Discovered via Musosoup
IF YOU’RE GOING TO CALL Mimi Pretend a Lana Del Rey copycat, think again! She didn’t actually start listening to her music until last year. Although still developing her sound, the artist doesn’t allow the music she listens to to influence her songs too much (to prove this, she even went on a music detox for six months). Rather, when it comes to Mimi’s music, it’s all about inspiration, and she quotes Mazzy Star, Hope Sandoval and David Lynch among her favourites. The craziness of the tour life she’s currently experiencing did not allow us to coordinate a Zoom interview, but I was able to get a hold of Mimi over e-mail, where she walked me through all the singles she’s released since 2020, especially her latest “Guys in LA,” which came out on Apr. 14. What does the future have in hold for this young yet determined artist? Read below to find out!
Introduce yourself: who is Mimi Pretend? How and when was she born?
Hi! I'm Mimi Pretend and I started really making music in college. I had always written songs and poetry and knew that was literally my purpose in life but I was a lot less disciplined when I was younger, so I kept telling myself "when I'm in college, I'll start a band" and thankfully I held myself to it.
You only have a couple of singles out. The first one, "On the Run," was released in 2020. Although you're just getting started, how has your music changed in the past few years?
My music has changed a lot. In my old band, I was very influenced by psychedelic and spaghetti western music but, even since "On the Run," my music has changed immensely. I started going to music school and that really made me think about music differently.
Your sound and voice really remind me of Lana Del Rey but also, at times, of Cigarettes After Sex. Did she inspire your music, or were there other influences that played a bigger role?
I've gotten a lot of Lana Del Rey and I didn't even start listening to her until a year ago!
I actually started listening to her because people said I sounded like her but now I really love her, definitely one of my favourites. For me, she's more inspirational in the way she completely changed pop music and allowed for more "experimental" and "alternative" music to have a chance - not really in the mainstream per se but just in the public eye. I also don't really listen to Cigarettes After Sex but have heard some of their songs. They're good so thank you!
I would say other music played a bigger role in inspiring me like Mazzy Star, Hope Sandoval and David Lynch.
Courtesy of Mimi Pretend
Could you introduce each single you've released so far? I'm talking about "On the Run" (2020), "Wish We Never Met (Nuancer Remix)" (2022), "I Still Wear Your Ring" (2022) and "Hateful" (2023).
"On the Run" was my first single as a solo artist. I hadn't really written music completely by myself before. In my old band, I would write the lyrics and main chord progression, bring it to my band mates and they would write their parts. I was listening to a lot of 80s music like Simple Minds, ICEHOUSE, Depeche Mode, etc. at the time so I think that was a big inspiration for this song.
"Wish We Never Met" is a funny one. It really doesn't feel like it fits the Mimi Pretend roster to be honest, but I feel that way about every song now.
The original song was also inspired by 80s music and I wrote it when I was having an artistic identity crisis. So I took it to my good friend and bass player Daniel DiMarchi and we were kinda just messing around with it to see what could sound new and eventually he just remixed it.
"I Still Wear Your Ring" and "Hateful" are the first two singles of my upcoming EP and those were songs that I had written after not listening to music for like 6 months or so. I felt I was too influenced by the music I was listening to and I really don't like that feeling. So when I felt kind of like an empty slate, I just sat down and was like whatever I write now is my real songwriting voice.
Your music is very nostalgic and it gives out a very melancholic vibe. Is it what you wish to convey or is there more?
Thank you! I love that you say it sounds nostalgic and melancholic. I wouldn't say it's something I actively look to achieve, but it's something ingrained in my songwriting for sure. I really just like creating music that creates an overall mood and cinematic quality.
Let's talk about "Guys in LA:" what inspired it and how did it come to life?
I actually wrote "Guys in LA" before I wrote "Hateful" and "I Still Wear Your Ring," and it's totally my pop song.
In one of my classes at CalArts, we were analyzing a lot of pop music and it was just so much fun and, one night, I was feeling especially heartbroken but didn't want to be sad about it. So I thought about what a Mimi Pretend pop song would sound like and that's how “Guys in LA” came to be.
Courtesy of Mimi Pretend
Who produces your tracks? How do you choose which producers to work with? Do you have some dream producers you'd like to work with?
I have only worked with Chris Ostler from Black Honey which has been an absolute dream already. He has taught me everything I know and is an amazing musician himself. I started working with him kind of by accident. He was teaching me music theory and then it turned into teaching me how to mix and master and then we were like, "well, let's make an EP," and here we are.
As far as people to work with in the future, I would die to have Trent Reznor or Brian Eno as a producer - but I honestly haven't thought about that too much. I mainly want to be really confident in doing everything completely by myself.
Is music your main occupation at the moment? If not, how are you conciliating your day job with your music career?
Right now I am lucky that music is my main occupation but that's mainly because I am in school. I hope after I graduate I can keep living off of it!
Courtesy of Mimi Pretend
You're currently on tour: how are you enjoying the tour life? Is it what you expected? Also, feel free to say who you're touring with (if you're touring with another artist) and where your fans can expect to see you next.
Yes, right now I'm on tour with a different band I am a backing member in. I love touring so it's been a lot of fun. Eventually, I want to be on tour all the time with my project. As for what's coming up next for me, I'm not sure yet! More shows and more releases for sure.
Who's your dream feature?
A dream feature for me would be Hope Sandoval, Chris Isaak, Chino Moreno and/or David Lynch. I would love to do a song with any and all of them. I could die happy.
Where do you see yourself in one year as a musician?
In one year, I will definitely have an album out and be doing a tour!