Q&A: Unveiling the MIXIEVERSE and their latest track "la la la love"
MIXIE IS A GENRE-BENDING POWERHOUSE, crafting a world of music, visuals, and fashion. Her "MIXIEVERSE" celebrates individuality and self-expression through immersive experiences that transcend traditional music.
Driven by a desire for inclusive music, MIXIE crafts anthems that celebrate all aspects of the human experience, regardless of identity. This authenticity resonates, landing her on major playlists and catching the ear of tastemakers like Elton John.
But MIXIE isn't slowing down. She's gearing up fo more quarterly EPs this year, each with stunning visuals directed by MIXIE herself. This format allows her to tell complex stories, with each EP a chapter in a larger narrative.
MIXIE's vision expands beyond music. Expect merch capsules and live shows that fully immerse audiences in the MIXIEVERSE. For aspiring artists, her advice is simple: be authentically you.
Step into the MIXIEVERSE with her new single "la la la love" and read below to learn about her move to LA, her creative process and more.
LUNA: You recently made the move from Manhattan to Los Angeles. How has this geographic shift impacted your creative direction?
MIXIE: New York is a great place as an avid listener, as someone who would frequent underground shows; however, in terms of creating, I find Los Angeles to be such a beautiful, collaborative place. There’s also something to be said about leaving the studio and listening to a demo bounce with the windows down, warm breeze swirling around my head, and the sun poking through the trees—it’s hard to not feel inspired by the beauty that surrounds me.
LUNA: Your background includes visuals, directing, and fashion. How do you incorporate these elements into your music to create a sonic, visual, and physical experience?
MIXIE: For me, this has always been and will always be much more than just a sonic experience. My favorite artist projects to interact with, are those that invite you into a world. I come from a background of graphic designing, making and selling clothes, and being utterly obsessed with music videos, which I have now gone on to direct, myself.
Now, with the opportunity to have an artist project of my own, I try to incorporate everything I've learned from being on sets as a model or director, creating cohesive design in graphics and fashion, and from the shoes of also being a seasoned listener, to create a world that feels familiar, yet fresh and ever-changing, all while being welcoming to all.
LUNA: Tell us more about the making of “LA LA LA LOVE”.
MIXIE: I went through one of my first major break ups. I had not known the level of my love and devotion until it was gone. Watching as something sacred falls apart and slips away is devastating. Experiencing a separation with your first love is like mourning a death. When it comes to healing, many neglect to talk about the stumbling that occurs along the way that occurs when in search of your new path and independence away from that person. Heartbreak led me to seek out thrills and act in a destructive way that I had never experienced before.
All the while, still loving and working to detach from what felt like an extension of myself. The verses of ‘la la la love’ cover these liminal feelings that occur on the healing journey. Sadness, anger, frustration, lust, unrequited yearning. The hook is the Northstar of my healing. A reminder that we must let go of those who hurt us intentionally—this being the simplest, truest takeaway.
LUNA: Growing up, you craved music that reflected your LGBTQ+ experience. What kind of message do you hope to convey to your audience with your own music?
MIXIE: When I came to terms with being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I sought out music & films to gain an understanding, and maybe further acceptance of myself, since I didn’t know anyone that was openly gay. As a kid what I’d often find were these films focused around being queer as an obstacle that the protagonist had to overcome. In songs it would often be these painstaking unrequited loves, or a fun, experimental “I kissed a girl and I liked it”.
I want to create music. Not queer music, but music--love, heartbreak, triumphant stories, including all genders, and invite the listeners, queer or not, to share in all of the pillar feelings that heteronormative music culture revolves around. It's not all about the trials and tribulations of being gay—I am an artist first, and also happen to be queer, with that being said, it is extremely important to me to create a space where no listener feels left behind, as I know how that feels.
LUNA: Your debut EP garnered impressive playlist placements. Did this early success influence your creative approach to subsequent releases like the "MIXIE MONDAYS" series?
MIXIE: The response to my debut EP was absolutely incredible and validating. Knowing that there were people who wanted to listen, and found solace in my work, was all the motivation that I needed to keep creating. The success did not inform the creative process behind the MIXIE MONDAYS series, but it absolutely created more of a creative hunger within me that needed to be satiated, so I put my head down and got back to what I know best.
LUNA: How did it feel to have tastemakers like Lewis Fagg and Elton John champion your music? What advice would you offer to aspiring artists seeking similar recognition?
MIXIE: If we examine some of the greatest artists of all time, we realize that many share some of the same qualities. A top attribute being that they were/are absolutely themselves, no matter how people perceive them. Regardless of what these artists are being told, how painful it was or is to share these stories and to express in the way that they do, they share, they connect. Being recognized and having my music played by someone like Elton John, who I’ve admired since childhood, was such an honor. He played one of my songs, ‘four season’ discussing my struggles with depression, something so many of us experience, yet don’t talk about.
Simply being candid and authentic in this piece of writing and showing no fear in the face of scrutiny paved way for people to feel okay in not feeling okay. After having tastemakers like Elton John, Lewis Fagg, and Chris Douridas at KCRW champion my music on their radio shows, it made me want to continue to see how much further I could push the boundaries musically, and to be as painfully honest as possible in my writing.
LUNA: What excites you most about releasing music in this EP format? How will it allow you to explore different creative ideas?
MIXIE: When I examine a project, both musically and visually, I really look at it as a multidimensional body of work. Like any story, containing some form of a beginning, middle, and end, often with a moral or lesson. While this need not always be the case, I can often project my own meaning onto these bodies of work. In this EP format, I'm able to tell a very complex story, the evolution of my experience and feelings through multiple, digestible ‘chapters’.
LUNA: Are there any plans to incorporate fashion or visual elements further in your upcoming projects, perhaps through merchandise or live shows?
MIXIE: Absolutely. I have been creating clothing sketches, for almost as long as I've been making the music, itself. My live experience is one that incorporates MIXIEVERSE visual elements, and my merch capsules will be just another extension of myself.
LUNA: Having established yourself as a strong solo artist, would you be interested in collaborating with other musicians in the future? If so, who would be your dream collaboration?
MIXIE: Elton, Masego, Lana, Billie, Renee, FLETCHER, Troye, Bjork, Kehlani, Shangri-Las or Amy Winehouse from the grave—if you see this bang my line.
LUNA: What's one thing you'd like your listeners to take away from experiencing the "MIXIEVERSE”?
MIXIE: My listeners are not, and will never be alone in their experience, nor do they ever have anything to be ashamed of. I love, respect, and appreciate every single one of them. If my music at all eases your earthly experience, I feel as though my duty has been done.
