00:00
DJ Beowulf
Off the Record is a show from 88.1 WKNC in which DJs talk with artists about everything from their music to upcoming tours to former bandmates birthdays. Make sure to follow WKNC on SoundCloud and Tumblr so you never miss a beat. Enjoy. All right, thank you very much for calling in, Mia. My name is Laura. Here with WKNC. On air, it is DJ Beowulf. It is very nice to talk to you and get to meet you digitally. How are you doing today?
00:30
Miya Folick
I'm doing good. See right now. So we've got like three hours and 40 minutes, plus some pee breaks.
00:40
DJ Beowulf
Plus some pee breaks. So three hours, 40 minutes. Maybe closer to five.
00:46
Miya Folick
Yeah, yeah. We have small bladders.
00:48
DJ Beowulf
And you're coming out to Raleigh today, right?
00:51
Miya Folick
Yes, we are.
00:52
DJ Beowulf
Well, the City of Oaks is going to be very glad to have you. I believe you're playing at Kings tonight.
00:59
Miya Folick
Oh, right, right. Yeah. I was just mouthing to my tour manager, where are we playing tonight?
01:07
DJ Beowulf
Oh, don't worry. I did my Googling before this.
01:09
Miya Folick
Okay, great. Yeah, playing at Kings. I've never been there.
01:13
DJ Beowulf
What is it like a cute venue? So WKNC hosts this two night fundraiser concert series that we do every single year. It's at Kings. It's an interesting venue because it's. Well, the reason I brought up the festival or the showcase is because just to show you how much we love that venue, it's split where the top level of the venue is like a bar slash, where people perform music and the bottom level is like a nightclub. So you like walk in the front door and they say like, are you going to Kings or Neptune's, which is up or down.
01:50
Miya Folick
Oh, I see.
01:51
DJ Beowulf
And if you're going up, you go up two flights of stairs and you're in the venue and it's this broad open space where the ST a lifted platform about maybe 3 or 4ft above where the general admission standing audience is going to be all the way in the back. You've got bartenders and general seating and this. It's a pretty nice place. The acoustics are really well done because they have their own team of like mixing and mastering on hand and sound crew.
02:16
Miya Folick
Okay, awesome. That's. That is what I like to hear.
02:19
DJ Beowulf
I definitely think it's going to be a space that you could make your own. It's going to be cool for sure.
02:23
Miya Folick
Okay, cool.
02:25
DJ Beowulf
I did some googling and was checking out your Instagram profile. You seem to be a very eccentric person, which is a Good thing for sure. We love creative energy over here at WKNC. How do you think that transfers over to your performance style?
02:45
Miya Folick
I. I don't think that. Well, I guess I don't think of myself as an eccentric person.
02:53
DJ Beowulf
Feel free to correct me.
02:54
Miya Folick
I think. Well, I don't know. I just think I'm pretty normal. But I. But I do. I think I'm expressive. So I think my performance is very expressive. And it's like I. I think that I like to have like an intention behind every song and trying. Trying to like, communicate or express something. And I like to move a lot. I like to dance. So it's pretty. There's a lot of movement. But I think when I think of eccentric, I think of like, people doing a lot of like, kind of flashy and showy and kind of more like spectacle kind of things.
03:47
DJ Beowulf
That makes sense.
03:48
Miya Folick
And that's not really what the show is. It's more emotional, I think. No, I do love a good spectacle. I'm not hating on spectacle, but right now I think this is the first headline tour that I've done. So it's really about the music. Like, I think maybe in the future when I have more resources, there will be more of a production around it. But right now it's just like all about the music, all about the emotion of the music and it's just sounding the best it can be and not a lot of like, production or like flashy, flashy spectacle around it.
04:35
DJ Beowulf
Well, I definitely think regardless of the special effects component or I guess sans special effects, you will definitely be bringing the fl. Flashiness. I've looked up a bunch of live shows like on YouTube and I checked out your band camp. In fact, one person who supported Premonitions off of Bandcamp said that you are or that the album Premonitions was a truly beautiful and emotion filled album. Mia's vocals are truly something to behold and a real treat to listen to. Would also highly recommend seeing her live. So I thought that was super cool and a pretty good, I guess, spokesperson comment for your music.
05:19
Miya Folick
Yeah, that's very nice fan camp. I feel like Band Camp listeners are like true music fans. You know what I mean?
