Mucha Musica

Music is the base for so much. Music is quite literally life in a sense, and I understand that it’s a bit controversial to say that, but it captures everything. When you’re sad, you listen to music; when you’re mad? Music is everything. Any emotion. That’s what there is to love. So, for the first artist, I’ll introduce you to Mitski Miyawaki or Mitsuki Laycock. An indie singer-songwriter who captures various emotions- sadness, anger, grief, and love. She’s poetic and expresses herself as such.

She’s a Japanese-American who frequently writes music for the BIPOC women of America, capturing feelings of isolation, alienation, and inferiority. Yes, she’s a sad artist- but she’s absolutely terrific at what she does. I know there can be a stigma to sad music, but when you listen to music, the main purpose is to feel, like really feel. What a beautiful thing it is to empathize with others and acknowledge what you feel when you’re on your own.

Words cannot express the appreciation I have for her- the way she demands attention in her performances, the articulation of her words, and the use of Japanese in her songs. She is art.

“When you are a minority, it’s your job to bend, and when you love someone, you really want to make it work. Then you start to realize, ‘Oh, I’m bending a lot,’ and they’re just standing there existing, and I’m bending around them. But you can’t blame them: they don’t realize it; that’s just how they already existed. It’s hard.”

So- I think this sums up what I’m going to write about for the semester. This blog will involve a small, little piece of my heart for every entry. Music is extremely personal to me, but one of the fastest ways to get me to open up and talk. I’m shy, but not when it comes to music. This is who I am- and I absolutely adore Mitski. Her music has helped define who I am today.

As a Latina, it’s imperative that I discuss and teach others about the feelings and experiences that we- as BIPOC go through every day.