Merchant is on Spotify

Merchant's latest, 'Lose Somebody' is the third in a string of singles co-produced by Duran Duran's John Taylor, which have reached #1 on the Hype Machine Chart and received support from Ones To Watch, WFNM, KCRW, Lyndsey Havens of Billboard, Kings of A&R, and Lori Majewski & Simon Le Bon on Sirius XM. 'Don't Feel Like Dancing' was added to Spotify's "Fresh Finds" and "Fresh Finds Pop." In the Fall of 2020, as Covid's second wave loomed, the collaboration between Merchant and Taylor began. Sifting through an array of musical ideas presented by Merchant, the pair embarked on weekly sessions in a Westwood studio arranging, recording and polishing the tracks. With Taylor's guiding hand (and world class bass playing), Merchant's lushly textured, vulnerable snapshots of self-awareness, love and loss were fully realized in a remarkable collection of distinctive synth-pop songs. The resulting EP will be released in the Fall of 2021. After music school Merchant moved from Oregon to Los Angeles where he honed his skills working with Grammy award-winning songwriter Sam Martin (Maroon 5, Jason Derulo, One Direction), ultimately co-producing Martin's debut album for Atlantic Records. Merchant's first band Papa Ya quickly cracked the Top 10 on the Spotify Viral Charts with their debut single, the infectious groover "Sunny." Papa Ya's songs garnered over 50 million plays across all platforms leading to two national club tours opening for chart-topping acts like MAX and ROZES.