05:28
DJ Beowulf
For sure.
05:29
Miya Folick
They're definitely supporters and you know, people who are. Are generous with their. With their time and their money and like actually buying music, which is.
05:43
DJ Beowulf
Mm.
05:44
Miya Folick
Which is nice.
05:45
DJ Beowulf
I like that you said generous because I know that a lot of artists on Bandcamp do as a. Do like a pay as you will thing for their music, which is generous on the artist's perspective. But I know, definitely listeners will contribute more than is expected at some points, which is very cool.
06:04
Miya Folick
Yeah, I feel like it's interesting. Yeah, it's just interesting. Like, even if you set a price, some people still want to pay more. Like at shows, I sell our merch and there's, you know, often people will just give me like 20 bucks for a ten dollar item or, you know, or like 40 bucks for a 25 item and just like, keep the change. Just like wanting to support. And I think people understand that if the artist is selling her own merch, she's probably not making a ton of money. So I think. And people are just like, you know, nice.
06:53
DJ Beowulf
Right, right. And I'd always like to imagine that artists can make like a solid career out of music making because it is such a, a fulfilling path to choose. But you know that's not always the case and it really sucks sometimes. But you're out there, you're touring, you're selling your own merch. You have a very extensive discography. I think you have like six or seven uploads. On Bandcamp, I have the screen pulled up in front of me and I think that's pretty fantastic in regards to. Oh, I apologize. You go first.
07:29
Miya Folick
I think it's. It's difficult for everyone, but it's like, I think particularly on the road, it's, it's. Yeah, it's difficult to make money. And that's, I think, something that maybe people don't really realized. But I'm on this tour in particular, kind of trying to just remember on both sides, like on our side as a band and me as an artist and also from the audience side, it's difficult for both of us to get there, like for people to pay for a ticket, that's a lot of money for a lot of people. And then to get to the show, like taking a bus or taking their car or driving through snow or carpooling with someone, getting a carpool. And, you know, we're driving four or five hours through the snow. We're tired and our voices are sore,
08:46
DJ Beowulf
You know, putting that all into perspective.
08:49
Miya Folick
But we showed up and I think that's like, I think that's amazing.
08:54
DJ Beowulf
Absolutely.
08:55
Miya Folick
It's something that I'm trying to, like, think about every time we play a show on this tour.
09:01
DJ Beowulf
How's tour been going so far?
09:04
Miya Folick
It's been awesome.
09:06
DJ Beowulf
I know you're coming all the way from Los Angeles. So did you start on the east coast or have you made Your way over here gradually.
09:13
Miya Folick
No, we started in Santa Ana, California, which is where I'm from. And it's about an hour south of la. We drove up the west coast, so we did Santa Ana, Louisiana, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and then from Seattle to Minneapolis, and then been heading east, east. And down Canada, and then down. Now we're headed down across the other way, you know, so we. It's kind of. We went kind of like a loop up the west coast to the north, cross the east. And now. And now we're kind of, like, starting to head back. And we'll end in Austin.
09:59
DJ Beowulf
Fantastic.
10:00
Miya Folick
I mean, we'll end in la, because we have to go home.
10:02
DJ Beowulf
Yeah, you have to come home. But the last show's in Austin.
10:05
Miya Folick
Our last shows will be at south by Southwest.
10:08
DJ Beowulf
Ooh. Okay. If. If you cross paths with a band called Spud Cannon, give them some big love from WKNC. I know they're playing south by Southwest, and they've come through here a coup times. We love them.
10:21
Miya Folick
Okay. Yeah.
10:23
DJ Beowulf
On the off chance. Spud Cannon, like potatoes coming out of a cannon.
10:27
Miya Folick
Like potatoes. Okay.
10:30
DJ Beowulf
But anyways, this is about me, a fallock and not Spud Cannon.
10:35
Miya Folick
And it could be about. We should loop them in.
10:38
DJ Beowulf
We could. They are. They're rockers, for sure. I think you'd actually like them. Not that your music is all that similar. They're from New York. I forget the exact city they go to. Vassar College. They're all students out there.
10:54
Miya Folick
Whoa. That's crazy.
10:56
DJ Beowulf
Why?
10:58
Miya Folick
I just think it's crazy to, like, be in a band at college. I think it's really common. But I just. I wasn't. And I. I just think it's really cool when people are, like, doing it at that age. I. I wasn't. Yeah.
