Mitski, born Mitsuki Laycock on September 27, 1990, in Mie Prefecture, Japan, is an American singer-songwriter. Due to her American father's job with the U.S. Department of State, she moved frequently throughout her childhood, living in countries such as Turkey, China, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo before settling in the United States. Her first language was Japanese.
Early Career and Education
Mitski initially enrolled at Hunter College in New York City to study film but soon transferred to SUNY Purchase College's Conservatory of Music to pursue her passion for music, studying studio composition. While at Purchase, she recorded and self-released her first two albums as student projects: Lush (2012) and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013). These early works were characterized by their use of piano and, on her second album, a 60-piece student orchestra.
Breakthrough and Subsequent Albums
After graduating in 2013, Mitski moved to New York City and released her third album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek (2014), through Double Double Whammy. This album marked a significant sonic shift, moving towards a more raw, guitar-driven indie rock sound and garnered critical acclaim. In 2015, she signed with the record label Dead Oceans. Her fourth album, Puberty 2 (2016), continued to build on her success, with the lead single "Your Best American Girl" receiving widespread praise and sparking conversations about racial identity. The album itself landed on numerous "best of" lists.
Mitski's fifth album, Be the Cowboy (2018), was a major critical success, named album of the year by publications like Pitchfork and Vulture. It explored themes of loneliness and the artifice of performance through a variety of musical styles, from pop and electronic to disco. After touring extensively, she took a hiatus from the public eye. She returned in 2022 with her sixth album, Laurel Hell, which became a commercial success, reaching the top ten in several countries. This was followed by The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We in 2023, which featured her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, "My Love Mine All Mine".
Musical Style and Themes
Mitski's music is known for its emotional depth and exploration of complex themes such as identity, loneliness, love, and heartbreak. Her sound has evolved over the years, from the piano-based compositions of her early work to guitar-driven indie rock, and later incorporating elements of pop, electronic, and country music. She is often praised for her candid lyricism and her ability to create a sense of intimacy and yearning in her songs. As an Asian-American woman in the indie music scene, her work often touches upon her experiences with a bicultural identity.
Accolades
In 2022, The Guardian dubbed Mitski the "best young songwriter" in the United States. That same year, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "This Is a Life," which she co-wrote for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once.