Q&A with Myylo
"Whenever I listen to other artists’ work I want to know the story behind the song.”
Myylo.
In 2019, emerging indie-pop artist Myylo is bringing a cheeky sense of self awareness to buoyant melodies and creating music that will spark joy. His first release of the year, Jonesing, is an honest reflection of his inner monologue around a previous relationship. We asked Myylo to walk us through the track, developing his craft, and thriving in Nashville.
What is your new track “Jonesing” about? How do you hope it’ll make your listeners feel?
Jonesing is about a long distance relationship I had with a boy who lived in Philadelphia. We took a stab at the long distance thing for a few months. I wrote Jonesing at the point where I was negotiating with myself whether it was a better idea to stay with this person or to let things fizzle out. From the lyrics of the song, you might be able to tell which way I was leaning.
Most of the soundscape is pretty buoyant. Honestly, I’m hoping Jonesing makes people feel joyful. Its an approach to a hard topic with a positive attitude.
How has your craft developed as a writer in the last year?
I think in the last year my art has become more and more focused on things I want to say as artist. I’ve spent the past few years helping indie acts write their hearts out. And, now, I’m focusing on my experiences. So, for the most part, the past year has been as exploration of my own mind.
You’re very transparent about your process, posting Liner Notes on your blog and a lot of behind-the-scenes looks on social media. Why is it important to you to share that all with your audience?
Totally! Well, with the Liner Notes for my first EP, it was important for me to explore that medium. They’re rather lengthy pieces of work more akin to a memoir style essay than liner notes as we know them. I actually graduated with a degree in English and those long-form pieces help me explore topics in a different way than songwriting, but that is equally fulfilling.
Whenever I listen to other artists’ work I want to know the story behind the song. Because I want that as a consumer, I also want to provide that experience for my fans. In that way, the Liner Notes are an attempt at further connection with whoever might be listening out there.
What brought you to Nashville? How has that scene nurtured and challenged you as a writer?
Two major factors brought me to Nashville. The 1st is the community here. Most people who live here are transplants from other cities. Because we’ve all hunkered down here away from home, there is a tendency to be nice in order to make new friends. The kindness that runs rampant here was a really convincing pull factor for me. Another was money. I grew up in Los Angeles and went to school on the East Coast. ’m used to seeing very expensive rent prices. It's just more affordable for an independent artist to be living in Nashville than it is to be in LA or NYC.
The scene here, especially in pop music, is small. We definitely all believe that we’ll go farther together and thus lean into co-writing and supporting each other at shows. We’re all trying to write competitive songs while being non-competitive about it. The challenging thing here is that a lot of us are focused on the “pitch” game. I.e. we’re writing songs so that other artists will cut them. It’s been challenging to forget about that game and just focus on putting out music as an artist. But, that’s where I’m at right now.
What’s up next for you?
A lot is coming up! I’ll be releasing an acoustic version of Jonesing in the coming weeks on Youtube. I’ve got a second single coming through on Feb 15. And then I’ll be re-releasing all of my songs as an EP in early March followed by a tour of the Eastern US. A lot is in the works so stick around.