11:17
DJ Beowulf
I think lots of people in college do. Bands like for funsies. But Spud Cannon actually like touring and attempting to make a career out of it while also doing their undergrad. That's a task for sure.
11:32
Miya Folick
Yeah, definitely.
11:32
DJ Beowulf
But, I mean, were talking about that earlier, saying that, like, artists have to drive around for hours and hours in the snow, and people have to get to the shows. It's just another example of an artist's commitment to their craft and how impressive that is.
11:48
Miya Folick
Yeah.
11:49
DJ Beowulf
As far as your craft and your most recent album, Premonitions, like I said, I have your bandcamp page pulled up in front of me, and there is a beautiful description on it, which I could recite, but I'd much rather hear how you feel. About premonitions and. Of course, that's a loaded question, but if someone were listening to this and they had never heard of you before and you had just released this album, what would you tell them about it? Oh, like I said, loaded question. There's a lot of things you could say, wouldn't I?
12:22
Miya Folick
Probably would be like, listen to it. I know. Listen to it. Maybe.
12:27
DJ Beowulf
If you want to.
12:28
Miya Folick
If you want to. I'd say it's. It's like emotional music about honest things, and it's a lot about driving, so striving to live better, do better, live truer, be more honest, et cetera. And then sonically, it's kind of an eclectic palette. There's quiet moments and then there's solar moments, and then there's loud moments and raucous moments. But I think it's like a mixture of, like, organic and synthetic instruments. And usually people compare it to kind.
13:33
DJ Beowulf
Of like, Mitsky or something.
13:38
Miya Folick
A lot of, like, Cranberries and things like that. I think the MIT key comparison is lazy.
13:47
DJ Beowulf
Valid.
13:48
Miya Folick
Valid for sure, just because we both happen to be Asian American women who are singer songwriters. But our music doesn't really sound similar at all. We have very different melodies. We have very different instrumentation. I think the similarity is that we're Asian American women making music that is honest.
14:13
DJ Beowulf
But I definitely think that opinion hits that. Hits that on the head of it being lazy. In fact, on your band Camp, Mitsky is the first, like, if you like this, you'll like this. And then immediately after, it's Japanese breakfast.
14:26
Miya Folick
Yeah. Yeah. That's hilarious. I don't think that's wrong, because I do think there's something. I do think there's something like the. It's like. It's like when you go to. If you're, like, ordering food and you're like, do I want something healthy and nutritious, or do I want, like, an ice cream cone? There is. I feel like Mitsuki and Japanese breakfast, and I wear something healthy. You know, we're like, something that's, like, kind of nourishing and honest and, like, trying to do something. But our music doesn't sound alike at all to me. But I think what it's doing is similar. So I don't think it's wrong to say, like, if you like Mitski, you may like me efolic, but I think when I'm describing my music, I wouldn't use her as a sonic reference.
15:33
DJ Beowulf
Who would you use as a sonic reference? You. You name Dropped the Cranberries. But, yeah, let's get some other out there.
15:39
Miya Folick
That. Yeah, like, that's. I'd say the Cranberries are a better sonic reference only because, like, the way, like, the vocal sits in the mix, like, the way the. The instrumentation is around the tracks is like, definitely more like Cranberries. And I'd say Mitsky is more angular. Like, the way she uses guitar lines, the way she uses drums is a little bit more like, things jut out. And my music isn't really like that.
16:16
DJ Beowulf
I like the use of vocabulary that you have in describing your album and the use of angular in regards to Mitsky. That's definitely something for me to roll around in my brain and ponder the next time I'm listening to Be the Cowboy. That's for really gonna stick with me. I'm gon have to think about that.
16:34
Miya Folick
Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think. I think there's, like. Anyway, I don't. I don't know where I was going to. Where I was going to go. I'm aborting that.
16:48
DJ Beowulf
That is a. Okay, well, going back to premonitions instead of comparisons to other artists. Do you have a favorite track that you made? Obviously it's hard. Like, it's like asking someone to pick a favorite child. But I guess I should say, do you have one that, like, means the most to you?
17:09
Miya Folick
I mean, I'd say to me, like, thingamajig is a really special song and it felt special writing it and then, like, recording it. So, you know, it was just one of those moments where you're like, this is. This is cool. I feel like, lucky to be a part of this. And I. It's kind of one of. One of the only times I've really felt like, wow, I wrote this song.
