Interview by Brooke Gibbs.

With a Sophomore EP on its way, MANE (a project by Paige Court) has left a breathtaking first impression with single, Breathing Again.

Futuremag Music Editor Brooke Gibbs caught up with MANE to talk about the single, the upcoming EP, and what’s in store for MANE’s US your dates.

FMM: Congrats on the release of Breathing Again! I guess you must be feeling like you can ‘breathe again’ now that this single is wrapped up and ready to venture into the world! How are you feeling? 

MANE: Thanks so much! It's definitely very nice to be releasing new music again! I’ll admit it's always strange releasing a song that was written in a previous season of your life but for Breathing Again it still really resonates with where I'm at now which is cool! 

FMM: Reflecting on that period of time, and where you are today, how does it feel to be breathing again and how did you come out of that slump? 

MANE: To be honest, I don't necessarily think I've come out the other side of it. I think there are still things that will take time to heal from and it will ebb and flow each day. However, I do feel like there has been plenty of growth, healing and feeling in the last couple of years. The best way for me to describe it is as if the space around some of my grievous experiences has just gotten bigger and allowed me more room to catch my breath. Breathing Again is about the moments where things just feel a little lighter and easier. I think those moments provide us all with hope which is essential to moving forward. 

FMM: Why is Breathing Again the perfect preview of what’s to come from the bigger project? What are some of the inspirations behind your sophomore EP? What can we expect from this release? 

MANE: I think Breathing Again really just captures the theme and gist of the whole EP and what the songs touch on, so it feels really fitting to introduce this track to the world first. 

FMM: I love to see that you produced and edited the accompanying visuals yourself. Was it difficult to balance the two hats of songwriter, but also producer when it came to this project? Or did you find it had its benefits having that extra involvement from yourself? 

MANE: I am by no means a professional at video editing, so It was definitely a bit of a juggling act and I’ll likely always be the most pedantic when it comes to these things, but I do love having creative control on the visuals. The contemporary dancing footage Omri Ohana captured was so fun to edit and play with while piecing it together with the footage of myself singing the lyrics (Captured by Friends On Film) - I wanted the visual to feel like the metaphor '“Dancing in the rain” and I hope I encapsulated that!

FMM: Breathing Again as a whole (lyrics, vocals, production, visuals) is remarkably haunting. I was captivated from the first note right to the last. It enabled me to reflect on my own growth and things that I feel like I’ve healed from, that at the time, when I was going through these things, it felt quite impossible. So, thank you for that. That’s personally how this song moved me, but what do you hope others take away from this? 

MANE: Firstly, thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m really touched that it moved you in the way that it did. I think all I can hope for is that it reaches people in a similar way that it reached you. If it allows people to reflect positively on their own healing journey, and that could be the one they are currently living through or the one they are about to begin or come out the other side of, then I’m really humbled by that. 

FMM: It’s such a busy time for you at the moment! You’ve got an upcoming trip to the US for the New Colossus Festival and SXSW. How did these opportunities come across and what’s in store for you? 

MANE: I went to SXSW last year where the opportunity to return came up for me. After many stressful hours of going through the visa application process, I was fortunate enough to spend three months from August to November last year in the USA touring around. However, this year I'm coming back with new music, so I think the timing to return to SXSW will be a little better for me and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of it.

FMM: What are you most looking forward to about the US dates? 

MANE: Aside from playing shows, I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the amazing people and bands we met and discovered last year whilst touring and spending time there.

FMM: What can we expect from a MANE show then? 

MANE: High energy, silly banter, drums, guitar, big vocals and lush production.

FMM: What’s next for you? 

MANE: Aside from releasing new music and touring, I'll likely be back in the studio writing towards the next body of work. Excited to see where it takes me.