Mia Mormino is more than just a popstar in the making. Look a little closer, past the Los Angeles native’s massive Pop anthems, 865k+ Spotify streams and 6.4M+ YouTube views, and you’ll find what every artist hopes for, but few ever achieve: authenticity. What cuts through most in Mia Mormino’s impossibly catchy and heartfelt music is a singular message of self-empowerment. It’s an easy theme for lesser artists to pantomime unconvincingly, but for this singer-songwriter, her difficult journey to get to that place of self-love is exactly what makes her message so genuine and her music so compelling.
Mia’s vulnerability and unwillingness to shy away from controversial topics is undeniably one of the qualities that makes her such an important and relatable artist to her fans. Beyond the bravery that underpins her confessional songwriting style, it is also Mia’s unabashed exploration of an ever-widening array of genres and musical influences that further positions her as an artist whose name you ought to know.
Mia’s versatility is given ample opportunity to flourish thanks to her prolificity as a songwriter. Be sure to keep your ear out for Mia Mormino as she truly is changing the world with her art.
With her single and music video, “Building Blocks,” out now, we took some time to hear more from Mia Mormino. Read below to learn more about Mia Mormino, the story behind her latest single, and what’s to come.
Hi Mia Mormino! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Hello there! Mia Mormino is actually my real first and last name! I love my name, but eventually, would love to just go by Mia!
What city are you from and where are you based now?
I was born here in Los Angeles, California, but all of my family lives in/is from Chicago, Illinois. Therefore, I go back and forth as often as I can!
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
My first love was dancing, but I’ve been singing ever since I can remember! We have home videos of me singing Alicia Keys in our bathroom at 3 years old along with many, many others (some of which are on YouTube). Up until I was a senior in high school, dance had always been my passion. But, as I began to grow up and experience more as a young adult, I felt like I needed an outlet greater than dance. So, I wrote my first song at 16 and, ever since then, I was hooked!
Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?
One million percent. My parents did an incredible job raising my sister and I, and because of that, they pushed us to pursue whatever it was that made us the happiest. They never pressured us to follow a certain path or be people we weren’t, which encouraged me to create music all together. I bring those morals into my music by being authentic and unapologetically myself within my writing, visuals, and sound.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
That’s a great question! For readers who aren’t familiar with me, my sound most resembles artists such as Halsey, UPSAHL, and maybe Billie Eilish?? Honestly, I don’t know exactly how to describe it because each of my songs are different from each other, and I take a lot of inspiration from a variety of genres!
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
Exploring myself and other interests is a huge work in progress for me at this exact moment. My music and music, in general, is literally my entire life, so finding a balance has been a bit tricky for me. But, I do know that being with animals fills me with great joy, so I’m going to hopefully sign up for horseback riding lessons soon or volunteer at an animal sanctuary!
Who are some of your main musical influences?
Artists like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna are huge influences on me for a variety of reasons. They are more like the “big picture” inspirations. As I’ve continued to grow and figure out my sound, I’ve learned that I’m HEAVILY inspired by the music of the ’20s-’60s. Artists such as Julie London, Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Etta James, and Perry Como speak to me in ways that current artists don’t. Moving forward, you can definitely expect to hear a blend between a wide variety of artists and eras.
Which artist would be a dream to collaborate with?
My dream music collaboration is Halsey. Without any hesitation or thought, my answer is her. I just KNOW we would create such profound pieces based on our ability to tell stories and love for bringing light to dark moments of life. If for some insane reason you’re reading this Ashley…I LOVE YOU, LET’S CREATE!
What are some of your future music career goals?
Success in the music industry looks like a lot of things to me. I take my career very seriously, so succeeding to the level in which I strive and I know I’ll reach is the only option. My mantra is “I will never stop” because I won’t. Being a Grammy-winning artist is a big one for me. Not that I really believe that the opinions of a board of people define my talent or worth, but the fact that
my music would have made that much of an impact to be noticed and taken seriously by those people is what matters. Another HUGE goal of mine is selling out my world tour. Performing is one of, if not, my favourite part of being a musician. So, the idea that hundreds of thousands of people would gather in one room to see me (the girl that was made fun of for being herself in
elementary and middle school) sing my f*****g heart out is absolutely insane. The day I have a large enough fan base to successfully execute and announce a world tour will be the day that I “make it.”
Now onto your release, “Building Blocks.” What inspired this song?
“Building Blocks” represents the sin of sloth in my 2021 collection of music titled “The Seven Deadly Sin-gles,” where I’ve released seven songs and music videos, one per sin of the seven deadly sins. With that being said, I knew I wanted this song to be as dark and creepy as possible since the sin it was representing could be taken as dark and creepy in itself. So, I felt what’s a creepier visual than a human being sinking through the layers of the earth?!
What is “Building Blocks” about in your own words?
I wrote this song with the haunting vision of decaying while alive, so honestly, that’s what the song is about! What a person would see, feel, smell, etc. as they were slipping away through the ground.
How did the music video for “Building Blocks” come about? What was your vision for the video?
The music video for “Building Blocks” was a CHALLENGE to come up with, let me tell ya. I knew I wanted to sink since the lyrics of the hook are, “I’m sinking, I’m sinking, I’m sinking deep into the ground,” but, logistically, I couldn’t figure out how to do such a grand action. It took a lot of sketching, miniature model making, and planning to execute my ideas as creatively, but financially smart as possible.
What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from “Building Blocks?”
I love expressing the dark parts of life because I know people don’t usually tend to discuss them on a regular basis. So, my main goal with my music is to do just that for my fans. Bring awareness and a sense of regularity to topics such as mental health and all it entails. With that being said, I wrote this song on my bedroom floor after writing a very haunting passage about essentially being buried alive. The picture it painted was so fascinating to me that I knew I had to turn it into a song and incorporate it with my “Seven Deadly Sin-gles” project!
What’s one of your proudest moments of your music career so far?
There have been so many moments throughout my music career that I’ve been proud of or that have meant a lot to me. But I’d have to say, completing my “Seven Deadly Sin-gles” project takes the top spot of that list. Creating seven singles and seven music videos as an independent artist takes a lot of work, patience, and creativity, so the fact that I was able to pull it off is just crazy to me. This year was a rollercoaster of lessons and memories, and I feel proud that I had such an intricate idea and carried through with every part of it.
What would you say are the greatest lessons you’ve learned so far?
Wow, that’s a great question. One of the best lessons I’ve learned so far is to trust my gut instinct – this goes for music and life in general. No one knows you better than you, so if something doesn’t feel right, LISTEN!
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects that we should be on the lookout for?
There is so much incredible music, music videos, and shows coming next year. I’m beyond excited. As far as dates go, you can expect to hear the first single of the new year sometime around February. Warning: it’s going to make you want to headbang like there’s no tomorrow!!!
Where can we follow you on social media?
You can follow me everywhere! Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, you name the social media platform and I’m on it!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamormino/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiaMorminoMusic/
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe8LRy5V/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MiaMormino
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaMormino
Website: https://www.miamormino.com
Read more music press releases at ClichéMag.com
Images provided by Flickr, Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay & Creative Commons