17:50
DJ Beowulf
That's got to be a good feeling.
17:52
Miya Folick
Which is. Yeah, it's a good feeling when I think about it. And then sometimes I'm just like, oh, this song again. I guess I have to sing this song again. Yeah.
18:02
DJ Beowulf
I mean, I guess when a song gets popular, like, it's got to get arduous to sing it over and over again.
18:09
Miya Folick
Yeah. And I think that's why, like, going into a performance, it's like, intention of expressing something. Makes it easier because I'm. Because then I'm not just like, okay, I gotta sing this freaking song again. I can. When I'm thinking, like, okay, what is this song about? What am I trying to express? That makes it easy. That makes it easier for me. And then it also means, like, I can change what I'm trying to express. So then it's not really like doing the same thing over and over again. Because if this day I'm like, okay, this song is about apologizing, then maybe on this day, like, this song is about proving something. You know, it's just like, it shifts it a little bit for mentally. It's basically like a trick I'm playing on myself to make it fresh.
19:05
DJ Beowulf
I was just about to say whatever you got to do to keep it fresh and keep the energy and excitement there. I mean, I guess excitement is probably the wrong word because thingamajig can be interpreted for so many different emotions. But I guess keep the passion would be a better phrase.
19:20
Miya Folick
Yeah. And just like keeping it interesting, keeping it fun. I. I think it's. It's. I think it's funny because people focus on that for musicians all the time, but it's like everybody has to do that. Like, everybody who has a job, goes to their job and does a similar or the same thing every day.
19:51
DJ Beowulf
The routine can become mundane at times and it's like cogs grinding down. It's.
19:57
Miya Folick
Yes. Yeah. And like, everyone does it. Everyone, not just musicians. Like. And I think finding a meaning in what you do helps everybody.
20:13
DJ Beowulf
Well, as far as finding a meaning in what you do you. I'm looking at your entire discography right now. Do you feel as though the meaning for your creating music has it changed since your first release, strange Darling in 2015, and then premonitions now in 2018?
20:32
Miya Folick
Yes, definitely. I think it'll continue to change. When I put out, when I made Strange Darling, I would. It was like I was making it out of, like, desperation to make something. I felt like I'm not doing anything. What am I doing with my life? I'm useless. I was unhappy, I was lonely. I was in a bad relationship. I wasn't making anything or I wasn't sharing anything. I was making. I was like making things on my computer at home, bartending, just like working all the time, but not really, you know, doing what I cared about. Yeah. And I. I just made that just like needing to make something and I put it out not thinking anybody was gonna listen to it. Not really with any sort of plan or not really caring if there was a plan.
21:57
Miya Folick
And then, you know, fast forward three years or two years. Three years. Yeah. 2015 and 2018. I. You released a full length album on full length record with a label. So I no longer had, like. I didn't have the luxury anymore of not caring if people listen to it or not. Like, I needed people to listen to it. But I also didn't want to make something, like, focusing too much on what. What I thought people would like. Obviously, I wanted to make something that. But at the same time, like, I did think about the listener when I was making the record, and I didn't think about the listener at all when I was making the EP and the record.
22:54
Miya Folick
I was thinking, because I had played many, many shows and I had, you know, I had received feedback and I had kind of honed in on what kind of experience that I want to provide for an audience. And so when I came to making the record, I was thinking, like, okay, what do I want this show to feel like? What kind of emotional experience do I want to provide? Because it is like a service that you're providing. And then what do I want to experience on stage and in this album and what do I want to express and what I want to say? I think there was just, like, a lot more thought put into what the album sounded like and very little thought put into the ep. It was more like emotion. It was just like emotional output. Like, what do I feel?
23:45
Miya Folick
What do I want this to sound like? What makes me feel good? When I put this out into the EP and then the album, it was all those things, plus a little more planning, a little more intention.
23:59
DJ Beowulf
I always think it's really interesting to look at an artist's evolution going across their discography. And while you were saying all of that, I was reading the descriptions of all your different releases. You know, Pet Body, Give it to Me, Dead Body, which. Side note, I think it's a really cool comparison going from Pet Body to Dead Body, simply based on title, color scheme of the album covers and things. And just hearing you talk about your thoughts and feelings going into producing each of these albums is. It adds another layer of depth to the already beautiful descriptions that you put underneath each of them. And it's definitely very interesting for me to hear and think about while checking you out. As far as the show tonight goes, will we be only hearing things from Premonitions?
