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I’m not an innovator.

Mitski

Things seem to take so much longer for me to do. I have to say things 10 times instead of once. I have to knock on 10 different doors instead of two. For everything.
MITSKI

Everything Haven Ten Instead Knock Once Seem Thing Time
I discovered I was an Asian American when I arrived in the U.S. I didn’t identify as that before I came here.
MITSKI

Arrive Before Come Country Discover Here Identity
I think what’s hard for me is not that I don’t get downtime to chill, it’s that I don’t get time to make music.
MITSKI

Chill Downtime Hard Make Music Think
I think my whole identity is formed around not knowing where I’m from. It might even be that I find comfort in that confusion.
MITSKI

Around Form Identity Know Think Whole
Sometimes when I perform, and it’s obvious the audience is just there to party, or if I feel a wall between me and the audience, I get existential about it.
MITSKI

Audience Between Existence Feel Just Obvious Party Perform Sometimes
Oftentimes, the most important decisions I make are the ones I don’t put much thought into.
MITSKI

Decision Important Into Make Most Much Often One Put Times
I think it’s our responsibility as artists to not only fight for our art but fight for the communities that are the reason we’re able to continue making art, especially since, in Brooklyn’s case, we as artists somehow made it ‘cool’ enough for the bigger money-making industries to start taking over.
MITSKI

Able Artist Communities Fight Our Reason Responsibility Think
I think growing up the way I did has made me a lot more objective, and that’s important in the process of writing and trying to look at subjective matter that way.
MITSKI

Grow Important Made Matter More Objective Process Subjective Think Try Way
With solo shows, you have complete control over the set list. If you feel like you want to do something different or do a new song, you can just work it in. You can talk to the audience or not talk to the audience. There’s nothing that’s set.
MITSKI

Completer Control List Over Set Show Solo
When I record, it’s this very precious and insular thing.
MITSKI

Insular Precious Record Thing Very When
You can never learn enough about music.
MITSKI

Enough Learn Music never
I don’t think ‘bleak’ is a bad thing.
MITSKI

Bad Bleak Thing Think
I’m Japanese, and I’m also white American, and neither camp wants me in their camp.
MITSKI

Also Camp Country Neither Want White
On one hand, I think it’s very important to talk about race and talk about gender, because if it’s not talked about, then we won’t progress.
MITSKI

Gender Hand Important One Progress Race Ralk Very
I really just care about making music and how I can make it next.
MITSKI

Came Care How Just Make Music Next Really
I think your ego gets in the way of making something good because it kind of blinds you from the actual art.
MITSKI

Actual Art Blind Ego Get Kind Make Something Think Way
Being an outsider at all times is both unhealthy and useful, because you become much more objective about things.
MITSKI

All Become Being Bought More Objective Outsider Thing Time Unhealthy Useful
I’d always been fascinated by death, which sounds so morbid. Especially being a woman trying to make music, I think there’s a sense that you’re never young enough, or your career is going to end soon.
MITSKI

Always Been Death Fascinate Morbid Sound
I feel like I’ve always wanted to live in one place and stay in one place, but I always end up choosing things that make me travel.
MITSKI

Always Choose Feel Like Make One Place Stay Thing Travel Want
I tend to not want to do that anymore. It’s not even that I don’t like it anymore: it’s that I keep trying to find ways for people to dislike me.
MITSKI

Anymore Dislike Even Keep Me People Tend Try Way
Often I’ve had problems automatically bending to a lover’s will, becoming what I know they want me to be. Immediately, I learn all the music they love, listen to it, study it, instead of being like, ‘This is what I love!’
MITSKI

Automatical Become Bend Immediately Lover Often Problem Want
It’s nice to know there’s a big world with many perspectives. I tend to get so stuck in my own small world easily, and going out into the world reminds me that I’m not the center of the world – in a good way.
MITSKI

Any Big Easily Get Go Know Nice Own Perspective Small Stuck Tend To World
On tour, people know that if they ever ask me what I want to eat, I will always say Asian food. I’m becoming a stereotype, but it’s what I want to eat. I want to eat rice.
MITSKI

Ask Eat Ever Know People Want Your
I don’t want to be elitist.
MITSKI

Be Elitist Want To
I think my real influences are out of my control, which are the things that entered my brain when I was a kid growing up.
MITSKI

Brain Control Entered Growth Influence Kid Out Thing Think
I didn’t fit in anywhere when I grew up, but I was always American, so to survive,
MITSKI

Always Anywhere Country Fit Grew Survive Up
I wanted to take up guitar because playing piano is a little harder. Carrying a keyboard around is harder, and finding a real piano is much harder, and I wanted to play live more, so I figured a guitar would be easier to carry around.
MITSKI

Around Carry Figure Find Guitar Harder Keyboard Litle Music Piano Real Take Want

I’m not an innovator.

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I’m not an innovator.

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