A comeback can begin somewhere far removed from a recording studio. For Montreal rapper Maky Lavender, it followed two years spent working as a carpenter, a stretch of life with different demands and a different daily rhythm. Released on September 13, 2026, I WAS GONE marks his return to music alongside DAVID CAMPANA. The track brings high energy to a story about setbacks, growth and finding a way back. Its strongest asset is the ordinary reality behind that return: an artist stepped away, worked, lived and eventually had something more to bring to the microphone.
That background gives the title an appealing bluntness. I WAS GONE acknowledges the absence without dressing it up as an elaborate mystery. There is something refreshing about that, particularly when a musical return can come packaged with so much ceremony that the person behind it disappears. Maky’s story begins with a job, a period away and the decision to create again. Those details make the release accessible before its larger themes enter the picture. A listener does not need to know his earlier work to understand the significance of showing up after time spent elsewhere.
Carpentry is a memorable part of the story because it places the artist in a working life beyond music. It also gives the themes of effort and growth a concrete foundation. Two years away can involve routines, responsibilities and the practical business of getting through a week, all while a creative ambition remains somewhere in the background. That is fertile ground for a return single. The experience offers Maky a perspective shaped by doing something else, giving the comeback more substance than a simple announcement that he has decided to resume releasing songs.
The high-energy approach is a fitting choice for that moment. A song about finding a way back has room for reflection, but it also needs somewhere to direct the momentum that comes with returning. I WAS GONE puts movement at the centre of the encounter. Its subject carries frustration and difficulty, while its energy points towards renewed engagement. That combination makes the track an appealing prospect for listeners who want music that recognises a rough stretch without remaining parked inside it. There is satisfaction in taking stock and then getting on with the next task.
Setbacks are especially useful territory for a rapper returning after an extended absence. They allow a comeback to carry uncertainty alongside confidence, which gives the story something listeners can recognise from their own lives. Plans stall, priorities change and the route towards something important becomes less straightforward than expected. Maky’s return draws on that experience rather than requiring a spotless version of progress. The idea of growth becomes more convincing when it includes time spent away from the thing someone wanted to pursue. A detour can leave a person with material they would never have gathered otherwise.
The bilingual performance gives this personal story a clear connection to Montreal. Moving between English and French reflects both the city’s culture and Maky’s identity within it. That matters because a return becomes more distinctive when it has somewhere to return from and somewhere to belong. The two languages place the song within a lived cultural setting, carrying the artist’s home into the performance. For listeners drawn to music with a strong sense of place, this is one of the release’s most attractive features. The story belongs to a person and a city.
There is also an inviting openness in presenting that story across two languages. Listeners may enter through the passages they understand most immediately, then follow the energy through the rest. The performance can carry the character of Montreal without requiring every audience member to share the same linguistic background. That gives the single a useful balance between local identity and broader appeal. Maky’s experiences supply the personal detail, while work, interrupted ambition and the desire to start again provide common ground. Those concerns travel easily, even when the words carrying them change.
DAVID CAMPANA’s presence makes the return a shared release, an interesting choice for a song with such a personal title. It places another artist beside Maky at the point where he re-enters music, giving the comeback a collaborative frame. The billing keeps both names visible while the central story remains rooted in Maky’s time away. As an introduction to this chapter, that partnership adds another reason to pay attention. The single arrives as a meeting between artists, with the returning rapper’s experience providing a clear subject around which that encounter can take shape.
The most persuasive aspect of I WAS GONE is its scale. Two years can feel enormous when an ambition is waiting, yet the circumstances here remain grounded in recognisable life. Work continues, confidence shifts and the decision to return eventually has to become an action. That gives the release emotional weight without demanding a grand legend around its making. Maky’s story can speak to anyone who has postponed something meaningful while dealing with immediate responsibilities. The track’s energy offers a way to approach that feeling with appetite, leaving room for the satisfaction of finally beginning again.
I WAS GONE gives Maky Lavender a clear way back into the conversation. Its bilingual identity, energetic approach and grounding in time spent working make this an engaging return, with DAVID CAMPANA joining him for the occasion. The song’s appeal rests in the connection between what happened during the absence and the determination to move forward now. There is a worthwhile story in that space. Maky has come back with work behind him, growth to reckon with and a renewed reason to make music. That is enough to make the next step worth watching.