24:51
DJ Beowulf
Are you gonna touch into your older stuff as well?
24:55
Miya Folick
We'll touch into. There are a few songs we play that are from my Give it to Me episode. I saw on Twitter today that somebody asked me to play Pet Body. But you gonna do it for him? We'll see. I don't know. We. We. We are not rehearsed for that song.
25:26
DJ Beowulf
Valid, valid point.
25:27
Miya Folick
We all play a tiny bit of.
25:29
DJ Beowulf
It, but just a teaser of it.
25:31
Miya Folick
Yeah, yeah. Maybe just a teaser, but this set is a few songs from Give it to Me P and then Premonitions, but we don't play anything from the Strange Darling.
25:51
DJ Beowulf
As far as the show goes tonight, do you know who your openers are?
25:55
Miya Folick
It's Barry. Barry's been on tour with us since Santa Ana, and they're a band from New York. They're awesome, so people should definitely get there early and listen to Barry. And they also just put out a single that you can listen to on wherever you listen to music, but it's Barry. B, A, R, R, I, E. I.
26:20
DJ Beowulf
Would have expected Y, so I'll definitely have to check them out. Thank you for the spelling correction.
26:26
Miya Folick
Oh, yeah, yeah. I, E. How did you get in.
26:29
DJ Beowulf
Contact with that band from New York? Is it through your label?
26:33
Miya Folick
It was through my agent. They just sent, like, were going out on tour. I was actually just telling them this story. It's not that exciting of a story, but this is the story. We were on tour. We were on another tour, and I got sent just like, here are four or five options to open for your headline tour. And I listened to them all, and I was just like, this is the one. These people seem nice and the music's good. And they said yes. So we're. We're here. We're out on the road.
27:23
DJ Beowulf
That is so cool. I just have a couple more questions,
27:26
Miya Folick
Though, that you just, like, we didn't know these. These people at all, and now we've spent so much time together. I think it's just kind of like, that's one of the greatest things about playing music is, like, you just get thrown into these very intimate situations with people that you didn't know at all.
27:53
DJ Beowulf
That is very cool. I've always. Since I was a child, I've always dreamed of, like, going on tour, but, like, who doesn't, like, sing in their shower and go, I want to be. I want to be a superstar? But of course, with my obsession of music, I've read 10 million classic rock memoirs and hearing about artists who did not get along on tour, but were merely paired together because they're sonically similar. So I think it's really cute that you were able handpick your opener and then you're shoved into that intimate setting and you guys get along, which is fantastic.
28:27
Miya Folick
Yeah.
28:27
DJ Beowulf
Just a couple more questions about you as an artist, because, of course, I could draw on about your creativity and how excited I am for you to play in Raleigh tonight, but we don't need an hour long interview. I guess one thing that really stands out for you is the iconography that you use for your album covers is that you come up with yourself.
28:56
Miya Folick
Yeah. I mean this album was the first time I worked with anybody like a creative director. The Strange Darling ep. I literally took that picture of myself in my bathroom. And the singles for God of Woman and Pet Body, those were photographs that were taken of me. And then I like manipulated them in Photoshop to make those like floating head things. Yeah, I give it to me ep,
29:37
DJ Beowulf
Which is probably my favorite album cover.
29:42
Miya Folick
My friend Waverly Mandel shot the photos of me and then I did like, I photoshopped them and created that. The layout with the like people and the. And I hand carved a stamp to make the logo which was really fun and super easy to do. And I didn't know that. But you can just get these like rubber stamps and these like.
30:14
DJ Beowulf
Are you talking about the little red, like give it to me thing?
30:18
Miya Folick
Yeah. Yeah. Very cool.
30:20
DJ Beowulf
Very, very cool.
30:22
Miya Folick
Yeah. And I encourage anybody who wants to make a stamp just like go to a, an art supply store and get it because it's really fun to do and you can make as many as you want.
30:34
DJ Beowulf
I've got a, I've got a pretty.
