Fresh off of SXSW where they performed at the Nettwerk showcase in collaboration with Ones To Watch, The Ally Coalition and more, Miki Ratsula has shared the new visual from their debut album, i owe it to myself, due this Friday, March 25. The video for their latest single “sugarcane” ft. Dana Williams was directed by frequent collaborator Evers Pund and sees Miki and LA-based singer, songwriter and friend Williams indulging in sugary goodness, similar to the decadent feeling of finding effortless, joyful love. “‘sugarcane’ is about the type of love that is just as enjoyable and as effortless as eating your favorite dessert. You can’t believe something so good can exist, and you just can’t get enough of it,” notes Ratsula. 

“sugarcane” follows the release of several album singles, including the raw, personal single “second” which deals with their fears and anxiety around getting top surgery last year; “reeboks” which is about feeling so anxious about the future that they end up running themselves into the ground; “i walked a mile in my room” which discusses their mental health struggles and its impact on the people close to them; and “suffocate,” their powerful track that they recorded with Sanderson and released in the fall of 2021. 

i owe it to myself is a testament to self-love and a gift to anyone seeking the same, and sees Miki at their most vulnerable and fully realized. They use their platform to candidly document their life: from coming out to getting top surgery to their mental health journey. It’s the kind of storytelling that listeners, especially young queer kids, crave and deserve. “I just want to be the artist I needed growing up,” says Miki, and that’s exactly who they’ve become on this heartfelt and impressive debut record. Throughout the record, Miki effortlessly floats between R&B slow jams and acoustic numbers laced with sensual groove, and some of the album’s more powerful moments exist in the soft, nostalgic spaces in between, which often deal with the pain that lives behind closed doors. 

Ratsula has built a sizable audience by openly and honestly welcoming people into their world. Their deeply intimate record touches on mental health, loss, love, and everything in between. The album from the Southern California-based nonbinary singer, songwriter and producer is an acoustic pop dream guided by Miki’s lush, lofi-inspired production that captures the full emotional seesaw that rocks between youth and adulthood. They are also set to go out on their first extensive national tour where they will be a support act for friend and collaborator Lauren Sanderson.