MEG MAC RETURNS WITH SOULFUL NEW SINGLE 'HE SAID NO' AND A GLIMPSE INTO HER NEXT CHAPTER

Image: Heather Gildroy.

Meg Mac, the ARIA-charting force known for her soul-drenched vocals and emotional candour, makes a compelling return with He Said No, a bittersweet anthem of heartbreak and departure. Serving as a tase of her upcoming fourth studio album, It’s My Party, set to arrive later this year, the track showcases a fresh creative direction while retaining the raw honesty that defines her music.

Rather than starting with a concept or lyrics, He Said No emerged from a moment of sonic serendipity. Working with acclaimed producer Nathan Jenkins, aka Bullion (Carly Rae Jepsen, Ben Howard), the pair stumbled across an old vocal loop buried in Meg’s loop pedal. “We found this 'he said no' vocal loop and Nathan pulled it up and built this whole world around it,” Mac explains. “But then I had to figure out what 'He Said No' even meant and figure out what I would sing." The result is a haunting, slow-burn reflection on unresolved goodbyes and the ache of being the one left behind.

Set against the quiet drama of an airport farewell, the track turns heartbreak into art. “Nothing seems sadder than dropping someone to the airport and not knowing if you'll ever see them again,” Mac shares. Her perspective is inspired by John Denver’s Leaving on a Jet Plane, but with a clever reversal - this time, it’s the person standing still who gets the spotlight. “I am obsessed with that song and I wanted to capture that feeling, but from the person left behind at the airport,” she says.

He Said No pairs the singers soulful vocals with Jenkins textured, modern production, walking the line between melancholy and melody with finesse. It’s catchy, yes, but there’s a heavy truth behind every beat - a signature move for Mac, who continues to master the art of making pain sound beautiful.

Visually, the songs visual is equally personal. Mac is leaning into a mixed-media aesthetic for her upcoming record, with the music video for He Said No featuring sweeping timelapse footage captured by her airline pilot father from the cockpit. “They're all Australian cities and landings and so pretty,” she says. The visual lends a dreamy, grounded poignancy to a song that’s about both flying and falling.

To celebrate this new era, Mac will host a three-night residency at Sydney’s Belvoir Street Theatre in August. In collaboration with director and lighting designer Alexander Berlage, these performances promise to be her most intimate yet - blending live music with immersive storytelling in a theatrical setting unlike anything she’s done before.

With He Said No, Meg Mac opens a new chapter - vulnerable, vivid, and unafraid to reframe the stories we think we know. If this first offering is any indication, her upcoming album is set to be one of her most emotionally resonant works to date.