IN CONVERSATION WITH: MIYA FOLICK
American singer-songwriter Miya Folick makes music that sometimes feels like therapy, but isn't: "Therapy is therapy and music is music," she tells Copypaste. Yet the lyrics of her songs are extremely honest, almost like reading the singer's private diary. On her sophomore album "Roach", Miya sings about growing up and the struggle that comes with it. "I'm a fucking cockroach and you can't kill me," she sings on 'Cockroach', underlining the inner strength it takes to survive a quarter-life crisis in a world full of bad news. With Copypaste, the singer talks about how expressing, exploring and creating have been part of her life since she can remember, writing with Mitski and how her studies in acting have influenced her music.
How would you describe the essence of your music?
I think I make music because I can't describe it just in words. It needs the melody, the motion, the context. So it's hard for me to describe my music to you without the music itself. Or, maybe more accurately, I don't like describing it without the music. Part of me wants to give you a straight answer, but I know it won't sit right with me. Maybe the essence is honesty?
How did you decide that you want to do music and can you tell us something about how you started being an artist?
I found myself spending all my free time making music, so it just felt like the natural thing to do. I think I've always been an artist in that I've felt an innate need to express/explore/research/create/understand/makemeaning since as early as I can remember. I think a lot of people are artists even if they don't make art. Many of my family members with "normal" jobs are artists too. I think it's a quality of being.
Did your acting studies influence your music and do you think there are similarities between these art forms?
Yes, definitely. I think there are similarities between all art forms and all crafts. I think in both acting and music, you have to be very centered in yourself in order to create. Even if your life is a mess and the feeling that your channeling is ugly or messy, you need to be centered within that mess. At least that's the way I feel. Maybe certain genres of music or certain acting styles don't require that level of empathic resonance, but I want to be really feeling the feeling.
The lyrics and topics on 'Roach' are very personal, almost like reading your diary. Was it difficult to reveal your stories to a wide audience or did it help you move on with certain things in life or even heal them?
It was neither difficult nor did it help me heal. I think I can share my feelings while still retaining their mine-ness. I don't think music is therapy for me. Therapy is therapy. Music is life.
Can you tell us about the process of writing ‘Bad Thing’ with Mitski?
We had a really lovely, easy time. She was wearing sandals and I thought that was cool. I never think to wear sandals.
What are your next projects?
I'm finishing up a new album right now :)
