Mitski

Mitski Miyawaki, a Japanese-American singer-songwriter and musician, was born in Mie Prefecture, Japan, and grew up in several countries before settling in the United States—an itinerant upbringing that informs the recurring themes of identity, displacement, and loneliness in her songs. While studying at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music, she self-released two albums, “Lush” (2012) and “Retired from Sad, New Career in Business” (2013), initially leaning toward a chamber-music–like format. With “Bury Me at Makeout Creek” (2014) she shifted to a more immediate sound combining indie rock, pop, and lo-fi touches, then signed to the Dead Oceans label for “Puberty 2” (2016) and “Be the Cowboy” (2018), records marked by sharp guitars, synthetic keyboards, and tighter structures. “Laurel Hell” (2022) and “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” (2023) continue her exploration of the balance between spare ballads, denser arrangements, and introspective songwriting. Live, Mitski develops these compositions within an electric band setting, performing in clubs and festivals across North America, Europe and beyond, and occasionally contributes to film scores and collaborative projects that expand her universe into adjacent alternative-pop territory.