Mia Mormino is the newest package to arrive at the doorsteps of today’s ever-changing pop scene. At only twenty-years-old, she has been recognized by the eyes and ears of well-known companies such as Billboard Music and artists like Ski Mask The Slump God, and P Diddy. Mia’s work varies in style due to her many influences, such as Teyana Taylor, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Amy Winehouse, but has one universal message. Life is unfair, but within every hard time is a valuable lesson. Let’s take a deeper dive into the world of this up and coming pop sensation.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Mia’s admiration for music started at the incredibly young age of three years old. Italian mother and father, Carmen and MaryLee Mormino enrolled their tiny toddler in her very first set of dance classes in a studio located in Calabasas, California. Mia’s passion for dance grew as she grew, and by the time she was in 5th grade, Mia went around telling her classmates and teachers that she was going to Juilliard, a prestigious college in New York that has an incredibly complex dance program. Once her mind was made, it was full steam ahead for collectively 15 years. Mia competed and performed on multiple teams during her dance career, in which she had much success. During her senior year of high school, her solo won the title of “First place overall soloist winner” at Starbound Dance Competition in Long Beach, California. Immediately following that win, the judges and audience members gave her the “Audience Choice Award” because of her intriguing facials and intricate movement patterns. All was on track for Mia’s dance career to take off until she…” grew up.”

In a recent interview with the founder and creator of the Headline Music app, Tommy Bauer, she had explained, “I loved dancing and will continue to love dancing because the feeling you get when doing so is indescribable. But, as I started going through more difficulties in life, AKA growing up, I felt I needed a more direct outlet in regards to expressing myself. That’s when I thought to myself, ‘Hey, I’m going to try and turn my feelings into music,’ and from that, I wrote my very first song. As soon as I did that everything clicked for me. I was like, ‘Oh wow, this is it. This is what I’m doing with my life,’ and that in itself was exhilarating, to say the least”. Now get this. At 16 years old, she wrote her very first song, “Conflicted,” which later became her first single and music video release roughly two years later. The pain and honesty her lyrics gave our listeners was mind-blowing, considering she was so young when she wrote such a creatively unique song. Mia’s mother, MaryLee, recently explained in an interview while describing her daughter’s single “Conflicted,” “Maturity was always a trait Mia obtained, even at such a young age. We knew that her life was going to revolve around the arts in some way or another, and the man was we right. I just know in my gut that her music is going to touch the lives of so many people. Now it’s just a waiting game”. To say MaryLee was accurate in her prediction is an understatement.

13 original singles, 4 music videos, and 5 features later, Mia cranked out an accumulative 4.8 million streams and views on her work in 2019. That’s a lot of lives to touch if we do say so ourselves. 2019 was Mia’s first full year creating music professionally, and her growth and list of accomplishments is truly remarkable considering just how new to this industry she is. Her first sign of success was when she dropped her theatrical single, “WTF Is Going On,” and the accompanying music video back in July 2019. Mia was the co-director, executive producer, costume designer, makeup artist, hairstylist, set location scout, and of course, singer/songwriter for the track itself. The amount of creativity that flows through Mia’s brain is never-ending, and that was definitely on display in this spicy video. Quoted from the BTS (behind the scenes) video, in which she edited, Mia informed us that, “So much time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears went into creating this and I’m so thankful for the support of everyone who was apart of it. This is the first of many!”. The man was right. The second leap of faith she took (that paid off), was the drop her next music video for her most recent single, “Stuck.” Mia explains, “This track is my way of describing what it feels like to have a mental breakdown. I feel as though going through such an event is normal even though more often than not society makes it seem to be unhealthy and/or strange. In my opinion, when you feel yourself “losing it,” I find it best to not fight the process and just let it happen. For me, I prefer to isolate myself from others and temporarily let my dark thoughts take over because I know after some time they will pass. If I try to deny the fact that I’m stuck in my own brain, things will only become worse and far more difficult to handle”. We can see exactly what she means in the “Stuck” music video, which she dropped the same day as the single on December 6th, 2019. The video’s concept is the battle Mia has in her own head between herself and her dark thoughts. Once again, she held the title of co-director, executive producer, makeup artist, and set location scout for this video to make sure everything was executed exactly how she envisioned it. With the help of her highly accredited director Chris Cordova (#CCCinema), hairstylist Emily Villaseñor, body double and younger sister Lola Mormino, and costume designer Annabelle Nottingham, Mia’s detailed vision came to life. Currently, this video has 42,000 views on YouTube, keeping in mind it was released one month ago yesterday (January 6th, 2020). 

As you can tell, Mia’s overall theme when it comes to her music and visuals is that you aren’t alone while experiencing the many curveballs life throws at us. Her hard work, determination, and drive rarely go unnoticed, yet she is beyond humble and such a sweet soul. I had the privilege of meeting this angelic human being, and during our interview, I asked, “What has been the most rewarding accomplishment of 2019 for you?”. Mia’s face lit up as she started to explain, “I had the honor of being asked to speak as the visiting artist at a performing arts school located in Pasadena, named Chandler. One of my mentors, Brandi Williams Moore, felt that in the short time she’s known me, I grew exponentially and that I would be a great asset to the school’s overall well-being. I spoke to two groups of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for about 40 minutes each discussing the importance of doing what makes each individual student the happiest. I shared my stories and personal life experiences explaining how throughout my years growing up, music is the one thing that always made me the happiest. I explained to the kids that even though life can get complicated, whether that be our bodies changing or drama with “crushes,” we are all in this together, and no one is alone. I feel it’s so important to promote the idea of supporting your peers while in middle school because it’s such a confusing time for most. Not only that but because we are in a society that is very social media influenced, I really tried informing the students that what we see on the internet isn’t real”. Mia also added, “Another thing that sticks out to me was when I headlined my first show in December of this year. Breaking Sound had reached out to me, asking if I’d be interested, and I jumped on the opportunity so stinking fast. I sold almost double of what I was required to sell, and the turnout was amazing. I felt so at home on stage even though I felt like I was going to throw up the entire time because of the nerves. This was such a crazy exciting way to end 2019 and start 2020, and I’m so grateful to have so much support for doing what I love”. From speaking at schools to headlining shows, Mia’s career is truly taking off, and I’m honored to have been able to talk to her before she blows up because I know her time is coming soon.

What can we expect from Mia in 2020? Well, I was able to get the inside scoop during our interview, and she informed me that she’s currently writing and recording new music for her first EP that will drop sometime in June. Mia described her EP as, “A candid take on who I am as a person, flaws and all.” Get ready world, we’ve got a new superstar on the map. Be sure to follow Mia on Instagram, like her on FaceBook, subscribe to her on YouTube, and stream all of her music on all streaming platforms…you won’t regret it. 

Instagram: instagram.com/miamormino/