Over two years in the making, and many more in the two
musician’s shared dream, “Real Thing” unites longtime collaborators
Michael Collins (Drugdealer) and Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood).
Recorded across continents, “Real Thing” is a return, a refinement,
and a reminder of the deep connection that has bound these two
titans of song over multiple collaborations.
The journey of “Real Thing” began when Collins, while on a
European sojourn, crossed paths with Parisian producer Max Baby.
As one does while in Paris, they found themselves in a studio owned
by a member of the ’70s French prog rock band Magma. There, a
chord progression long-gestating in Collins’ brain blossomed into a
bonafide demo. Collins recalls, “I realized immediately that it was the
perfect thing to show Nat, who I had been wanting to collaborate
with again for years.”
The connection, and musical camaraderie, between Collins and
Mering dates back to 2014 in Oakland, where a chance meeting and
studio session marked the genesis of their enduring partnership.
Collins reflects, “Since then, I’ve felt like she’s my musical family. I
can’t really ask for more in terms of someone who inspired me to
even get to this place in my songwriting.”
On the B-side is “The News,” Drugdealer’s first collaboration with
Robbie Chemical. What began as a simple harmony grew into a
panoramic partnership, the musician’s voices effortlessly entwined
and a pop paragon envisioned. Inspired by generational
conversations on chaos, change, and connection, the track opens a
new chapter—topical, personal, and unmistakably Drugdealer.
As Drugdealer, Michael Collins has crafted a career that blends
introspective songwriting with a reverence for classic pop and R&B.
A native of the East Coast, Collins’ musical adventure began with the
experimental pop collages of Run DMT and Salvia Plath before
evolving into the more melodic, refined songwriting heard in
Drugdealer’s acclaimed albums Raw Honey and Hiding In Plain Sight.
Natalie Mering, better known as Weyes Blood, has similarly forged
a path of emotive, transcendental folk-pop that delves into themes of
myth, love, and existential longing. Known for her ethereal voice and
evocative lyrics, Mering’s latest works, Titanic Rising and And in the
Darkness, Hearts Aglow, are nothing short of modern classics,
though also feel like just the start of this artist’s undeniable ascent.