30:35
Miya Folick
Good friend before I got it right because I at first didn't realize that you have to make it in a mirror image. I kept messing up. You do you have to do it backwards. And then I realized that's really hard. And what I could do is I just didn't make it in a mirror image. And then I flipped it in Photoshop so the stamp itself is actually wrong. It's like it's backwards. But it was too hard to make a mirror image. So that's what I ended up doing anyway. And then this, this the Premonitions cover. I worked with a woman named Molly Hawkins and I. Yeah, like the idea came about pretty quickly. I'd been thinking about it for a really long time and I was just like, I don't know, I just want it.
31:32
Miya Folick
I just had this idea of like, I wanted it to be an up close photo of me with a specific look in my eyes. But that's like very difficult to explain to a label.
31:44
DJ Beowulf
What would you call that look in your eyes?
31:46
Miya Folick
Can I just like, I don't even know. But it's like people kept asking me like, what? Like how do we, are we going to go about doing this cover? And I was like, I don't know, we just need to do a shoe. And I want this look in my eyes. No, no. But. But I also was trying to figure out how to. There were, like, certain elements that I wanted to express. Just, like, this look in my eyes of, like, kind of looking toward the future, but also, like, knowing something. Like, you look at the picture and you're like, that girl knows something. And then I also wanted, like, a sense of community and a sense of family. And were trying to figure out how to incorporate that.
32:32
Miya Folick
And having it just be a photo of me felt too lonely and too, like, singular and didn't really place me in any sort of context. And so I honestly don't even remember who thought of it, but were just like, let's do a portrait of you and your parents and. Or me and my parents. And that was what we just ran with that, so.
32:57
DJ Beowulf
And how'd your parents feel about doing this photo shoot? I mean, your mom looks really happy. She's smiling in the picture.
33:07
Miya Folick
Yeah, I know. It's such a cute picture of her. I think my parents. My parents, I think, are. Are very excited about being on the COVID but they haven't really ever expressed that to me. I. I think when I brought up the idea to them, they were just like, why? Why.
33:32
DJ Beowulf
Why do you want us to do this?
33:34
Miya Folick
Why do you want us to do this? But they're super supportive, so they're basically like, we'll do anything, you know, if you want it, we'll do. We'll do any. Whatever you want. I mean, I'm sure there were boundaries if I wouldn't have, like, crossed those boundaries, but I. But I do think that they. I do think that they are, like, proud of it and are happy that they are on it, but please tell.
34:04
DJ Beowulf
Me that they have, like, a framed.
34:06
Miya Folick
Picture of that to express that.
34:09
DJ Beowulf
I think that would be a really cute, like, family picture.
34:13
Miya Folick
I should do that for them, shouldn't I?
34:15
DJ Beowulf
Oh, yeah.
34:16
Miya Folick
They can, like, hang it up, print and put it in a frame and.
34:18
DJ Beowulf
Stuff, or put it on the fridge. Don't even get a nice frame. Like, if they're humble about it, no need to display. Just put it on the fridge.
34:26
Miya Folick
They have nothing on their fridge. I've never thought about that.
34:30
DJ Beowulf
Nothing.
34:31
Miya Folick
Like, not even, like, anything. Not even a single magnet. I always, like, I think your fridge. I think they have a fridge that you can't. That you can't put magnets on or.
34:42
DJ Beowulf
Something that's not even a fridge.
34:44
Miya Folick
Then I don't know what is a fridge.
34:48
DJ Beowulf
If you can't decorate it.
34:49
Miya Folick
But then they moved, I think. What? So when I was like 22, they moved and then. And they like. I think they decided they like no longer wanted like a child friendly household or something.
35:09
DJ Beowulf
Yeah, you can de. Childproof it.
35:11
Miya Folick
They like, they de. Childed their home like they used to have. We had like this door with all of our heights on it like since were kids. You know, that's cute. And like, you know, crayon on the walls and pictures all over the refrigerator and now there's just like none of.
35:30
DJ Beowulf
That crayon on the walls. They really encourage your creative outlet, like from the beginning.
35:34
Miya Folick
Well, they didn't encourage.
35:37
DJ Beowulf
It just happens.
35:38
Miya Folick
Yeah, I got in trouble constantly for like things like that. Just like, I think I got into this. I got into like a collaging phase. And so there's this like a certain table in that house that's just like covered in scratch marks from X acto knives. Because. Yeah, I was.
36:03
DJ Beowulf
It's got character.
36:05
Miya Folick
Like, it's. Yeah, it's. I'm. I'm more careful now, I think.
