Q&A: Mereki on the Power of Transcendence in Her Latest Album ‘Death of a Cloud’
THROUGH A DEEP DIVE BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE MYSTIC AND MESMERIZING SENSE OF — Mereki’s music, there lies an abundance of raw emotion and authenticity. Her latest album, Death of a Cloud, represents the artistic process and calm that embodies grief, love, light, and everything in between. Her creation is one of solace and peace, bounded by powerful, uncontrollable, and indescribable emotion. As Mereki describes it, “the secrets of the universe are limitless,” delving into the topic of death, life, and love in a way that invites listeners to understand grief and the journey surrounding it in an individual and authentic, yet collective way.
Born and raised in Australia, Mereki’s music has continuously transformed into a platform to unapologetically explore the nuances of day-to-day life, yet she manages to do so by creating a magical world of transcendence. It provides a place for us to find refuge from the dark aspects of our life, yet also exacerbates the collective consciousness we have as listeners, artists, and human beings to share and confront these experiences — no matter how bleak or difficult they have been for us and may continue to be.
Outside of her music, Mereki has created a non-profit organization, Be Kind, and plans on writing her own book of poetry, encapsulating her continuous efforts to use her artistry for purpose, prosperity, and peace — both inside and outside of her own artistic career. With the release of Death of a Cloud, it is nevertheless abundantly clear that Mereki’s return with the album showcases her lasting and constant evolution within the industry.
Read below to learn more about the new album, what inspired the title, and what Mereki has planned for the year ahead.
LUNA: Hey, Mereki! Huge congrats on the release of Death of a Cloud. Can you touch upon your evolution with the music industry since you first started out?
MEREKI: A full cycle of death and rebirth, I would say. I was very naive when I began writing, and that naivety wrote some really beautiful songs, and then it took me on more of an externalized journey for a while … Finally I found peace inside me and [found] what I wanted to say. That is Death of a Cloud. I’m so grateful for all of it!
LUNA: You state that the creation of Death of a Cloud saw you deep dive into the “darkest corners” of your soul. What are some musical inspirations or personal moments within your life that have led to the creation of the album, especially since this album seems to be representative of such a huge step for you both personally and professionally?
MEREKI: My father died and it totally broke me open. But you know how they say that when your heart breaks it lets the light in? I definitely found that to be true. In the depths of sorrow and grief I found magical, soft, divine sunlight streaming into me. It was so moving, and it continues to move me. The secrets of the universe are limitless and profound.
LUNA: What does the creative process look like behind the creation of Death of a Cloud?
MEREKI: Long (laughs). I write every morning, usually just lots of meaningless words that seem to clear my heartspace to connect with something greater, or to not, and to be okay with that too. I think that doing nothing is massively underrated and actually the place that I’ve found some of my most meaningful songs.
LUNA: Can you touch upon what inspired the title of the album in particular?
MEREKI: Yes! It’s from a Thich Nhat Hanh book called Fear. He’s describing death and explains it by using the example of the cloud disappearing. It doesn't mean that it no longer exists — it has merely transformed form. It’s become air particles or snow, rain, the ocean, the flowers, blades of grass. And that’s what I believe happens to the soul when we die. I was searching for meaning in my dad’s death, and I started to find it in Death of a Cloud.
LUNA: I love the ethereal, dream-like quality encapsulated within the instrumental elements of songs such as “Twin Flame,” as we get an introductory feel to the track. Why do you think it is important to create this sonic element of the track, and is this a theme that transcends the other songs within Death of a Cloud?
MEREKI: This record is about transcendence, about the “other side”; it's about the magical qualities of nature and the universe and finding light inside of yourself. So making the record sound the way it felt to me was very important. Seven years of trying to get the sparkles on the record to sound exactly magical enough to me.
LUNA: The themes of fantasy and nature seem to be prevalent throughout the visualiser for songs such as “Presence.” How does this translate for you as an artist in terms of how it reflects the feelings and emotions you hope to evoke, both aesthetically and sonically, throughout your music?
MEREKI: I believe that everything is connected.
LUNA: What are your upcoming plans for the year ahead?
MEREKI: I’m very happy to be playing the Joe Strummer stage at Glastonbury again in the summer, and I’m working on a little surprise that I’m trying to get off the ground for this record. I’ll keep working on the second album, which is very much underway, and hopefully bathe in the ocean and sunshine for extended periods of time.
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