Mia Giovina
“Sirens” is definitely one of my favorite new releases. First of all, Mia Giovina has one of the most magical and beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. Second, her songwriting is authentic and personal. Third, the melodies of this song are absolutely brilliant. I love how honest and vulnerable she is in her songwriting and I love the emotion she delivers in her vocals. It’s only her first single, but I can tell she is a storyteller and she’s pretty damn good at it.
Interviewing her for her debut single was a true honor, and I’m super excited to hear more songs :)
Go stream “Sirens” now :)
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
My name is Mia Giovina and I am a singer songwriter from New Jersey! I’ve loved music my entire life but I’ve just started really tiptoeing my way towards the music industry this past year. I’m most known for my tiktok account where I post rewrites of my favorite songs, covers, and now originals! I posted my first tiktok almost a year ago. I’m so incredibly grateful for what that app has given me in just a year and I’m excited to see where this journey takes me next!
When did you start feeling connected to music?
I can’t really pinpoint a time when I first felt connected to music just because I’ve kind of felt that way my whole life. But, the first time I realized that I really wanted to pursue music as a career and create music for others to feel connected to was probably when I was a freshman in highschool.
What did you grow up listening to?
Weirdly I grew up listening to a lot of country music. My parents are huge country fans so that’s what they would constantly be playing in the car and around the house. I think growing up on that kind of music really influenced my songwriting as I got older. I really try to tell a story through my songs and country music is kind of known to be the storytelling genre.
When did you know you could sing?
I know literally every singer says this but I’ve been singing since before I can remember. I started singing before I started speaking. My mom always says that when I was younger and I would wake up from a nap, she would know I was up because I would start singing.
When did you start writing songs? What made you want to write in the first place?
I can remember writing lyrics at as young as nine years old but I didn’t write my first real song until my senior year of highschool. I was going through a really hard friend breakup (which I think are sometimes even worse than an actual breakup) and I just remember being so frustrated with the situation that I couldn’t help but pour my emotions into a song. I think it was called ‘Good Enough’ and it was the first song that I ever showed people other than my parents.
How would you define Mia Giovina, the artist?
I would describe Mia Giovina as an artist who feels the safest when creating music and who hopes to make people feel that same safety when listening to her music.
You've just released your debut single "Sirens" - how's it like to release your first single ever?
It all feels like a dream. To see so many people just as excited for this release as I am is so rewarding as an artist.
What's the story/inspiration behind "Sirens"? Who helped you create this single?
The basic story behind “Sirens” is outgrowing your hometown. I tried time and time again to write a song about this feeling of being stuck and just kept hitting a wall and couldn’t really understand why. Then, my mindset changed from hating your hometown to appreciating your hometown but wanting to see who you could be outside of it. When my mindset changed, the song kind of just fell into place. The song was written and produced by myself and mixed/mastered by Liam Reyes. I was also lucky enough to have the amazing Tiger Darrow lay down some absolutely incredible strings on the track that really tied the entire project together.
What did you feel when writing this song?
When I first started writing the song, it truly just came out like air from my lungs. I had just gotten home from spending the morning with my best friend and it was the first warm day in a long time. I was just appreciating life for what it was and being in such a positive headspace really gave me the room to write the song I had tried and failed to write so many times.
What do you want people to feel when listening to this song?
My favorite thing when listening to music is having that thought of “did i write this, how is this person singing exactly what I’m feeling?” It’s so comforting to know someone else is going through the same thing you’re dealing with. I hope people hear a bit of themselves in it.
What made you want to release "Sirens" as your debut single?
The day I started writing Sirens, I recorded the small bit of it that I had and posted it on tiktok. It ended up getting hundreds of thousands of views in just a few hours and almost every comment was begging for a full version. To see so many people resonating with song is what inspired me to release it.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The artwork for “Sirens” was super random and spontaneous. I had been trying to decide what I wanted the cover art to look like for a while and then one day while I was cleaning my room I found my polaroid camera. I took a few pictures, one being of some dead flowers I had in my room. I instantly thought of sirens. The dead flowers I’m holding were once beautiful and thriving but then they sat in a vase without water for too long.
What does it mean for you to be an artist?
For me, to be an artist means to be a voice for the things and the people you’re passionate about.
What does singing make you feel?
I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I’ve always had a love hate relationship with singing. I, as I think many other singers can say for themselves, am my worst critic. I have a tendency to pick out every single flaw in my voice and it can become quite tiring. But, there’s just something about it that always brings me back. I don’t think I could ever describe the feeling in words but it just is so addictive and fulfilling for my soul.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I think I speak for a lot of other musicians when I say we need more diversity, whether that be women, people of color, members of the lgbtq community etc.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
I think something I’m still learning is to trust my gut, trust my talent, and trust myself.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
As cheesy as it sounds, the world would be a better place if we all took the time to walk a mile in another’s shoes.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
Through my music, I hope that people realize that, no matter how big or small, we all are going through something and in turn I hope we can all be more compassionate towards each other.
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