Alternative rock artist Em Armstrong breathes new life into “Maybe Probably Never,” an edgy, bold, and empowering anthem about closure, self-respect, and choosing yourself.

“This song came from a tough breakup and sparked the realization that the wrong people can’t keep coming back into my life whenever it’s convenient for them,” Armstrong shares. “It’s a reminder that if someone truly cares, they show up the first time.”

The title itself reflects the emotional limbo she once felt. “‘Maybe, probably I’ll go back,’” Armstrong says, echoing the confusion that followed the split. “Spoiler alert: I never did.”

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

Maybe Probably Never was written at the crux of a breakup, and has taken new shape and meaning since its original release in 2023. MPN now is a song about leaving situations that don’t serve you and putting yourself first, even if you don’t believe in yourself and the initial decision. 

What empowered me to create this music video was something a videographer asked me a year before I had decided to go solo. He asked me if I ever planned to make more music by myself and create a video for this song, since he loved it. I simply said no – I was focused on the current band I was in with no intent to go solo again. That stuck with me through my decision of if I should go solo or hang my music hat forever. Thankfully, I had the right people supporting me who also are featured and filmed the music video and brought it to life. 

2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

The main inspirations for this video was keeping it very early 2000’s where the band plays in a jam space and just rocks out to the song. It lets the viewer get a taste of what the live show is going to look and feel like. 

3. What was the process of making this video?

We kept the process very simple, as this is my first music video as a solo artist. I have a few of my current live band along with a couple of friends play and direct. We found a studio that had a great lighting set up and props like the amps and the drum stage. Shout out to “RVX Studio” and to my wonderful team/ friends: Christian, Cody, Mercedes, Keagan, Ben, Alex and Nikhil!

Born in Montreal’s DIY scene, Empty Melon (the solo project of Ada Lea bassist/producer Summer Kodama) introduces her debut single “Hoping to Find,” a cinematic, mellow, and emotionally introspective track that drifts between consciousness and dream. Rooted in ambient folk textures and experimental sensibility, the song captures a moment of creative reclamation and quiet self-renewal.

The first demo emerged in May 2024, shortly after Summer played bass for Michael Feuerstack. “It was such a fast, in/out type of experience,” she recalls. “I really enjoyed his music; he had a song called ‘Disenchanted’ that totally charmed me.” Inspired by the musicians around her, including Tim Crabtree and Erika Angell, Summer bought her first acoustic guitar from Tim before he relocated to Berlin. “I went home and the first iteration of this song was one of the first things to come out.”

At the time, she had been feeling burnt out from working as a side musician across multiple Montreal projects. “Writing this song helped me regain myself,” she says.

What sets “Hoping to Find” apart is its atmosphere. “The song is sort of like the space between being awake and being asleep,” she says. “It sits in a corner of my brain that allowed me to do whatever I wanted, in accordance with the feelings I held without judgement or parameters.” That in-between quality defines the track’s tone: cinematic yet intimate, ambient yet grounded in organic instrumentation.

The recording process deepened that sense of intention and collaboration. Summer first met Samson Wrote during a 2023 Joni Mitchell musical production in Ontario. Drawn to the “magical quality” of his albums Pigeon and In Season, she began shaping “Hoping to Find” with him in January 2025, working exclusively over Zoom. Samson later introduced her to mixing engineer JoJo Worthington and cellist Jill Sauerteig, whose contributions added further texture and emotional weight.

Stylistically, authenticity guided every decision. Summer points to the 1963 solo jazz album, Mingus Plays Piano, as a touchstone and an example of music that feels undeniably real. The raw guitar intro remains intentionally untouched. “I wanted it to feel like an old, lost, forgotten Polaroid,” she says. “I wanted this song to have a strong vibe above anything else. I wasn’t trying to be the perfect musician, I just wanted to be real.” At the same time, she notes she was meticulous about the details, balancing looseness with precision.

SCS Cello Ensemble presents “Hymne à l’amour,” a romantic and cinematic live arrangement of Édith Piaf’s timeless classic, reimagined for eight cellos. Recorded live, the performance carries both intimacy and power, offering a familiar melody and new emotional depth through the unified voice of a single instrumental family.

This release is deeply connected to the documentary Where Music Grows (Et klassisk liv), which follows Scandinavian Cello School (SCS) and its founder Jacob Shaw over five transformative years. Within the film’s narrative, the ensemble returns to the hospital where Shaw was treated for cancer, performing for staff and patients. In that context, “Hymne à l’amour” becomes more than a performance, standing as a gesture of gratitude, resilience, and unwavering love.

The title remains Édith Piaf’s original, instantly recognisable across generations. Here, however, its meaning feels steady rather than sentimental. Love is not portrayed as fragile or fleeting, but as uncompromising and enduring. Without lyrics, the melody itself becomes the guiding line, carried collectively by eight cellos whose blend creates warmth, weight, and closeness.

