Lia Mice is someone important. The experimental pop creator and film score composer combines dreamy vocals, and otherworldly sonics to create a kind of pop utopia that feels like something your coolest friend would play you at 3am in the middle of a hot summer night. Her most popular hit, Memory Maps is wistful and light, faraway sounds and lyrics combining together to create an abstract kind of story reminiscent of fantastical worlds like Wonderland: “do you remember a time we’d eat hills of cake and drink lakes of champagne?”. It’s beautiful, and more importantly, it’s unique.
In a time of X Factor and Spotify, it can be hard to create a sound that’s truly groundbreaking. It’s difficult to be unique without being unlistenable, but Lia Mice manages to be distinctive and genuinely good at the same time, and I would be unsurprised to see the chart toppers of 2030 naming her as an inspiration. Her real talent is in using a wide range of experimental sounds to create something beautiful and musical with immersive beats to tie the pieces together. She credits this to growing up partially sighted, stating on her website, “I’m always trying to sculpt immersive sonic landscapes like the ones I grew up in… tape disintegration is part of that too. I lived by my Sony Walkman and played so many tapes to the point of destruction. I love that sound.”. Lia’s not the only one who loves her sounds: she’s played everything from a clock tower in Manhattan to a Buddhist Temple in Tokyo, and has thousands of worldwide fans on social media. Her music feels like something to move to, and it’s unsurprising that so many people are keen to hear it live.
Yet we’re especially lucky because Lia is coming to Oxfordshire very soon. The producer will be taking part in Supernormal, a three-day experimental arts and music in Braziers Park, aiming at showcasing the most innovative talent from around the world. The festival aims not just to showcase fantastic artists, but to do so in a way that’s as accessible as possible for everyone regardless of background. I’d encourage you to go, not just to see Lia, but to experience something that looks like a truly exciting addition to England’s cultural scene.