36:15
DJ Beowulf
I mean, you're over two decades into the creative process, so I imagine there's a, there's definitely a learning curve with trying out all your different outlets. And maybe caution is one of those things that you can gleam from experimentation.
36:31
Miya Folick
Yeah, yeah. And like, I think cleaning up after yourself is like part of the process.
36:44
DJ Beowulf
Definitely. I mean. Yes. I sadly am not the most handy, crafty person. Both of my roommates are constantly making little things. When you were talking about your stamps, I was going to bring up that I've got a good friend who's living with me at the moment and he did like wood carving stamps where he found an image that he liked, like whittled it out of like a block of wood and would then stamp it. And I've got a bunch of his like prints hanging in my room. It's ridiculous.
37:13
Miya Folick
I. Yeah, I'm. You're reminding me that the reason. So the reason I thought of this damp thing was that my sister, when she got married, She. She married a man who's half Iranian and his uncle created this like, calligraphy that mixed his name with my sister's name. And it's like very intricate, this calligraphy. And my sister hand carved that calligraphy into a stamp and hand stamped every invitation to their wedding. It was insane. But so she's. That she's the reason I like knew you could do it. And the stamp that I made was like way More simple than the one that she made.
38:09
DJ Beowulf
Do your siblings, I don't know if you have any others than your sister, but are they also creative? Calling people creative is such a corny phrase.
38:19
Miya Folick
Well, I think everyone is creative, absolutely. I think we just kind of, there's like a hierarchy to the kind of creativity that people respect. But like be, you know, being able to like balance your career with a child is creative. Like I think it's. But my brother is like a sciencey person. He's, he has two doctorates. I'd say, you know, most people would be like, oh, he's a sciency person. He's not creative, but he's very creative. He has a very interesting mind and it's very different from mine. I will spend my lifetime trying to figure him out, you know. And yeah, my sister, she works for anthropology at the urban headquarters in Philadelphia and she does have a, like a somewhat creative job though. I think she, she'd say it isn't, but it is. And she works with beauty products.
39:26
Miya Folick
And then I also have a sister, Corey, like my eldest sister who's a doctor. And I, I think she's also creative, though I don't think she would say she is. You know, I, but I, I think she is. And, and I think what is similar about all of us is like we're pretty like headstrong and kind of like Corey ran her first marathon as like a parent of two kids, which I think is insane. And she would like get up early and train for this marathon, which is, you know, it just takes like a certain kind of personality. And I think we getting up early,
40:11
DJ Beowulf
Exercising and raising children is a trio of burning candles at both ends. And she's a doctor. Oh my God.
40:22
Miya Folick
Yeah.
40:23
DJ Beowulf
See I always try to flex to people and I'll be like, yeah, I'm a double major in school right now. And then I hear people who have children running marathons being doctors and.
40:34
Miya Folick
I know, I feel like my sisters, I just saw my sister and she was like my sister who lives, who works for urban and she was like, how are you doing? You must be so tired. I'm like, you must be tired. You have a two year old child and a full time job. Like I feel bad complaining about tour I'm not raising a human. You know, it's like it's, it's, it's interesting to me that like she can still have compassion for the things that I go through when she's like raising A human. I, I feel like nothing I do is raising a human and I couldn't possibly.
41:25
DJ Beowulf
Well, you are impacting the lives of. I would, I would posit thousands of youths who are listening to your music. Regardless of the accuracy of that number or not. I definitely think that the emotion that you put into the record is something that everyone who listens to it will be able to glean their own meaning from. So while you may not be directly raising a human, you're impacting the world views of other people who listen. And that's maybe not as hands on of a job, but definitely a task in its own.
41:57
Miya Folick
Yeah. And it is interesting because it's interesting to me because I do meet people and people come up to me at shows and say these things to me like, that are very personal and sometimes, you know, difficult to hear because people are going through difficult things and it is hard to be like, okay, well, see you maybe never again. Yeah, it's worried about you. But I also just have to like, move on. And it's just like, interesting because it's like, it's definitely different than raising a kid because with a kid you're like there all the time, right? Or at least you should be different from raising a kid in so many ways. But like in specifically in that like, whatever the problem with that child is, like you.
