Canada-based Caymanian rapper, singer and songwriter, Nathan McLaughlin, is on a quest to release a new single each month for the rest of the year, an ambition he believes will take his music to the next level.
McLaughlin, 25, originally from Bodden Town and who goes by Maric professionally, told the Cayman Compass, “I wanted a song every month to challenge myself and to build an audience around that consistency. I want to be something big, and I feel this is one of the necessary steps in doing that.”
The self-releasing artist has already dropped singles, ‘Lines We Crossed at Midnight’, and his most recent song, ‘Balcony’.
Often compared to Canadian rapper and singer Drake, McLaughlin got his start in music from a young age; in 2018, he started writing and recording music. In 2022, he began exploring his Caymanian heritage, producing trap soul and melodic Caribbean-Afro music.
“I think it took a while to get there though, because … a lot of times [Cayman ends] up being followers in terms of US trends and so I think it took a while for me to break out of that and really embrace where I came from,” he said.
“There was a lot of people that were interested when I told them I was from Cayman and I was playing a lot of music for them, and it was more like rap and US-inspired music. It wasn’t until I was making more Caribbean music that I got more motion around my name.”
He has released 18 songs, including EPs, and has racked up more than 16,000 streams, reaching more than 100 countries with his music on Spotify.
As a songwriter and creative artist, McLaughlin said most of his music relates to relationships and love.
“It’s something I find comes to me very easily. It’s something I can write about well and something I can put a lot of passion behind. It’s also a big topic in my life and it’s therapeutic in a way,” McLaughlin said.
Now living in Toronto, McLaughlin’s music has taken him far both geographically and professionally, and has “created a bigger love for Cayman”.
“The more I grow, the more I want to represent Cayman, so I’m looking to try and find certain ways that I can put Cayman in and have it get its recognition, even if it’s the smallest things,” he said.
With plans to drop a new single each month, McLaughlin said this year will be a big one for him.
“It’s nerve-wracking but I’m excited. I have a lot of stuff planned. I have a lot of new music coming.”
As for the creative process so far, McLaughlin said there have been ups and downs.
“You always run into some type of creative blocks. I’ve gotten a lot of no’s within certain aspects of the music. At the end of the day, no’s are what drives me as well. If it was too easy, I don’t know if I’d want to do it. I enjoy the resistance … I almost enjoy people telling me no because I can’t wait to prove them wrong.”
His music can be found on major music platforms and on Instagram @maric.msc.
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