Mia Day likes to describe herself as a groovy, fairy, cowgirl witch. She discovered her love for storytelling on a half broken type writer under her parents stairwell, moving to songwriting and making music soon after. Inspired by the vivid imagery crafted by Toni Morrison, Benjamin Gibbard, and Leonard Cohen, as well as the writer’s heartbeat of Taylor Swift, Day has claimed a songwriting style that embraces the weight that small moments carry. A record store junkie, over thinker, Seattle native that grew up under the endless grey sky, Mia’s music turns inward with the harsh vulnerability that comes with spending a lot of one’s teenage years alone. Her voice is a strong spirit that marries unconventionality with beauty, softness with a demand to be listened to. At the age of 20 years old, she has released a full-length album, Gold, as well as two EPs: “Years” and “Lone Rider.” Her music has been played on 90.3 KEXP radio, Rainy Dawg Radio, Chapman Radio, 107.3 KBFG, and at 18 she was named one of Sub Pop Records’ “Best of the Pacific Northwest” on Spotify.
Day’s recent single “Rosie” is a comforting blanket of indie folk warmth in the midst of a depressive episode, ending with a strident note of perseverance and strength.
“I recorded this song at Bear Creak Studios outside of Seattle with some of my closest friends,” Day writes. “It’s a reverse perspective song that is a deeper exploration into my mental health. I was inspired by Oasis and Waxahatchee while recording it.”
In the interview below, Day tells us more about her coming out experiences, and how it has tied into her music.
How do you feel your queer identity ties into your performance style or music?
I always perform in jumpsuits, because they make me feel the most androgynous. My dream is to look like David Bowie, or any glam rocker (even though I make folk music). I feel queer when I’m performing, because that is when I feel the most myself. I feel powerful.
How do you feel your coming out journey plays into your music?
Honestly, the jumpsuits were a way of coming out haha. I used to present very feminine on stage, and wear dresses and heels and kind of just stand there playing guitar. Once I chopped off all of my hair and bleached it blonde, started wearing jumpsuits and putting glitter and jewels on my face, I realized that performing is for me, and that my body is for me. My queerness is for me. I don’t have to water myself down for other people.
What’s the first concert you ever attended? What do you remember about it?
I started going to concerts when I was very young (my parents took me as a baby), but the first one I remember was seeing the Killers in 2006. I was six years old, and my aunt took me, my brother, and my cousin. I fell asleep as soon as they started, but I woke up for “All These Things That I’ve Done.”
Tell us about the first song you wrote.
The first song I wrote was very emo. It was called “Alone,” and as you could probably imagine, it was about being alone. I was eleven years old and already very much in my feelings.
Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off?
I have a lot of “bucket list” items that I want to check off. Right now, I’m trying to get my hometown arts magazine, The Seattle Stranger to write about me. That would be huge.