Miist’s debut album, “The Songs from the Living Room”, is more than just a collection of tracks—it’s an emotional odyssey that captures the essence of her journey in music and life. As a rising artist, Miist has poured her heart and soul into this project, inviting listeners to experience a range of emotions, from joy to sorrow, and everything in between.
Crafted in collaboration with the legendary Narada Michael Walden, “The Songs from the Living Room” is an album that resonates deeply with the human experience, offering a soundtrack to life’s most intimate moments.
In this interview, Miist opens up about the creative process behind the album, the significance of its title, and the powerful collaborations that brought “The Songs from the Living Room” to life. She also reflects on the personal stories and emotions that shaped the music, providing insight into the themes that run throughout the album. For Miist, this album is not just a musical project—it’s a reflection of her life’s journey, and she hopes it will inspire others to dream, love, and live fully.
From the deeply emotional “It’s Too Late to Love You” to the uplifting anthem “I’m Not Afraid to Dream Again,” Miist’s debut album is a testament to the power of music to heal, connect, and inspire. As she continues to grow as an artist, Miist remains committed to sharing her story and touching the hearts of listeners everywhere.
How would you describe the album beyond musical genres? What does “The Songs from the Living Room” mean to you?
This album is about the beginning of my music journey, the things and people I care about, and the feelings I feel. It’s the music that came out when Miist met Narada!
When The Songs from the Living Room is played, I want people to reminisce with me, to laugh with me, to cry with me, to dream with me, to dance with me, to say “I miss you” to old friends, to say “I love you” to people around us, to say goodbye to some relationships, and to say “It’s ok” to ourselves when we do so… That journey is what the song order and album are about.
Why is the album called “The Songs from the Living Room”?
Narada told me that he almost always sits in the mixing booth with his engineer when recording with artists, but I was such a newbie that, at my request, he sat with me in the isolation booth. He was literally a few feet from me at all times. When we had wrapped the album, he smiled at me and said, “I feel like I’ve been listening to the songs from the living room.” Then he paused and added, “That’s the name of the album, ‘The Songs from the Living Room’.” I agreed! These are the songs that are playing in the living room of your life while you move through different phases, people, and emotions. It’s also an album that you can literally play in the living room for everyone to enjoy.
How came the collaboration with Narada Michael Walden on the track “It’s Too Late to Love You” and what was it like recording such an emotional piece together?
“It’s Too Late To Love You” was first written with Bryan Adams’ voice in mind, because the song needs a storytelling voice that when people hear it they say “Yes. He’s been through this”. Bryan Adams was in the Middle East and graciously declined. I didn’t ask Narada to sing it at first because the Narada we all know is always happy and cheerful, and I didn’t want him to feel the sadness he has to feel to sing this song correctly. When Narada told me he would love to sing this song if I wanted him to, I asked him, “Are you willing to let yourself go there to feel the pain?”, he said, “Yes.” This song is about a very difficult period in a relationship where you still love each other, but there is so much pain that the love just isn’t enough anymore. That pain came through on the recording. It’s a side of Narada that the world has never heard before, and he knocked it out of the park. It means the world to me to sing with him on this song and that he was willing to do this very special performance with me.
We know there is a story behind the song “I’m Not Afraid to Dream Again” which is related to the ability to make new dreams come true. Can you tell us what this is about?
“I’m Not Afraid to Dream Again” was the phrase I told Narada when he asked me how I felt at the end of our first meeting. He told me on the spot to write that song about the emotion I was experiencing. For me, it was the unexpected awakening from a stay-at-home mom to becoming a singer, from not knowing there’s music in me to writing songs about all kinds of stories, from a homemade musician to being seen by and writing songs with a world-class musician like Narada… I’m living my dream. As time goes by, every time someone tells me how they are touched by my songs and how much they believe in me, I feel more and more that way… It is MY story, and I believe it can inspire more people to find their dreams and live them.
“Let the Music Fill You” was recorded in both English and Spanish with different producers. What inspired you to create this bilingual version, and how did the collaboration with Tony Succar come to be?
I’ve seen people dancing everywhere in the street in Havana. Every time I sing this song, it reminds me of that. I love the Latino culture! When we started talking about filming the music video of this song in Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina to show the vision in my head, I thought ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I also sing this song in Spanish’ to honor this culture that I love so much. So I did!
But, I soon found out it was not as easy as I thought! I had an Argentine singer translate the lyrics and demo it in Spanish for me, a Guatemalan tutor taught me how to speak the words correctly, a Cuban vocal coach teach me how to sing it correctly, and then a Peruvian producer, Tony Succar, to correct my accent… It took a village, for sure. But it was so fun!
“Let the Music Fill You” was originally written with Carlos Santana in mind. Even though he didn’t end up playing on it, Santana’s amazing percussionist Karl Perazzo played on the song instead and just added a lot of extra heat to the song. When I mentioned to Karl that I was looking for a Latin music producer to co-produce the Latin version of this song with Narada, he told me I had to talk to Tony Succar, so he made the personal phone call to Tony to connect us. Tony did an amazing job making the Latin version of “Let the Music Fill You” sound like Miami Sound Machine! I enjoyed working with Tony and meeting his family. I love the Latino culture even more after this song. Tony and I have another Latin song we are going to collaborate on called “Feel the Heat” which is inspired by our dear friend Karl.
Which songs on this album do you have the most emotional connection with?
I have a hard time choosing between “It’s Too Late to Love You” and “I’m Not Afraid to Dream Again”.
“It’s Too Late to Love You” is written about another couple’s story that I was deeply emotionally involved in. It took me 3 months to finish the song, which is very unusual. Usually, I either write the songs in 5 to 15 minutes, or I just don’t have it, but this song… I knew I could write this song, in fact, I wrote the verse of the song right after I heard about the couple’s story, but their story is on a reality show, which took 3 months to finish. In the last episode, when the couple made up their mind to let each other go, which I watched in tears, I knew the song was finished. Sure enough, I wrote the rest of the song in a few minutes. The 3 months of waiting was “torture” to me, but I’m very happy with the way the song came out.
I explained why I’m emotionally connected with “I’m Not Afraid to Dream Again” earlier. It is an amazing feeling to believe that dreams can be achieved. I want other people to feel that too.
Listening to this album feels like navigating a sea of profound and relatable themes, presented in a subtle and intelligent way. There are artists who struggle to establish that kind of connection so quickly, yet you’ve managed to do it with your very first album. What can you tell us about that?
Thank you so much! Making connections with people through my songs has always been my goal in songwriting, that’s why I think this is one of the best compliments I could ever get.
First, I have to say, that music is a gift from God. He also made humans feel the emotion in music. I believe musicians translate emotions into music for other people to listen and to feel. When I write songs, I need to form the story in my head and feel the emotion first, then the music just comes out expressing that emotion. I know that each emotion that I have felt at some point, other people have also experienced. As long as I’m true to the feelings I feel and keep it authentic, I believe people will connect to it. As a songwriter, I want to stay true, be vulnerable, and express the feelings that people have a hard time expressing or are afraid to express.
As you continue to grow as an artist, what are your goals for the future? Do you have any upcoming projects, shows, or collaborations that you’re particularly excited about?
I understand I’m very far away from this goal, but as an artist, my goal is to tell the stories with my voice the way Barbra Streisand does. She’s my favorite singer because of that. I want to put a meaning into every word I sing. I am excited to have two showcases coming up, one in San Francisco and one in the LA area, where I will tell my story with the songs from my new album.
Photos / Joel Margolis
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