Meg Mac Can Cry If She Wants To

Photography by Sara Regan

Sydney-born powerhouse Meg Mac is learning to let go and have fun. Skyrocketing to success in 2014, after winning Artist of the Year for Triple J’s Unearthed, Mac has gone on to be one of Australia’s most successful solo artists.  Her 2017 debut album, Low Blows, entered the ARIA charts at No. 2. In 2023, she was nominated for Best Solo Artist at the ARIA Awards and has supported global superstars such as Sam Smith and Teddy Swims on their respective headline tours. Now, Mac is bringing back her hypnotic vocals and raw songwriting in her 4th album, It’s My Party. A slightly more pop-influenced album that maintains that Meg Mac sensibility we’ve grown to love.

It’s My Party is the product of letting go and having fun again. Mac explains, “It's kind of the result of making an album without a plan and just seeing what happens”. Before the album was born, Mac had a different vision for the album, darker, witchy and something fans might be more accustomed to hearing from her. But once in the midst of planning, Mac found herself letting go of that vision, “I had this big visual diary with all these reference images. I had the album name, lots of songs, but I hadn't fully gone into writing yet. The first song I wrote was The Tune I'll Be Singing ‘til I'm Dead. And at that time, it was like a six, eight, kind of folk ballad thing. I was like oh I really like this but it doesn’t fit in to what I thought I was meant to do. Then all of the songs surprised me as I wrote them.” It’s an amalgamation of tracks that never made it to her previous album, newly finished gems that had been tucked away for some time and brand new ideas inspired when writing with producer Bullion.

The opening track and the first single from the album, He Said No, is perhaps the biggest departure, sonically,  from what we’re used to hearing from Mac. Inspired in part by Jon Denver's Leaving On A Jet Plane, the track explores the point of view from a lover left behind. Then he said no / now I’m crying / at the airport / my number one is on the run/. The techno pop production paired with Mac’s melancholic lyrics allow for a track that is a fresh sound for the artist yet undeniably true to her.

Mac has been open about never enjoying the in-between process of writing an album, “I've been in studios with people, where it's very rushed, and you almost don’t have the time to catch up to how you feel about it”. This time around, Mac teamed up with producer Bullionwho she says allowed her to have fun again. “Working with one producer across the whole album was really nice. His energy and his way of working were really similar to mine. It felt like we were both trying to find what it was (the album) and just experimenting and discovering what could happen with each song. He expanded on what I thought was possible for my music”.  

Straying from her initial ‘vision’ for the album, Mac released the grip of her own inner critic, “a lot of my struggles, I started to realise, were self-imposed. You’re your own worst critic”. The sixth track on the album Sometimes explores this feeling. Tell me if you're playing this game / Do you like it? / 'Cause sometimes, sometimes / You gotta do something that makes you feel better. Although perhaps written from the perspective of a relationship, the duality of the lyrics are deeply vulnerable and serve as a reminder that ultimately you are the one in charge.

I’m Gonna _ Somebody is a cheeky track bathed in Mac’s iconic soulful vocal layering, elevated by a string-forward production. “Originally, it was I’m Gonna Kill Somebody but then Nathan (Bullion) suggested it could be fun if we took out the kill. I remember showing my mum the idea for the song, and she was like "Oh, that's terrible, you can't say that!” So I think by taking the word out, you know that I’m just being silly”. The vocal layering and lyric repetition slowly crescendos, building with a dreamy if not tense string section leading to a flowery upbeat second half that completely juxtaposes the subject matter. Inspired by the 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Mac recalls, “I don't know what had gotten into me, but after watching it one night, I went straight upstairs. I was borrowing a friend's harmoniser and just started singing. I think the voicenote went for like 20 minutes”.

Mac beautifully closes out the album with her rendition of Lesley Gore's 1963 track, It’s My Party. “It wasn’t planned. I had a voice memo of this idea, the darker version of it, and I just showed it to him (Bullion), and he was like, Oh, that's so cool.” The cover affectionately bookends the album with another nod to the pain of crying in public.

All the way back in August of 2025, Mac treated her most loyal fans to a 3-night pop-up at the Belvoir St Theatre. The sold-out shows boldly transcended a traditional concert format. Complete with party games, hats and snacks for an evening of storytelling and community, Mac looks back, “I remember the first night, I was like, what am I doing? This isn't going to work.” But it did, spectacularly. The result is an enchanting and unique experience for fans.

Now, the It’s My Party Tour expands on Mac’s Belvoir St shows, “There are so many challenges, we have a whole table setting, finding glasses that look real that we could travel with”. Through the making of It’s My Partyand planning of her most audacious tour yet, Mac has been emboldened to liberate herself from her self imposed pressures, “You’re meant to have fun, that’s the whole point. Since I've made this album, I don't know, it's been such a shift. I used to be so scared of interviews and like on stage, I'm talking more”.

Meg Mac allowed space for instinct, freedom and collaboration in the creation of It’s My Party. The album's vivid, eclectic alt-pop sound paired with Mac's stirring vocals saturates its listener, submerging them into a world where you can forgive yourself, have fun and cry…if you want to.

Make sure you give it a listen here and keep up to date with Meg here.