Fijian-Australian artist mikii has ended one project and begun another, and her new single ‘i ached (start again)’ is the sound of the gap between them. Built on a quiet, ethereal opening that gives way to a heavy-hitting pop chorus, the song marks the first release of her new chapter. LISTEN HERE.

Written with longtime collaborator Nydge in a studio the pair had worked in many times before, ‘i ached (start again)’ was made while her previous artist project was coming to a close. “It was a cathartic experience, writing it in the same room, knowing that part of my life was ending,” mikii says. “I was still me. It’s almost a love note to myself.”

The song’s production follows the same arc as its subject. Its restrained opening, which mikii likens to Lizzy McAlpine, tightens into a chorus made for the dancefloor. “The production reflects the gears turning, and the juxtaposition between the soft and the hard parts of grieving,” she says. “The chorus sums me up as an artist, sitting somewhere between headphones on a Lime bike and a dancefloor.”

For mikii, the lyric is about the cost of moving on. “Letting go of a part of yourself requires reflection,” she says. “It means not forgetting who you were, and acknowledging that it happened. It also means understanding that by moving forward, I’m probably going to go through the trenches and all the hard work all over again.” She hopes listeners will bring their own meaning to it. “I feel like this is something everyone can relate to at some stage in their life, regardless of their pursuit. I hope it gives someone hope if they’re grieving, and strength too.”

mikii makes music that sits between dance and alt-pop, with unguarded emotion running beneath club-ready production. Her influences range from Robyn and Troye Sivan to FKA twigs to Caroline Polachek, and she pairs intimate songwriting with forward-looking, genre-blurring sound and imagery. Each song works as a world of its own, but together they form a cohesive one that is distinctly hers.