Emotion Anchors Magella’s Debut Album ‘The Pearl’
MAGELLA shot by Mechant Vaporwave
Magella’s debut album The Pearl is shaped by time, pressure, and a willingness to sit with discomfort. Created over the course of four years, the experimental Montreal artist’s work moves between jazz roots, industrial abrasion, blues lyricism, and moments of unexpected softness. What begins in unrest gradually transforms, revealing a record that understands heaviness not as an endpoint, but as part of a longer arc toward clarity.
In this conversation, Magella reflects on growing up surrounded by music, the instinctive process behind The Pearl, and how experimentation, collaboration, and visual thinking helped shape the album’s emotional core. From noise shows and improvised performances to working with collaborators like Backxwash, she speaks candidly about masking, transformation, and the kind of listening experience she hopes lingers with listeners.
REVERIE: What is the origin story of Magella?
I’ve always been surrounded by music. My parents used to take me to music festivals, and I had the chance to see some incredible artists. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was. I had a chance to witness artists such as Etta James, Lauryn Hill during her MTV Unplugged era, and the White Stripes. That exposure really sparked my interest in music. My dad is a bass player, and my mom is a passionate music appreciator, so music was always present at home. They both have eclectic tastes, I remember hearing a lot of Jimi Hendrix, Sarah Vaughan and Talking Heads. I sang in choirs, played saxophone in the high school band and started taking voice lessons as a teenager, focusing more on jazz and classical voice.
REVERIE: What was the emotional starting point for ‘The Pearl,’ - how did the album first come together?
My creative process usually starts from the ground up. I like to build music layer by layer. For this album, I began experimenting with my old Roland loop pedal, manually shaping loops and textures to create a foundation. It was a very hands-on, exploratory process. The turning point came when I started working on the track Control. That song came together quickly and felt right, it set the tone for everything else.. It was just an instinct, a pull I had, but I kept wondering: How can I make this cohesive? That question guided me through the whole process.
REVERIE: What does ‘The Pearl’ mean to you in the context of the album?
This album took me about four years to complete. I worked with Montreal-producer Simon Walls and guitarist Félix Tellier Pouliot. It became a vessel for me to release my frustrations, especially with all the changes happening in society during that time. When I first started, I felt freer. But as time went on, things shifted, and I found myself using the music as a way to process and navigate those changes.The concept of The Pearl ties into that journey. Over the summer, I created a short film that explored transformation—taking something raw and turning it into something refined. I love that metaphor because making a pearl isn’t a glamorous process. It starts with irritation: a grain of sand, a piece of bacteria. Over time, through layers and growth, it becomes something beautiful. That idea resonated with me, beauty born out of struggle.
REVERIE: What inspired you? Anything you were listening to? And are there any local musicians you’d like to shout out?
My first direction for this album was to create a free jazz record. But as I worked, my musical palette expanded—I felt this strong pull to explore harsher, more experimental sounds. I was listening to a lot of Nine Inch Nails and Death Grips. Around 2018, Montreal had this incredible scene where artists were really pushing boundaries with noise and texture. That environment gave me space to experiment and play with sound. I went to a lot of noise shows in Montreal, and those experiences were formative for me. They shaped the album’s direction and inspired me to create a hybrid of influences. As for musicians, I’d love to give a shout-out to Morgan Paige. We had an amazing moment performing together back in 2022 at the Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival. We ended the set with an improvised piece, and it was such a highlight for me.
REVERIE: What did collaborating with Backxwash unlock for you on “Shark Tank”?
“Shark Tank” was actually the first song I created for the album. I started working on it during lockdown with Félix. At the time, I was listening to a lot of Bessie Smith. I’m drawn to the lyrical depth of blues music, its darkness and honesty. We wrote the song on the spot with just guitar and voice, and I was proud of it. But, it didn’t feel like the right time to release it. It needed something more. Later, during the production process with Simon Walls, I decided to lean into a heavier sound and transform it into an industrial-blues hybrid. That’s when the idea came up: this track would be a perfect feature with Backxwash. I reached out to her, shared the inspiration behind the song, which is about masking in society, putting on a face when expectations weigh on you. She was immediately on board. The collaboration was so seamless; I wasn’t expecting it to come together that easily. She brought incredible energy and depth to the track, and it resonated with me in a way I hope listeners will feel too.
REVERIE: When listeners finish ‘The Pearl,’ what do you hope lingers with them?
I wanted the record to feel like a journey, like a book. For me, albums should take you somewhere; I love records that have a narrative running through them. I hope listeners can process their own feelings through this music. If they come to it feeling frustrated or angry, I want them to feel like they can ride that out with the album. But I also want them to sense that there’s softness at the end, a reminder that even in heaviness, there’s space for light and resolution.
REVERIE: What’s next for you in 2026?
This album really expanded my songwriting approach. I realized that I write from a visual perspective. I was also learning more about filmmaking, which inspired me to explore music videos as part of my creative expression. So, there will definitely be some music videos coming soon! Beyond that, the rest is up to the old gods.