Arranged specifically for SCS Cello Ensemble, the performance gains a distinctive texture. The decision to keep the recording live preserves the honesty of phrasing and dynamics, allowing subtle shifts in tone and intensity to emerge naturally. The result is passionate yet restrained, cinematic yet grounded; a classical crossover interpretation that honours both the romance of the original and the strength of communal expression.

Emerging pop artist Eric Reinhart drops “Chances,” an electric and energetic new single that captures the feeling of standing at the edge of possibility and choosing to leap. Rooted in gratitude and forward momentum, the track reflects on the improbability of simply being here, alive, creating, moving, and refusing to waste that opportunity.

“I started thinking about the chances of me being here, doing what I’m doing, being alive in this exact moment, and it honestly made me feel really grateful,” Reinhart shares. “I caught myself thinking, ‘what are the chances?’ That question stuck with me. The song came from that place of awe, realizing how unlikely and special this moment is, and not wanting to waste it.”

More than a song about dreaming, “Chances” lives in the decision to act. “One thing that makes this song unique is that it’s not just about dreaming, it’s about doing,” Reinhart explains. “It talks about stepping out, letting go of anxiety, and trying new things. I really believe that’s how you figure out who you are; by moving, by taking risks, by saying yes even when you’re unsure. The song captures that turning point.”

The origin of “Chances” was equally spontaneous. Reinhart recorded the original voice memo at 1AM at his producer’s house. The following morning, his producer played him a beat. “The first time I heard it, I just started freestyling,” he says. Those off-the-cuff verses became the chorus, and ultimately defined the direction and energy of the entire song.

Following the January 2026 release of “Let Me Go,” Montreal singer-songwriter Libby Ember returns with “News at the Party,” an energetic yet emotionally heavy indie-pop single that captures the dissonance of heartbreak unfolding in real time. Upbeat and instrumentally vibrant while lyrically raw, the track explores the quiet isolation of receiving life-changing news in a room full of people.

Inspired by a real experience, “News at the Party” reflects on the moment Ember learned that someone she cared about had begun seeing someone else and the emotional performance that followed. “For the rest of the night, I just had to pretend to be okay with that and act like I never cared in the first place,” she explains. “But the second I was alone that night, all I could do was start crying.”

While the song was written the same night after returning home from the party, its evolution stretched far beyond that initial moment. The recording process marked a shift in energy, bringing together a full band arrangement featuring jazz guitarist Baron Tymas and drummer Thomas Sauvé-Lafrance. The result is a layered and kinetic soundscape where flute, piano, guitar, and drums intertwine, mirroring the emotional overwhelm at the heart of the song.

What sets “News at the Party” apart is its contrast. While Ember’s songwriting often leans toward slower, introspective arrangements, the song embraces a more upbeat momentum that masks sadness beneath movement and melody. The approach reflects the song’s central theme: feeling deeply hurt while outwardly participating in celebration. “I really feel drawn to songs that feel like they have a hidden meaning,” Ember says. “The sad lyrics get masked by the upbeat instrumental, which feels true to the experience of being sad while surrounded by a party.”

“News at the Party” continues Libby Ember’s exploration of vulnerability, emotional contradiction, and the moments where private feelings collide with public spaces. Energetic yet dramatic, the single highlights her ability to balance candid storytelling with dynamic arrangements, turning personal heartbreak into something communal and cathartic.

“I feel proud of myself for having expressed those emotions,” she reflects. “Now I have a song and a memory.”

Scarlett Macfarlane returns with “Immortal,” a powerful and defiant pop-rock single built around themes of resilience, self-worth, and inner strength. Written as an empowering anthem, the song embraces the idea that while life’s challenges may knock us down, something essential within us remains unbreakable.

“I wanted to write a song that made you feel empowered and inspired,” Scarlett explains. “A song that made you want to put a fist in the air. A song that reminded you of your own strength and fortitude.” For Scarlett, immortality isn’t about living forever in a literal sense, but about the endurance of identity and creation. The idea that what we make and who we are continues long after moments of struggle pass. “Our essence is ultimately unkillable,” she says. “We have this crazy inner fortitude to come back swinging.”

The concept of immortality has long resonated with Scarlett, shaping both the song’s title and its central message. The track leans into bold, arena-ready energy, combining modern pop production with classic rock foundations to create something designed to feel larger than life. “Who comes out the gate with an arena-ready song and sings about all of us being immortal?” she laughs.

The song came together quickly, written during an unexpected moment of inspiration while waiting at the gym. Realizing she didn’t yet have a song in her catalogue that matched the empowering energy she gravitated toward while working out, Scarlett set out to write one herself. The recording process with Grammy–winning producer Scott Jacoby helped bring that vision fully into focus, particularly when the chorus was reworked to drop into half-time, giving it the impact she had imagined from the beginning. “I wanted that sort of Queen ‘We Will Rock You’ impact,” she says. “When we made that change, the chorus really landed the way I always imagined.”