Debriefing NXNE with Micah Sage - Our Favourite Ex-Girlfriend
Cover Shot Credit: @brandynnleigh
Emerging independent Calgary-based artist Micah Sage made her way to Toronto this year for NXNE, delivering one of the festival's standout performances.
Taking over Trinity Common, Sage filled her 45-minute set with cinematic, soulful tracks that held the crowd from start to finish. Between heartfelt songwriting, dreamy production, and her fan-favourite 'Favourite Ex Girlfriend' crowning tradition, she created a performance that felt both intimate and larger-than-life.
Her stage presence was impossible to ignore. Confident, playful, and effortlessly charismatic, Sage moved through the crowd with the persona of a pop star, making every audience member feel part of the show.
After NXNE wrapped up, we caught up with Micah to talk about the festival, life as an independent artist, and what's coming next.
Now that NXNE is over, how are you feeling? Any favourite moments from the weekend?
A: We had such a wonderful time at NXNE this year!! It was my second time at the festival and I got to bring my whole band this time. I'm feeling so happy to've met so many new friends, showcased some new unreleased songs, and to've had the opportunity to see so many cool Canadian and International acts. My favourite moment was our acoustic showcase at Harmony Cafe/Bar. It was such a beautiful sunny day, every seat inside and outside was full, we had people in the street stopping to stay for a while, and even people in the patios around interacting with us and dancing across the street! It was such a warm welcome and it's always so much fun visiting Toronto.
NXNE is all about discovering new artists. What did you hope people would take away from your set?
A: I hope that when people see us play, that they feel seen! My goal with my music is to not only make people feel connected to other people, but also feel grounded and connected to themselves. I hope people left both of our NXNE showcases feeling uplifted, understood, and surrounded by magic. (Because to us, art is magic)
How did the Toronto crowd compare to crowds back home in Calgary?
A: I am a home-y girl at heart and I love our hometown shows, but there is something so fun and cool about playing shows outside of our city where not as many people know who you are. When I get to showcase my music to new people for the first time, it's almost like I get to experience my own song again for the first time. Especially by having conversations with fans after the shows and getting to hear which lyrics touched them the most, or a different way they interpreted a song. It is always very special to share my music with a new crowd who has never seen us before!
My goal with my music is to not only make people feel connected to other people, but also feel grounded and connected to themselves.
- Micah Sage
What's something people might not realize about being an independent artist?
A: I would say that people might not realize that as an independent artist, I get to wear all kinds of different industry hats. And lots of us indie artists do! Yes I am the artist and songwriter, but I am also the manager, the artistic director, the content creator, the stylist and makeup artist. I am the organizer and director of my band, I am the co-producer of my songs, and director and editor of my music videos, I am booking all my own shows and acquiring all my media/press opportunities. As much work as it is, and as excited as I am to have a big team one day to support me, it is a blessing that I am getting to learn how to build my business, and understand my art in so many areas at the same time.
What inspires your songs the most? Is there a past experience or memory in particular that has shaped your recent work?
A: What inspired my most recent project 'GIRLFRIEND' (Nov 2025) was the happiness, nostalgia, heartbreak, and self-understanding and exploration I experienced in 2024. GIRLFRIEND captures the in's and out's, the in betweens - all the messy, silly, beautiful stages of romance that shape us. Being a 'girlfriend' was ironically the only thing missing from the EP. The most growth in my relationships has always happened in the limbo spaces, and that's where I learn the most about myself, and have the most inspiration.
When did you first start making music?
A: I first started writing and performing my original music when I was 12 at my local open mic in Calgary. I still visit and play the open mic now from time to time. I first released my self-titled debut EP when I was 19, It was almost entirely self-produced, self-recorded and self-written.
What has surprised you most about your growth as an artist over the last couple of years? What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
A: I think that allowing myself to just trust in my art and in my path has allowed me to grow so much over the past three years since I released my debut EP. I feel like I've covered quite a bit of surface area genre-wise in the Pop-Alt-Singer-Songwriter realm, and I've been able to allow myself to play and explore a bit with genre. I think the biggest challenge I've faced so far is settling into a sound that I feel is completely and authentically me. I feel really fortunate to experiment with my music but I am really excited to really settle into a solid sonic world for my upcoming EP.
As the newly crowned Favourite Ex Girlfriend of the night, I have to ask: how did that tradition start?
A: Great question!!!! For the album art for this song, I am seen very glamorously in front of a red curtain, posing wearing a pink glittery 'FAV EX GF' sash, and a star tiara. This version of Micah has become a real character for me to play on stage. Shortly before FAVOURITE EX GIRLFRIEND was released, I played a show in Edmonton, AB and I wore the same sash when we played this song for the first time. At the end of the show, one of my fans was up at the barricade and asked if she could put the sash on. And from that moment on I was no longer the only Favourite Ex Girlfriend, and every girl, in fact, is the Favourite Ex Girlfriend. So now at every show I crown my Favourite Ex Girlfriend (and hand make a personal sash so they have something to keep as a show souvenir!!!
Every girl, in fact, is the Favourite Ex Girlfriend.
- Micah Sage
Looking ahead, what's the next chapter for Micah Sage that fans should be watching for?
A: Looking ahead, fans should be watching out for our new EP coming in the new year, and maybe a couple singles before then?! You can always catch our new tracks EXCLUSIVELY at any of our shows (because Micah Sage fans always get to hear it first)
With a new EP on the horizon and plenty of unreleased music already making its way into live sets, Micah Sage is entering her next chapter with confidence.
If her NXNE performances were any indication, audiences across Canada should be paying attention.
