Meg Mac Returns with New Sound on ‘He Said No’
The track is the first taste of Meg Mac’s upcoming fourth studio album, It’s My Part.
Image Heather Gildroy
Meg Mac is back with new single ‘He Said No’, a swirling electro-pop ballad hinting at a new direction for the Sydney artist.
Best known for her keyboard-heavy indie creations, ‘He Said No’ finds Mac exploring her electronic side, with the track a flighty, synth-pop ditty that also represents a departure from Mac’s typical songwriting approach.
Working with producer Nathan Jenkins, aka Bullion (Carly Rae Jepsen, Ben Howard), the duo were searching through Mac’s loop pedal when they stumbled across a loop they both liked.
“We found this ‘he said no’ vocal loop and Nathan pulled it up and built this whole world around it,” Mac explains. “But then I had to figure out what ‘He Said No’ even meant and figure out what I would sing.”
Mac drew inspiration from the John Denver classic ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’, flipping the narrative and telling the story of the person left behind at the airport as a loved one leaves.
“I am obsessed with that song and I wanted to capture that feeling, but from the person left behind at the airport,” she says. Mac goes on to share that ‘He Said No’ feels “so satisfying and fun”, with the track making for a wonderful change of pace from her usual output.
‘He Said No’ is accompanied by a music video featuring background footage shot by her pilot father. “My favourite thing is the background videos, they're taken from my Dad. He was an airline pilot and set up his phone in the cockpit and would do these timelapse videos,” Mac shares. “They're all Australian cities and landings and so pretty.”
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Breaking through over a decade ago with her self-titled debut EP, Meg Mac has solidified her position as one of Australia’s great modern pop performers.
Her 2015 single ‘Never Be’ cracked the ARIA Singles top 40 and claimed the #11 spot on triple j’s Hottest 100, while her debut album, Low Blows, came in at #2 on the ARIA Album Chart two years later.
2019 saw the arrival of Mac’s ARIA Album Chart top ten record Hope, with her 2022 follow-up, Matter of Time, taking out the top spot on the ARIA Album Chart. The album was both a commercial and critical success and featured on many end-of-year best album lists.
The success of Matter of Time saw Mac hit the road these past couple of years performing to sold-out crowds at her own headline shows while also supporting the likes of Sam Smith and Teddy Swims.
‘He Said No’ by Meg Mac is out now. It’s My Party is set for release later this year.
