What I have a problem with is when it becomes another form of tokenization, of shrinking me into a symbol instead of a multilayered, female Asian artist.
MITSKII 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.
More Mitski Quotes
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I have my privileges, but I do feel like at every turn there is such resistance.
MITSKI -
I remember I took a music course in junior year of high school, and some girl brought in ‘Teardrops On My Guitar,’ and she was like, ‘Isn’t this song great?’ And everyone was like, ‘Who’s Taylor Swift?’ And now, every time I listen to Taylor Swift, I remember that moment.
MITSKI -
I don’t want to be a musician’s musician. I want to be an everyone’s musician.
MITSKI -
When you’re young is the one time when you get to indulge in being morose and take yourself most seriously.
MITSKI -
Everything is so chaotic and messy in the world, and I have always felt kind of dirty.
MITSKI -
I know for a fact that I’m problematic. I shouldn’t be looked to for any kind of guidance.
MITSKI -
I’m Japanese, and I’m also white American, and neither camp wants me in their camp.
MITSKI -
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 -
I’m so smart. I am good at doing math really quickly in my head.
MITSKI -
I hope to be a writer and musician my whole life, fingers crossed.
MITSKI -
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 -
Growing up, I never really felt like anything was my own. I moved a lot, and I never belonged anywhere.
MITSKI -
What’s important to me is that my songs can exist without any material anything. It’s very reflective of my ideology.
MITSKI -
I was a film major because, for some reason, I thought that that was a creative job that had more job opportunities. I don’t know what logic I was following, but that was my impression at the time.
MITSKI -
I took a few piano lessons as a kid, but it didn’t last; I just learned piano from doing it over and over on my own, because I didn’t have many friends, and there was always a keyboard in the house.
MITSKI