Multi-faceted artist Michelle Blades returns with ‘You’re the Mother, You’re the Man’, the first single from her forthcoming album Where To?, scheduled for release in early 2026.
Both intimate and universal, this song is one of the oldest on the album. Written in 2018 in Mexico City, it predates the rest of the record, which began to take shape in 2023. Inspired by childhood memories and reflections on single parenthood, ‘You’re the Mother, You’re the Man’ was first imagined a...
Multi-faceted artist Michelle Blades returns with ‘You’re the Mother, You’re the Man’, the first single from her forthcoming album Where To?, scheduled for release in early 2026.
Both intimate and universal, this song is one of the oldest on the album. Written in 2018 in Mexico City, it predates the rest of the record, which began to take shape in 2023. Inspired by childhood memories and reflections on single parenthood, ‘You’re the Mother, You’re the Man’ was first imagined as a poetic mantra for Blades’s mother. Born in Mexico, she is celebrated here as both strong and vulnerable, able to carry many roles at once. The chorus phrase “You’re the Mother” responds to the familiar “You’re the man,” traditionally used to salute someone admirable. By reframing this formula, the song places the power of motherhood at the center.
Musically, the piece draws on two key influences: the use of silence as a rhythmic element, and the vocal and spatial explorations of Meredith Monk, especially Book of Days. Monk’s work has inspired Blades since her arrival in Arizona in 2010. Reimagined during the recording of Where To?, the track found its form at La Bergerie in southern France with Emmanuel Mario (Astrobal), Nina Savary, Gaétan Nonchalant, and Vincent Guyot. Nonchalant’s Rhodes lines add depth to Blades’s guitars, breaking the mantra’s repetition with flashes of memory. Layered vocals intertwine to create a subtle balance between density and simplicity. The track is accompanied by a music video directed by Ilan Zerrouki.
Born in Panama to a family of musicians, Michelle Blades grew up in the United States before shaping a unique aesthetic that blends experimentation and pop sensitivity. After emerging from Arizona’s DIY scene, she settled in Paris and collaborated for ten years with Midnight Special Records, releasing Ataraxia (2015), the Premature Love Songs EP (2017), Visitor (2019), and the Spanish-language EP Nombrar las cosas (2020).
Blades is also known for her collaborations. She has played bass on stage with Pomme, arranged Flavien Berger’s latest album Plouf! with the band La Brume, and toured worldwide with La Femme as both singer and musician.
With You’re the Mother, You’re the Man, Michelle Blades opens a new chapter in her artistic universe, blending personal heritage, sonic exploration, and the desire to share.
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