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Earlier this year, mlbacard¡ caught our eyes and ears when she released a string of singles in true BROCKHAMPTON style with short, bold, capitalized titles (i.e. “KETCHUP,” “REAL,” “CLAUSTROPHOBIC”) over the course of the summer. From a soft-pop ballad to an alternative R&B banger, mlbacard¡ is defying genres and intertwining moments of raw authenticity with tongue-in-cheek writing to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience. Listening to mlbacard¡ feels like a FaceTime call with your best friend, where one minute you’re spilling your deepest secrets, the next you’re laughing at memes, and suddenly you are sitting in silence and going about your days, in the comfort of each other’s virtual presence.

We’ve been patiently waiting to hear what the 22-year-old rising artist has in store next. Lucky for us, we were able to get our questions answered firsthand.

Ones To Watch: Let’s start this off with a quick introduction: what is your name, how old are you, and where are you based? Any fun facts?

mlbacard¡: My name is Maria Luisa, but since I can remember everyone’s called me by my initials: ML. I’m 22 years old and due to my busy schedule I’m based in a few European cities including London! A fun fact about me is I think I can beatbox better than I actually can... I can touch my nose with my tongue, and at one point in my life, I was strongly considering playing tennis professionally.

And now let’s take things back to the beginning. Did you grow up in a musical household? Can you remember your first encounter with music?

My mother, unfortunately, god bless her... can’t sing to save her life. But one thing that has been prevailing in my household since a young age, was the mandatory playing of music at all times. My father and mother loved music. Whether there was Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin, the Gipsy Kings, or Barry White playing—all corners were filled with music. I always knew that music was an inescapable path for me, like a deep force that wouldn’t let me dissuade from that reality. At the age as early as 4 years old, I expressed the desire for a career in music. Precisely a singer.

By the time this interview is out, I LOVE TO DO MY OWN STUNTS will be out for the world to hear. In 3 words, how does it feel?

I feel exhilarated, acknowledged, and alive.

Can you tell us more about how the single “GUINEA PIG” came to be? What was your writing process like?

“GUINEA PIG” came to me one night. My eyes were fixated on the screen of my TV and having taken consciousness of my brainwashed state... I immediately realized that I was wasting my time on information that didn’t serve me and would be subsequently forgotten. My writing process was incredibly easy and natural. I instantly turned off my TV and started writing this song; inspired by this unfortunate age of consumerism, surveillance, and conditioning. The name “GUINEA PIG” is the commentary of us all being a product of subliminal tests.

Any collaborators? Who produced the track?

I produced the track with the amazing Dann Hume. I also collaborated with the talented Läpsley on the songwriting and composition side. We collaborated by complimenting our similarities in musical aesthetics.

The “GUINEA PIG” music video is super colorful, nostalgic, and feels surreal in some ways. What was it like seeing your song come to life, visually? Did you have any references in mind while creating the video?

It has felt amazing to see my song and ideas come to life visually! Collaborating with the incredible Silence was a pleasure - her aesthetic understanding and executing how I’d envisioned things - even better than I could’ve asked for. I had a lot of aesthetic references for the creation of the video: I was incredibly inspired by “Requiem for a Dream” for its dark/intriguing aesthetic and “The Matrix” due to it being a direct reference to one of the lyrics of the songs. Last but not least the aesthetic reference to “The Rain” by Missy Elliot, because that music video is just crazy cool!

Is there anything you hope people take away from the song?

I hope people take away an understanding of how we are prone to social conditioning through the manipulativeness of the never-ending marketing schemes of our modern world. We are, all guinea pigs of sorts, but the prominent difference is that we are aware of the reality we live in, but choose to beat around the bush, because it's inherently easier that way.

Musically or non-musically, who or what is inspiring you right now?

Recently, I’ve been listening to the works of Deki Alem, Wet Leg, Kaisen, Audrey Nunna, Oasis, Crazy P and Little Simz

Is there anyone you hope to collaborate with one day?

I’d love to collaborate with 070 Shake, Still Woozy, and Deki Alem

And lastly, who are your Ones to Watch?

I’ve been loving Deki Alem, I find the punk/nonchalant elements he gives to his music super sick. I also love the energy in the breakbeat-like production. I’ve been really liking the artist EIGHTEEN - he makes me think a little of Die Antwoord (which I absolutely adore), I also love discovering new artists in languages I don’t speak.