42:51
Miya Folick
You will be aware of it or you will become aware of it and you can like be a part of, you know, fixing it or addressing it. And when you're sharing your music with people and people are like getting something emotional out of it, you can't really, like, you can't really control that. It's already out in the world for them beyond that. And it becomes difficult when you do feel like you are. Do you know what I mean? It's like you need to draw a line or you will go insane. Because the pressure of feeling responsible for all these people, like, that's especially. I don't know, I was just thinking about this recently because Bad Blood came on the radio. I'm just like. It's just interesting how that song really.
43:42
DJ Beowulf
Still in the top 40.
43:44
Miya Folick
I don't know. It came on. I put the radio on when I was in New Jersey and it came on. Oh, well, I don't know what radio station I was listening to. Just interesting how like. Taylor Swift attempted to. Or at least there was the appearance of attempting to have like, personal relationships with fans. But it's kind of impossible because it's like too Much too much. There's too many people for her. It's. I was just thinking like, oh, God, I wonder what it's like to be Taylor Swift. That must be an insane. That. It's just like, how do you operate? I don't know. I don't know.
44:39
DJ Beowulf
There's so many. There's so many avenues that you could apply that same mindset to with. Just like the. The bigger and more popular or more powerful a person gets, the more diluted their. I guess they're like interpersonal pool of relations becomes because you're doing so many things and there's so many people who want your attention that like you said, it's impossible to form those relationships. And I know that lots of fans often like, come up to artists after show and shows and kind of like use them as like an emotional dumpster, like, thanks for making this music. Here's all of my problems.
45:19
Miya Folick
Yeah, yeah.
45:20
DJ Beowulf
It's. It's.
45:23
Miya Folick
And I'm not. I don't think that's a bad thing.
45:26
DJ Beowulf
No, it's a. It's an expression of emotion as well.
45:29
Miya Folick
Right. And you know what? Like, I just spent an hour dumping my emotions on you.
45:34
DJ Beowulf
I enjoyed listening to it.
45:35
Miya Folick
I'm like, do you know what I mean? It's like, who am I to say, like, oh, don't. Don't lay your emotions on me, you know, like, of course not. I. I did that. That's like what performing is like. So I can reciprocate it, but it's. It's.
45:51
DJ Beowulf
There. There are definitely boundaries that are.
45:53
Miya Folick
There's definitely boundaries, Toad.
45:55
DJ Beowulf
Definitely. You got toe the line there.
45:58
Miya Folick
Yeah.
45:59
DJ Beowulf
Well, I will say we're hitting that 47 minute mark.
46:04
Miya Folick
Okay.
46:05
DJ Beowulf
I have sincerely enjoyed this interview and thank you so much for offering me a glimpse into your expansive psyche and all the ways you see music, yourself, the world, fan interactions, the creative process, family, all of it.
46:22
Miya Folick
Thank you. Thank you. This is a fun conversation.
46:25
DJ Beowulf
Yeah. I learned quite a bit about you and your music making process in this interview and I hope your show tonight is fantastic. I hope it's well attended. I hope fans have nothing but good things to say. I hope you sell all of the T shirts and if you have any lingering pet body panties, I help you. So I hope you sell all of those too. But thank you for talking to me and big love to you and Barry on the rest of your tour, as I imagine you must be getting drained at this point.
47:00
Miya Folick
I think we're getting our second win.
47:02
DJ Beowulf
There you go. That runner's high.
47:04
Miya Folick
We were feeling pretty drained right around, like, a few days ago. Like four days ago. It was cold, cold. Snow, sludge, rain, rain that is really draining for me. But right now, I mean, coming from.
47:27
DJ Beowulf
The Sunshine State, you've got to need it.
47:30
Miya Folick
Yeah, yeah. I'm getting very pale.
47:35
DJ Beowulf
Well, I will say Raleigh's. Raleigh's a clean 35 degrees today. The sun is out. It's not very windy. Not raining. It's not snowing or anything. It is cold, but it's survivable cold.
47:47
Miya Folick
Okay, cool. Well, I'm looking forward to it.
47:49
DJ Beowulf
And I see the word cool. I'm gonna do my very best. I do believe we have DJ passes, so if I'm there, I'll be sure to say hello.
47:57
Miya Folick
Okay. Yes. Come say hi.
47:58
DJ Beowulf
I will. Thank you so much for talking to me. You're going to rock it tonight. And congratulations on the success of your album.
48:07
Miya Folick
Okay, thank you. Thank you so much.
48:08
DJ Beowulf
Absolutely. Thank you for talking to me. Bye.
48:10
Miya Folick
Bye. Bye.