MITSKI, INDIE QUEEN
Her Embodiment of the DIY Sound + Story
Mitski Miyawaki, or simply Mitski on-stage, is the essence of the DIY trend. A film student who changed her track to music, the Japanese-American indie soft rocker self-released released her first two albums while still in college. After a brief stint as the lead vocalist for a metal band, she released another album with the indie-exclusive label Double Double Whammy. Her two newest records come from another indie label, Dead Oceans, whose lineup also includes Phoebe Bridgers‘ duo Better Oblivion Community Center.
Mitski’s evolution throughout her five albums shows her transition from letting her classical training shine to a more distinct indie rock feel. Her piano-heavy and minimally produced debut Lush, released in 2012, gradually gives way to her latest work Be the Cowboy, a grittier work with sprinkled with sound experimentation. “Nobody,” one of Mitski’s most popular tracks on Be the Cowboy and her most-listened song on Spotify, reconciles both the old and the new and marries them to sweet and sassy lyrics.
Mitski’s individuality, cool brand of hipster grooviness, and embodiment of the artist’s self-made hustle story has given her a dedicated following of thrift shopping, pouting-selfie fans. She’s a grounded but successful example of ever-expanding tastes for genre blending and new takes on old musical styles.
