'Patience': Caskade Turned to Mar

Written by Abby Power

November 25th, 2022

19-year-old Marlon Hoover began his journey through music after a loss of direction during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. He made use of the resources around him, and began to use music as his creative outlet. The down-to-earth and soft-spoken artist currently studies at the University of Toronto, while working with Millennial Artist Management as an artist. Recently, he has rebranded himself and is using the stage name ‘Mar’.

Mar refers to himself as an alternative singer/songwriter. His two biggest influences are Phoebe Bridgers and Harry Styles. “Her song writing is powerful,” says Mar, “I am drawn to the message that she promotes: ‘it is okay to be yourself’.” As a songwriter, Mar often writes about the reflections of his experiences. He enjoys writing about what he is experienced in life, due to the fact that it feels more honest and more real. However, Mar felt that writing a good song can take a while, especially if he anticipates the song to be good. “Sometimes it takes a while to find the right topic.”

Previously in 2021, Mar, formerly known as ‘Caskade’, released a single and an EP titled Patience. “It was a lot of fun! It was just to see what I could do with Garage Band, so it was experimental. When I made it, I had no experience, and I still use Garage Band to this day.” Mar wanted people to enjoy his work and the music that he was creating. “If my friends like it, that's a good thing.” When asked about , he said that the inspiration came from the troubles that he faced during the ongoing pandemic. This gave him the opportunity to write musical works, the idea to rebrand himself, and to explore his own musical stylings. “Patience was a way to fill in the gaps. It was a way for me to express what I was feeling.” Mar’s EP can be found on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, and other digital music platforms.

Mar is excited to be working with Millennial Artist Management through 2022 – 2023. he is looking forward to being able to have a team behind him, as well as gaining the knowledge of what it means to have a successful team behind an artist. While he is currently rebranding himself using his stage name ‘Mar’, he is currently working on new acoustic material and is hoping to release new musical works in the new year.