RESPECT. Interview: Miesa Gets Soulful While Staying Outside Of The Box

For an artist, creativity is the essence of life and having an outlet to share what is created is just as important. For Miesa, music is and always has been her medium. It is what she puts her heart into and also how she gives back, with the intention that her music will inspire others. She grew up with an eclectic array of musical influences and her new single “Too Bad For You” is a prime example of her ability. In conversation it is easy to see that she loves what she does and has something different to share with the world.

RESPECT.: How would you describe your style of music?

I don’t like to be kept in a box but I do understand that being in the industry I do have to have some type of standard or guideline of how my music is supposed to be so I would like to say that my music is mostly R&B and pop. It’s like right in the middle, it’s like a sweet spot, but we are still trying to find new sounds because I love music so much and I don’t like to be stuck with just one sound. So I would say that my music is mostly a mix of R&B, pop fusion.

RESPECT.: Who are some of your influences?

I have so many influences from the Beatles, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, I could just go on and on and name so many artists because I love music and all artists speak to me.

RESPECT.: These artists you named all come from different time eras, what is it about them that stand out so much to you?
Mostly because of their knowledge of music, not only because that is their passion but because their education of music was so far advanced. Not only could they sing but many knew how to play instruments. There wasn’t the technology we have available now back then. Their talent was a little more organic, there wasn’t as much room for mistakes. I really respect that because it was harder, you know? It was a lot harder to create an artist, so that’s why I name those type of artists.

RESPECT.: You did mention that the artists you look up to did more than just sing, how long have you been involved in music and do you do anything else aside from singing?

I grew up in a musical household so I was always around music. My father and my mother actually met in a gospel choir in school. My father was a musician and had a studio in the house so I was always singing in the house and he would actually get us together to sing harmony for artists he would work with. So I’ve been doing music for a while, it’s basically all I know; I don’t do anything else really, its just music. I play the piano and the clarinet, not as well as I should. I also tried to learn to play the guitar but that’s a little more complicated.

RESPECT.: Your single “Too Bad For You” is out now.

Yes.

RESPECT.: You also have a remix EP for the single, how many tracks are on that?

I want to say five or six different tracks. My favorite is the Smooth Love remix because it has a hip hop/R&B feel that makes me feel like, “oh I’m about to go to the club.” Some of the other ones are good for when you are going to work out or just driving down the road with my windows down, hair blowing. It just feels good. It depends on what mood you’re in but I have them all.

RESPECT.: I know you’re working on your album now, do you have any release dates coming up?

We are still working on it so it should be done really soon. We have so many musicians and producers that we are working with. I think it’s mostly my fault because I don’t like to be kept in a box. Every time I hear something good and refreshing it’s like oh my gosh can we try to use this and can we try to use that? So I feel that my team is real supportive because I do want to get many great producers, writers, musicians on the album and I want it to be really good, great actually.

RESPECT.: Do you write your songs?

Yes, well the thing is it’s a collaborative effort, everyone gets together and I work with great writers, great producing team, just amazing musicians. We get together and like any other person I have issues, of course. So we get together and I’ll tell them my issues or my friends issues, my problems or anything really, if I’m happy or sad or just want to dance I tell them and we just get together and we just create.

RESPECT.: Who are you listening to most lately?

Mostly when I’m driving I do a lot of thinking and I don’t want anything crazy in my mind so I usually listen to a lot of gospel music, not only because it is inspirational but also because of the music in there, the harmonies, background, I love. That’s one thing I stress to my team is I need a lot of harmonies, I need a lot of backgrounds in my music, and live instrumentation. Also it helps me to learn different forms of singing because if you listen to certain gospel artists they have a lot of riffs and adlibs because it’s like raw emotion. So I’m listening to that for those types of methods to sing. But I do love Justin Bieber. My favorite album of his is Journals, the mix of R&B and pop, I love that album.

RESPECT.: What is your favorite part of performing?

I think every part. When someone is listening to music of course you have to give your emotion and they have to feel you through the song but then when they actually see you perform I try get them locked into my emotion, I try to draw them in with the tone of my voice. Its something about my energy, I recently performed at Skyville live in Nashville with Patti Austin and Andra Day and I was a little intimidated but Andra actually told me I remind her of Sade because my energy is so captivating. And that’s what I like to give is my energy, I want you to feel what I’m feeling so some how naturally I just come off that way and that’s what I love about performing is that connecting with my audience and my fans.

RESPECT.: Where would your dream performance be?

Carnegie Hall. I would love to perform in Haiti, my mother is Haitian, for some type of benefit for children out there. Just anywhere, I love to perform period. Anywhere where people know my music and can get to know who I am and sing along I think that would be, anywhere is a blessing.

RESPECT.: If you weren’t pursuing music what would you be doing?

I would be working with children. I actually used to mentor kids; I love kids because a lot of times a lot of children don’t have the same support that I grew up with. Some children have never been outside their environment where they think that everything is bad, you know and it just molds their mind into thinking negative and they have no hope. But I want to hold their hand and show them a different way, to help them find their passion early so that they can get through it without the stress and struggle and hard time. Although hard times are good for everyone so that they can learn but just so that you know to protect them because you know kids are innocent and they are our future and we have to guide them because their parents or guardians don’t guide them in the right way. So I think working with kids, mentoring, and probably teaching them music and that’s funny because right now my father he’s actually a special ed teacher and I’m actually on my way down there now. He just started a music program at his school and I’m actually helping him with the music program.

RESPECT.: How do you want yourself to be viewed by your audience?

I honestly just want to be different, I just want people to respect me of course for my music and I want them to look at me like I’m not perfect but I get through everything with my faith, that I’m a good person, and I love to sing. I just want them to come see me perform and get to know me more and just keep following my journey.

Use these links to follow Miesa and learn more about her journey. www.miesamusic.com
www.facebook.com/miesamusic
www.twitter.com/miesamusic
www.instagram.com/miesamusic/