stage in Toronto. Dermot does an amazing thing where he has local openers in each city. It was incredible, and such a special moment for me.”
Michaela Slinger/Facebook
Slinger added that she is excited for longtime fans and new listeners to hear her new album, and to keep making new music into the future.
“I love making music because it reminds me to attend to the specificity of each life stage, and it’s when I feel most aligned or ‘in tune’ with the world and myself. In other words, it’s fun as hell and my favourite thing.
“I think one of the best parts is the connections I get to make with other wonderful creatives and fans who message me or come up after a show to tell me that they resonated with my songs. It’s like we get to both share a mutually validating moment of humanity.”
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