MEYY's Neon Dreams

Words Notion Staff
Photography Michael Smits

December 14, 2021December 16, 2021

Rapidly rising artist MEYY speaks on her 'Neon Angel' EP and being aesthetics-orientated when it comes to her music, plus her manifestations for 2022.

For plenty of people, the act of creating art can feel a little like a dream: the idea of letting the outside world fade away and your subconscious taking over. It’s something that MEYY – the excitingly unpredictable Belgian-born talent now making her mark on the London scene – has made central to her music.

MEYY hit the music world in 2019 with her acclaimed debut single “Angelic Lies”, and she has quickly built up an impressive resume. Showcasing her truly diverse musical palette, MEYY has collaborated with a fascinatingly diverse array of producers such as FrancisGotHeat (Drake, Bryson Tiller, Big Sean) and supported UK rap favourite Jelani Blackman at Shepherd’s Bush Hall in London earlier this year.

Now, she’s ready to put her creative vision out into the world with her new EP ‘Neon Angel’, embracing the dreamlike aspect that has always been her trademark. ‘Neon Angel’ features a team-up with Jelani on the EP’s closing track, “Rain”, and an empowering collaboration with French sensation Joanna, but it’s above all an expression of MEEY’s truly unique artistic sensibilities.

Notion caught up with MEYY to hear all about ‘Neon Angel’ – from how she builds a track to the ideal listening experience for the project.

Congratulations on the release of your ‘Neon Angel’ EP. You’ve said that you “enter a dreamlike state” when making or listening to music. Does this happen naturally or is there anything you do to induce yourself to this space?

Thank you! I’m so happy with the release and how it has been received. And thank you Notion for your support, it means a lot to me. When I “enter a dreamlike state”, it actually happens naturally. I’ve always been a very imaginative person and when I make music it triggers my imagination even more. It’s very cool – like a movie in my head, but it feels very realistic.

You also said that the EP “sounds like underwater flowers moving”. Did you have this specific intention when making the record?

My music, generally speaking, is very aesthetics-oriented. Whenever I start making a song I’ll immediately have colors, images, lights, or sceneries going around in my head. I think this all finds its foundation in my vivid sense of imagination. Once I have the imagery, it’s easier to curate soundscapes or lyrics around it. For ‘Neon Angel’, the underwater flowers moving were the image, the dream I had in my head. That visualization covers the fragility and yet wavy texture of this EP. The whole EP is like a succession of dreams. A compilation of songs that beautifully reflect the dreamlike state I enter when making or listening to music.

How do you want people to feel when they listen to ‘Neon Angel’? What is the ideal listening experience?

The ideal listening setting to me would be either an intimate, low-lit space with the person you desire next to you or as the protagonist of the things you envision while listening to it. Or on a late-night drive. This is when I prefer listening to my music. All by myself, late at night in my car on the highway with my speakers blasting and just endlessness in front of you. I feel like my songs are perfect for daydreaming. But actually, really anywhere a person feels the most comfortable. This might be a different space for you. When listening to ‘Neon Angel’, I hope you can create your own dream world and that it sparks a desire for moments from the past, the present, and the future. That you mentally create your own visuals, as vague or subtle as they may be. I hope it makes you feel the radiance you have within yourself and that you can enjoy the beauty of it. I want my music to take your mind to places. I’m intrigued by the surreal power that music can have. One form of auditive input can set off so many dimensions like the physical, emotional, personal and memorial. I wish my music allows you to transcend the reality we live in every day, even if it’s in a very small and subtle way and that it radiates colors, emotions, desires, and dreams but above all: I hope it beams angelic neon lights.

You collaborated with Jelani Blackman on the track “Rain”. How did you two link up? What was it like working with Jelani?

We linked up through his label initially and then he asked me to open for him at his sold-out show at Bush Hall back in October. I loved his set and we had a good connection. I love the aesthetic in his voice and flow and his whole project really so when we were looking for a feature for Rain I immediately thought of him. I was honoured he agreed to jump on the track and the result is so so so good. He’s such a lovely person and great to work with!

You collaborated with a range of producers on the record. How did you select who to work with?

Almost all of the producers I’ve worked with on the EP are friends of mine from Brussels so we’ve been working for quite a long time. Initially, I was drawn to them for their taste in producing. I don’t want to generalize their different sounds into one statement, because what drew me to their productions was something specific for every one of them. But in general, I feel like their taste just added perfectly to the ethereal digital sound I envisioned but couldn’t literally embody (since I’m not as good of a producer as they are). They got the direction I want to go soundwise and lifted that aesthetic to an even higher level. Francisgotheat also did 2 of the songs on the project and the reason why I worked with him is because he is such a GOAT. Incredibly talented – every production he makes just has this aura around it – so hot and yet textured.

Do you have a favourite track off the EP?

I lovelovelovelove all the songs for different reasons. I think “hyli” still resonates with me the most though, because of the imagery I have connected to the song.

Born in Belgium, you’re now based in London. Did you move to pursue your musical career? How has life in London differed from life in Belgium?

I did move to London for music. I can really feel the thrust the creative/music scene and London in general have and it is so nice. I feel myself explicitly growing as an artist every day and it’s the best thing ever. I can imagine that the fast pace and higher intensity of life can maybe make you a bit blunt if you don’t watch out and that aspect is totally new for me. The chase I feel here, I really didn’t feel in Brussels. Everything seems more chill in my hometown, but that’s probably also because I link it to my idea of home and I spent my whole life there. It’s important to explore to grow and London is the best place for me now.

What’s one of the most significant things you’ve learned in your career so far?

To not lose track of what is really important: the music. Or more specifically: the cleansing realm that making music holds for me. Music is a branch deeply sucked into and even trampled by capitalism – and whereas I’m a very ambitious person that always wants more (a true millennial capitalist baby) I sometimes lost track of the real meaning of this all for me personally. At the end of the day, I make music because I want to sink into the melodies I wrote or harmonies I record. To lay on my bed after a whole day of making my music and listen back to the songs and the lyrics and just feel every element of the song. To cry while I’m writing lyrics or recording the more brittle songs. I call this part that connects me deeply to music my “muse” and it’s important not to lose her.

What’s your star sign?

I’m a virgo.

What does 2022 hold in store for MEYY? What are you manifesting?

Eternal growth and peace of mind.

MEYY’s Neon Dreams

Listen to MEYY's 'Neon Angel' EP below: