For the enchanting vocalist, hard work and a willingness to grow fosters her diverse talents.
Success may not be necessarily measured by a sheer number of achievements, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Mirsy has achieved a lot. Like a snowball in motion, she’s accumulated skills and a mentality over time to help her succeed. Over the course of a week, Mirsy and I exchanged messages, her replies thoughtful and concise. Piece by piece the dots began to connect, to form a beginner’s guide to the articulate and abstruse Mirsy.
Before Mirsy there was Marisa — a child immersed in the performing arts and bloomed into a lifelong pursuer of music. Branching out from a foundation of piano and vocal lessons, Marisa pursued choir and band through high school. She eventually found fulfillment outside of groups she was in, producing songs on her own, despite knowing she “didn’t really have a sense of direction.”
The name and style of Mirsy came about after “weeks and weeks of thinking of names [because] I felt my actual last name was too hard to pronounce,” she explains. Now we associate the name with enchanting vibrato and deep lyrical flow. She plays with relaxed, spacey ambiance within pop and electronic genres, blending gothic and psychedelic cues like the gossamer voice of Pale Saints.
“Mind You” is not Mirsy’s first online release, but it is the first song where she felt comfortable with the surrounding people and process. Transitioning from self-production to working with producers like Fish Narc, døves, Curtis Heron, and cat soup demonstrates growth in terms of trust and versatility. This development, along with her voice, lends to the smooth and enticing listenability of her songs. She appears mindful with whom she chooses to work, moving within preexisting sounds while actively playing with new ones. Her recent EP Permanent for Now is a succinct work of ambient melodies. She sings about the transition and uncertainty that inspire the fleeting title. It’s an emotional reverie that brings closure to what was unleashed from her first project thoughts i’ve kept inside.
This year Mirsy has reaped rewards from years of hard work, sowing the soil for many more to come. In 2019 she graduated from university with a Bachelor’s in Music Industry, released her second EP, and toured with GothBoiClique’s Wicca Phase Springs Eternal. “My first tour was a great experience and I would love to tour again soon,” she says. Along with GBC member Horse Head, she traveled for two weeks along the West Coast, enjoying every moment and swooning new fans along the way. With goals that seemed like a dream just one year ago, it’s no wonder Mirsy feels “very accomplished and ready for what the second half of the year has to offer.”
Outside of music Mirsy supports herself by working at multiple restaurants. Being an independent artist in the 21st century often means serving double duty, fitting in creativity during off hours. Luckily she is surrounded by a supportive and understanding community of peers who “inspired and motivated” her to work harder. Downtime, which is rare, typically includes catching up on Jeffree Star and playing Fortnite. Making music is her answer when inspiration calls.
The future appears warm and welcoming for Mirsy who, like many at the early stages of their career, is “enjoying the process of figuring out [what I want to do].” Music industry studies often require a broad range of courses to show students that many complex and wide-ranging paths are possible, leaving her with many options for the future. With two more self-produced EPs to come, it is clear Mirsy’s talents and ambitions span further than her voice.