Interview: Mia McIntosh Chats About Her Upcoming Single, "Are You Sorry", Out 2/13/2026

What inspired the creation of this single?

"Are You Sorry" was inspired by stories I heard from people about bad relationships they had been in. It made me think about how they were feeling and what a song from their point of view would sound like. I like writing from other people's point of view because I love storytelling and I've been writing stories since I was little. 

What story or message does the song convey?

The character singing the song was in a bad relationship and wants them to know how their treatment of them made them feel, even if they will never hear it. It's from the point of view of someone who was bottling up a lot of the feelings from their time together and just wants to get them out now that they're not together anymore. 

Can you tell us about the creative process?

I conceived the idea of this song when I was a freshman at Berklee in 2023. Contrary to my usual process, I came up with a sentence that seemed like it would make an interesting lyric and built the story around it. I wanted to experiment with R&B, so once I had come up with some lyrics, I wrote an R&B-inspired chord progression and then created a track in Logic. I sat with the song for a while because I wasn't sure how to finish the lyrics, so once I had worked on some other material I wanted to finish first, I came back to this song and went into the studio to record it last summer. I envisioned the song with a sax solo in the bridge, so I asked my friend Diego, who goes to school with me, to record a solo for me, and I think it turned out really well. One of my other friends mixed and mastered the song for me in January, and around that time I designed the single cover. 

 How does this song differ from your previous releases?

This song is different from my previous songs because it is much more in the R&B genre. I usually call myself a pop artist, and I would say the music I have released thus far is more influenced by people like Billie Eilish and Ruth B, but when I was working on this song, I listened to a lot of Summer Walker, Ariana Grande, and SZA. I think I've been inspired by R&B before—I remember being told one of my very first releases, "Maybe I'm Not the Only One," had Stevie Wonder vibes—but this was the first time I tried to directly take influence from it, and I hope it comes through for people when they hear it for the first time. 

What challenges did you face while writing or recording?

When I was writing the lyrics, I was trying to make sure they weren't too direct because then it would only feel relatable to a few people, but I also wanted to make sure everyone knew what it was about. I think that's a challenge for me whenever I write because it's hard to walk that line. 

Did you experiment with any new instruments, techniques, or styles?

This was the first time I'd had a saxophone solo on one of my songs, and I'm really glad I asked Diego to record it for me. I'd been thinking about doing something like that in one of my songs for a while, and I think "Are You Sorry" is a great song for that. I'm really grateful to Diego for doing that for me, and I can't wait for the song to come out. I hope he and I can collaborate more soon. 

Is there a personal connection or story tied to the lyrics?

This song isn't about me—it's about other people whose stories I heard. Sometimes I write about things that happened to me, but this song is a mix of stories coming from other places. When the song comes out, I hope people who have been in bad relationships feel seen when they listen to it. 

Have you performed it live yet, and what was the audience’s reaction?

I have not performed the song live yet, but I'm really excited to perform it live for the first time. I have a show coming up in Boston on the 20th that I haven't put the setlist together for yet, so maybe I will debut the song there.  

Is this single part of a larger project, like an album or EP?

"Are You Sorry" is the third single from my next EP, which is coming out in April. I've been working on these songs for a while, so I'm excited to finally get to share the EP with everyone soon. 

Anything Else You'd Like Your Fans to Know.

Be sure to pre-save the song before it comes out on streaming platforms!   

Pre-save here!