The Canadian artist discusses her MapleStory addiction, sonic inspirations, and rapid ascent
Victoria-based artist Petal Supply is a swiftly rising composer of candied music creations. With a penchant for exuberant pitched-up vocals and production, her sound has captivated the DIY pop world since her emergence onto the scene in the fall of 2019. Trained in piano for over a decade and formerly the keyboard wielder of a synth R&B outfit, she astonishingly learned to produce in the same calendar year as her official debut single, “Make It Real.”
The esteemed introduction is a speedy electro-pop explosion whose fundamental influences can be traced to PC Music, as Petal downloaded Serum to channel the collective’s standout producer, Easyfun. While Petal is quick to credit who sparked her production interest, “Make It Real” transcends her inspiration as warm and vulnerable lyrics dance atop colorful synth stabs and sticky production. She reflects, “My first few songs were me attempting my sound but failing,” but goes on to add that she “kind of still came up with something really unique anyways.”. The major aspects of what makes Petal distinct are her sharp, modulated vocals—the ultimate stamp of her singular sound. Featuring an elastic quality that bounces across her beats with irresistible energy, Petal explains, “They’re a little more syncopated than vocals usually would be,” and adds that they “wouldn’t have been written otherwise because I wrote them on a keyboard.”
While developing her approach, Petal also pulled aesthetic insight from the gaming world as an avid player of MapleStory. She expands upon her remarks in a previous interview with SBVRSV: “I was playing 10-15 hours a day quite often on there and I always really liked the music…all of the vibes were very audiovisual…I really aspired to that.” Beyond the legendary MMORPG, she also points toward Pokémon as an additional source of illumination, explaining how the game’s soundtracks “do a really good job of creating this audiovisual scenario…the audio definitely helps build the world that you’re in which is something that I want to do.”
With these influences in mind, it’s no surprise that Petal’s music and visuals have evolved in tandem. While her sound has bloomed into ultra-ethereal atmospherics on cuts like “Newheart” and “Bounce,” her collaborative work with 3D artist Kai Shinomura is equally essential to the project. Shinomura devises creepy yet cute animations that perfectly complement Petal’s work. Their chemistry runs deep as Petal can provide the audio with her imagined direction and Shinomura creates a fitting addition to her expansive world—a notion that’s partially due to being real-life friends who live mere blocks apart from one another alongside the rest of their BetterTogether collective.
Moving from IRL to URL, Petal recently entered the ranks of 909 Worldwide—which features the likes of Laura Les and 99jakes—after being tapped to perform at their Twitch-based festival in support of the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network. She laughs and recalls that the collective simply added her to their group chat and asked if she wanted to join on the spot (in other words, “the classic Discord to collective thing”). While Petal acknowledges that she’s likely the poppiest member of 909 Worldwide, her set at 909 Fest was an instant success packed with unreleased music that made for an online experience she describes as genuinely sweet.
One of the lauded tracks from Petal’s performance was a collaboration with fellow rising stars Himera and Gupi, who joined forces for a cover of “Snow Globe” by Dux Content—a PC Music side project masterminded by Danny L Harle and A.G. Cook that makes for a fitting return to Petal’s origins. It’s not the first creative partnership between Petal and Himera, however, as the artists released a twinkling 2020 single called “It’s U” with individual versions assigned to each creator: Petal’s “Diamond” and Himera’s “Pearl.” A tribute to their shared interest in Pokémon’s generation IV, the concept is also a testament to their creative comfortability. Petal explains, “With Himera, our fucking process is so crazy simple and easy. Them and I just write so well together…our artistic vision is almost exactly the same…it fits so perfectly every time we start something.” Their chemistry is ever-present as both versions of “It’s U” work to highlight their respective strengths, whether it’s Petal’s stretchy pop stylings or Himera’s anthemic, rave-oriented approach.
With 2020 coming to a close, Petal is now hard at work on a variety of projects, the highlight being a long-awaited EP whose lead single arrives mid-November. Featuring a collection of songs from her 909 Fest setlist, the record looks to fully realize her audiovisual approach as she muses, “I really want to delve into having it be a faux-brand kind of thing…having different objects as different products and objects to own.” Alongside the forthcoming EP and its complementary items, Petal hopes to eventually release ongoing collaborations presently under wraps and an experimental MIDI epic as well. Regardless of which offering arrives first, expect yet another exhilarating experience from the ascending creative in tow.