Mitski Artistfacts

September 27, 1990
Mitski's Japanese mother and American father were living in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the time of her birth. But because her parents wanted her to have Japanese citizenship, her pregnant mother took a plane to Japan, gave birth to Mitski, and flew back to Africa with the newborn baby in tow. Growing up, her family moved around a lot due to her dad's career with the US Department of State.
She originally began her college career as a film student at Hunter College in Manhattan before transferring to SUNY Purchase College's Conservatory of Music to study studio composition. For her junior and senior projects, she recorded her first two albums, Lush and Retired From Sad, New Career In Business.
As a teenager, she was living in Turkey when she drunkenly wrote her first real song, "Bag Of Bones" (featured on Lush). She recalled, "By the time it was done my heart was pounding like I just saw the rest of my life. I was f--king doomed."
She switched from keyboard to guitar because she felt like she needed a more portable instrument to bring to gigs. Before that, she was getting glares from fellow passengers when she tried to lug her giant keyboard with her on the subway.
She's a fan of horror movies. The first one that really scared her was the 1998 Japanese flick Ju-On, which was remade in America as The Grudge.
She was first recognized by the Grammy Awards for her 2018 album, Be The Cowboy, which earned nominations for Best Rock Album, Creative Packaging, and Best Recording Package.
She's gotten high praise from other musicians, with Iggy Pop describing her as "probably the most advanced American songwriter I know."
Many of her relationship songs are actually about her love affair with music rather than a person. She told Pitchfork, "A lot of my songs are just about music and trying to pursue it, and not feeling loved by it. A lot of the 'yous' in my songs are abstract ideas about music."
Mitski got a lot of attention in 2018 when she toured as an opening act for Lorde and released her album Be The Cowboy, which earned great reviews and got her booked on national TV shows. That August, she launched her own headlining tour that lasted over a year. By the last show - in New York's Central Park on September 8, 2019 - she was so burned out she considered leaving the music industry. She took a long break, returning in 2021 with "Working For The Knife," the first single from her Laurel Hell album. The song reflects the pressure she felt during her ascent.
Mitski's music is very popular on TikTok, where creators often use it to soundtrack videos. She doesn't use the app, though, and avoids social media. Her management has run her socials since she quit them in 2019.

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