How Miss Ricky Turns Stillness Into Something Fierce

There are albums that demand daylight, all bright synths and wide-open optimism, and then there are albums like Sounds At Night. The sophomore effort from Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer Miss Ricky doesn’t dazzle so much as it glows—faintly, steadily—like headlights in the distance or a cigarette ember flickering on a dim street. Released September 25, 2025, the seven-track project hums with intimacy and vulnerability, echoing the quiet pulse of the Greater Toronto Area after midnight.

On first listen, Sounds At Night feels like a late drive through Mississauga: windows cracked, radio low, the stillness of the city pressing in around you. While the record wrestles with love and lust, its real subject is absence—the space between affection and affirmation, between wanting and being wanted. Where Ricky’s 2023 debut flirted with atmospheric R&B, this album shapes those textures into a cohesive narrative. Each track bleeds into the next like pages of a diary being written in real time, charting the arc from longing to heartbreak to spiritual renewal.

Miss Ricky, born and raised in Milton, Ontario, knows the tug of chaos against calm. Since she was 17, she’s been largely self-producing, a practice that grew out of difficult family dynamics and nights spent driving with her older brother just to escape home. “The GTA plays such a big role in my sound,” she tells me. “The late-night drives with my brother inspired so much of who I am as an artist and producer. Mississauga specifically is a city that is integral to making my sound, especially for this album, as we would most of the time drive there. Everything about Mississauga—especially at night—just screams dark-R&B. It’s cool, soft, vibrant yet subtle. It’s a city where I can feel at ease yet secure. All of those attributes, I try to emulate in this album but with my own personality to it.”

That intimacy is no accident. “Usually those nights felt still to me, and most of the time quiet,” Ricky says. “I think it was the stillness that allowed my thoughts to be clear and allowed me to process my emotions. Making this record felt very intuitive, but I also wanted to be intentional with how it would come out and how it would speak to the bigger story or idea, and so a lot of nights were reflective.” That tension—between instinct and intention—defines the project. Where many young artists chase trends or clutter their records with collaborators, Ricky turns inward. The production leans on synth pads, lo-fi percussion, and stripped-down R&B frameworks that leave space for her vocals to breathe.

Her sound is equally shaped by environment and influence. “I love artists like Majid Jordan and PARTYNEXTDOOR because their music is so atmospheric,” she says. “I like music like that because you get lost in it. It was artists like them who made me want to start producing. When I finally started, I drew inspiration from them but also my own environment. I wanted my production to be a reflection of my experiences or what I might have felt at that moment.”

Each track takes on the feel of a chapter, reflecting a stage in a relationship. From the fragile hope of “Fantasy” to the confident strut of “Pick It Up” to the devastating fallout of “Down Right Dundas,” the album unfolds with the momentum of a film script. “I always wanted to make an album with a story and concept,” Ricky explains. “I think I had already written and produced three of the tracks before I realized there was a story I could tell, but I wanted there to be a progression and for it to make sense. The title Sounds At Night only came up after I had completed four songs, and originally it was going to be an EP. But as I kept writing and producing, similar themes kept surfacing. I felt it would be better to express them as an album. With that intention, I continued as if I was telling a story or watching a movie, developing each stage.”

Her opening statement, “Fantasy,” sets the tone with stark honesty about longing and self-doubt. “I wanted ‘Fantasy’ to introduce the listener to the character we’re immersing ourselves in,” she says. “It expresses how I’ve felt when it comes to crushes and love—this mental and emotional back-and-forth where I’ve felt undeserving of love, like no one would pursue me in that way, but still longing for it. ‘Fantasy’ is one of the most honest songs I’ve ever written, and in a way, it introduces me as a person too.”

That honesty threads through the record, even in its more assertive moments. “Pick It Up” flips vulnerability into bold demand. Ricky frames it as a declaration of boundaries. “Confidence is something I always struggled with and is still a work in progress. I am probably the last person to give myself a pat on the back as I am very critical of myself. But in this world you need to be bold and you need to be confident, especially when advocating for yourself. I don’t like when people say something but their actions don’t reflect it, and ‘Pick It Up’ expresses some of that frustration. I cannot guess what others feel about me, so if you want me, you need to be intentional. I don’t like being played, and that is one area in my life where I will always be bold.”

If Sounds At Night is drenched in atmosphere, it’s also grounded in personal history. Ricky has been candid about her difficult upbringing, and those experiences seep into the DNA of her music. “Because I leaned on music so much to deal with my emotions growing up, I don’t want to shy away from anything—whether it’s negative or positive,” she says. “I want my lyrics to feel honest, and I think that comes from music being my safe space. Music was also escapism, so even if I write something that didn’t come from an experience, there is still passion behind it, and it contributes to the overall world I try to build with a record or song.”

That approach is clearest on “Deeper,” a track that lands like a diary entry. Its stripped-back production frames a stark confession, one of the album’s most affecting moments. “No matter what, there will always be something about your story that someone else can take from and either learn or identify with,” Ricky says. “I’ve realized that my experiences aren’t original—they just might not have been spoken out loud much. So when I sing about my experiences or thoughts, someone else might hear that and go, ‘hey, I was also feeling like that too.’ That’s what I hope for—that people won’t feel so alone when they hear my music.”

The record closes with “Just One Step,” a song that feels like release after so much tension. It is spiritual without sermonizing, a glimpse into Ricky’s faith. “My faith is at the core of who I am,” she says. “My self-worth is rooted in my faith, so I see my life through that lens. ‘Just One Step’ is almost like an offering but also a progression in my own faith journey. Faith is what secures me as a person and helps me to be more driven and passionate in my art. It also helps me be more intentional with the message I’m trying to send. Art is a gift, and I want to make sure I am using it for the right things and to better myself and others.”

It’s a striking conclusion: where the album begins with the ache of unattainable love, it ends with grounded self-worth. Though Sounds At Night is only Ricky’s second album, it feels like a statement of clarity—a solidification of her voice and vision. She sees it as a stepping stone. “I definitely feel more established in my sound,” she says. “I hope to create more visual aspects alongside my music to broaden the story and make it come to life. But overall, you can definitely expect more concepts and stories through music.”

For now, Sounds At Night exists as a document of a specific time and place. This is Miss Ricky’s world after midnight—quiet, still, glowing faintly—and she invites you to sit with her there until the sun comes up.

Featured Images: Artist Supplied