ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Mia Joy

Photo by Ash Dye

One of my favorite aspects about music is that it can provide an escape from reality—with just the right mix of lyrics and melody, a song can wash away the worst of your anxieties and envelope you in a tranquil environment. Mia Joy is one artist in particular who excels in her ability to mollify listeners and provide an oasis through her songwriting. Take the hypnotic wind chimes that introduce Mia’s track “See Us” or the nostalgia-laced synths that fade in on “Haha,” and it’s no surprise that she introduces her latest single “Saturn” with meditative vocalizations. Despite the unique stamp that all of Mia Joy’s releases possess, there’s a common thread of peacefulness embedded throughout.

The Chicago based project of Mia Joy is fronted by lead singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mia Rocha with Joseph Farago on keys and Emerson Hunton on percussion. The latest single “Saturn” debuted last week, marking the final countdown before Mia Joy’s debut album Spirit Tamer releases Friday, May 7th via Fire Talk Records. Speaking about the new track, Rocha says, “I am a practicing astrologer and It is written in the voice of Saturn, the planet of restriction, isolation, responsibility, hard lessons. It mockingly asks me how it has affected my life, makes me question my faith in humanity and inner loneliness. All running themes of the album.”

Recorded at Pallet Sound studios in Chicago by Michael Mac and co-produced with Rocha, Spirit Tamer highlights Rocha’s wide array of influences that range from Grouper to Sade and Selena. Prior to gigs being shut down, I only had the pleasure of seeing Mia Joy perform live a couple of times, but I’m certainly looking forward to venues reopening and getting to hear some of these new songs played in person!

Make sure you pre-order the new record here, and check out the video for “Saturn” below.