Singer-Songwriter Mia Schuster Explores The Journey of Joy on New Album, Happy (Again), out now.
The North Dakota-native has been writing and performing since childhood, eventually leaving her hometown to chase her dream in Los Angeles. The prolific songwriter is known for her wistful storytelling and hooky melodies, landing her gigs at The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles and garnering her critical acclaim in publications like Atwood Magazine. Her new album radiates with a sunny disposition, even in moments where she struggles to find the joy, elevating her unique pop sensibilities to a whole new level.
Happy (Again) blasts off with the sunny, optimistic track, “This Time.” It’s the song that sets the tone for the entire album, bouncing with a bubbly melody that earworms it’s way into your head and warms your heart.
Produced by William Henderson, “Happy (Again)” sees the reemergence of joy after a period of darkness. Its illuminating chorus fills you with a brightness as the wash of harmonies add a sense of depth and hope to the idea of waiting for things to turn around. “I use to pretend I couldn’t color blue, I chose yellow instead, thought it for the best, not true…” showcases the need to believe things will get better.
The second single off the project, “Always” explores looking back on your past and being grateful for the days you had and the relationships that shaped you. As Schuster’s voice soars with elation, you feeling the burgeoning hope in the melodic twists and turns of this happy pop jam. On “City of Angels, City of Stars” producer Pete White alternates layers of vocals between quiet introspective moments that produce a sonic feeling of heartbreak. As Schuster reflects on the downside of chasing a dream, you sense the ticking of the clock reminding her of the hours spent running after it. The buoyant melodies take pause on “Something Real.” A quiet piano whispers beneath tinkering synths that craft a sense of floating along in a river of heartbreak. It borders on optimistic pain, the perfect sad song for an album about all the many facets of joy we experience throughout life. Schuster’s first producing credits come in the form of “Sail The Sea,” a beautiful track about abandoning the heavy to focus on the good. For those of us that want to take off on the sea and feel the wind in our hair and sun on our skin, this track captures the freedom of finding your joy. Whatever that may be. It radiates happiness from the shining synths and joyful piano to Schuster’s quiet, hopeful vocals.
On an album that celebrates the ups and downs of joy, not to mention the experience of chasing it, Happy (Again) is a beautiful reflection of Mia Schuster’s captivating songwriting and heartfelt storytelling.
Hi Mia, welcome to OLC! How are you doing today and how are you coping with all the events that are currently going on in the world?
-Hello! Thank you so much for inviting me into the OLC world! I’d say I’m doing pretty well considering all the craziness 2020 has thrown our way so far. I’ve been doing my best to see the good things coming out of all the curve balls. Quarantine has been a great chance to get to dive more into my music and spend time with my family. And as for the recent happenings with the BLM movement, I’m really expectant for the change that will come from these important conversations! So while 2020 has certainly been wild, it hasn’t been without it’s share of positive moments either!
So tell me what inspired you to begin your pursuit in the music industry? And what made you decide to get up and move to LA?
-I’ve know since about the 7th grade that music was what I wanted to do with my life, so my plans have been geared in that direction since then. I’m not quite sure what exactly it was, but one day something clicked and I knew without a doubt I wanted music and nothing else.
As for LA that one goes out to calling and calling alone. I’m a pretty spiritual person and I really can’t explain it in any other words than I was following the pull I felt on my heart. I mean seriously, I swore up and down I would never live in California and certainly not LA. Look at me now…and I love it!
I would say uprooting your life and moving to a new city must be pretty daunting, were you worried or scared at all, and what challenges did you face?
-I’ve made a few major moves in my life so I wasn’t too worried about the idea of moving to a new city. However, I definitely was nervous about finding a home in LA. Like I said, I really never saw myself there, I just didn’t think it was for me. Fortunately, I was wrong! But it definitely wasn’t easy at first. I spent months just working and not doing much music like I had moved there for, and I was pretty unhappy about it. Also, I didn’t know anyone and was feeling pretty alone. I missed my family and my friends, and I just wanted to go home. There’s actually a song on my album (City of Angles, City of Stars) that I wrote about all of my feels in that time. It’s really cool to look back on and see how much love and joy I feel towards the city now. It’s insane how so much can change in such a few short months!
You’ve been writing songs since your childhood, what generally inspires a song idea for you? Do you remember the first song you ever wrote, and what was it about?
-Generally, whenever I feel a strong emotion about something I end up writing about it. Sometimes it’s something dramatic, and sometimes it’s something small and mundane, I just need to feel it and connect with it.
The first song I ever ‘wrote’ was when I was about 8 years old. It was called ‘I Love it When it Snows’, and it was a knockoff of a church song I sang in choir! I just changed the all of the words and slapped my name on it. I can still remember the melody and some of the words! It was absolute nonsense, though, cause at the time I absolutely hated the snow. But I’ve come to love it now having been away from the harsh ND winters for so long. Little Mia would be shocked!
Let’s talk about your brand new album “Happy (Again)”, what can listeners expect from it, and what inspired the albums title?
-Listeners can expect a whole lot of joy! I wanted all of the tracks to have a light, easy feel that just felt happy. There’s a lot of mixed elements from both the pop side of me and the singer-songwriter/acoustic side, which I think creates a cool vibe!
As for the title, I put this whole album together with the intent of it being a light in the darkness. I wanted it to be a reminder that no matter how hard things get, they will get better. You will be happy…again. Most of the songs on it are the living proof of that. They were written in hard places, but got to come out and see the other side. So the title is a declaration and a promise of what’s to come. The sun always comes after the rain (and it often brings a rainbow with it). Make sure you stick around to see it.
What song on the album means most to you and why?
-All of the tracks are super special to my heart, but if I had to pick one that stands out it would have to be ‘Sail the Sea’. It’s the first track I’ve ever produced on and it was such a cool experience. There was something about getting to help create the song in that way that makes me feel a bit more connected to it.
Can we expect a video for any of your singles at some point?
-Yes, I’m actually wrapping up my first MV as we speak. Stay tuned!
Talk me through the creative process of the album, who helped you work on it?
-The creative process was a bit all over the place to be quite honest haha! I had no idea what I was doing and mostly was making everything up as I went along. I’m really not much of a planner so my brain was pretty fried at many points in the process. But by some miracle it all came together, and I’m super proud of the result!
I certainly can’t take all of the credit, though. All of the people who were a part of the project have been so, so kind and helpful in the process of creating it. They were always there to help guide and offer advice with decisions and offer insight on some of the more technical sides of the industry. Each and every person who joined me on this journey is absolutely incredible and I’m so thankful for them! I do want to give a special shout out my producers Peter White, William Henderson, Casey Kalmenson, and Konli! They truly are the MVPs here.
Now the album is out do you hope to do some touring for it once all this craziness is over?
-I definitely want to get in some local Socal shows for sure when everything calms down! Hoping that will happen soon!
What’s next on the agenda for Mia Schuster?
-Next in the works is getting some more video content going! Also I’m planning on diving more into production and learning as much as I can! So maybe a self-produced EP will be on the calendar soon! I’m keeping my options open for now and rolling with the punches. If 2020’s taught me anything so far it’s that that’s about all you can do!
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