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Photo: Jade Sadler

With each new iridescent gem that rising artist McCall drops, our song crush for the LA-based alt-pop artist continues to deepen, and when we heard word she was gearing up to release her debut album …To Be A Dream…, set to release July 15, we knew we had to get ahead of it to see what to expect. As this budding creative has all the attributes that make her an enviable tour de force to watch, including directing and editing the video for her latest single "Perfect Timing," we reached out to learn not just one but 10 things about this rising star. 

Ones To Watch: Who is McCall?

McCall: I am McCall. 

What is "Perfect Timing" all about? 

"Perfect Timing" is about ending a relationship and leaning into the relief and freedom that being on your own brings. The other person may have done nothing wrong, but that doesn’t mean you can’t feel joy from moving on from something that doesn’t serve you.

What inspired the fun, crunchy vibe of the song?

Bobby and I were very inspired by the idea of pairing beautiful sounds with absolutely horrid ones to make a living, breathing organism rather than a pretty song. We tried to carry that through the whole album and play with pairing beautiful pianos with almost unlistenable distortion. 

Any co-writers? Who produced the track?

I wrote the song in my room at the beginning of quarantine and produced a few different versions of it before taking it to Bobby, who definitely brought it in the ideal direction. 

You also directed and edited the accompanying music video, which is both light and a little haunting. How was the experience? 

It was so much fun!!! Zoe Sher was the DP and was great at offering me guidance while also letting me have full control of the vision. I’m more proud of this video than anything else I’ve made because I made every part of it, from the treatment to the final edit.

Can we expect more self-direction and art direction in the future?

Definitely! I plan on directing and editing everything for my project going forward, and I’m excited to start editing for other artists as well :)

Besides this excellent single and video, what else should we be on the lookout for?

A lil album perhaps??? Am I allowed to announce that?

What's been inspiring you outside of music?

My partner is very into field recording right now, so I’ve been learning a lot about recording sound for purposes outside of putting them in songs. It’s been fun to learn how to listen to things without a beat and still hear the musical elements of it. And also Game of Thrones. Been watching a looooot of Game of Thrones. 

It’s the beginning of PRIDE month. What does that mean to you as an artist?

The queer community has been the backbone of the arts for centuries. They are the creators and the patrons. The arts would be nothing without the LGBT+ community and anyone who participates in it is indebted to and should be fighting for their rights to remain intact in this country :)

Who are your Ones To Watch?

I’m in a session right now and my friend just played us Ogi's new album, which is stunning. I’ve been listening to “Afterlife” by Madisenxoxo non-stop. My friend Judith is about to put out a song called “see u” that I haven’t stopped singing since I first heard it. Zoe Alex is putting out a song called “acrobat” soon and the visuals are almost as amazing as the song itself. Little Simz's latest album should be the biggest thing in the world but people are sleeping, at least in America.