Mia Lorelei Knows It’s Better to Have Loved and Lost Than to Have Never Loved at All in New Single, “Second Best”
Inspired by the likes of Slow Pulp and feeble little horse, NYC-based indie-rock artist Mia Lorelei returns with her new single, “Second Best.” Known for her unique sense of storytelling and interest in the dynamics between people, Mia Lorelei is a force to be reckoned with. With “Second Best,” Mia provides an anthem of endearment for those who would rather have someone in their life than not at all.
PHOTO BY CHARLIE REY HARMON
Pleaser: Last time we spoke, you mentioned that your previous singles, “Running Cold” and “Come Crashing,” helped you develop your sound. Now, with “Second Best,” where do you feel you’re at on your journey?
Mia Lorelei: I definitely feel like “Second Best” is a continuation of that world that I started building, but it was much more of a site of exploration for my involvement in production, but still living in the same sonic world. I was working with new producers with this one, so it was fun to see my sound pushed just by working with new people and then pushing myself to add a little bit more stuff on my end for the first time in a couple of years.
What inspired the creation of “Second Best”?
ML: This one I wrote in late September of last year. At the time, I was making more demos and my music brain shifted from songwriting to focusing on the instrumental part of things. So, I was writing a lot of fun guitar parts, like that main riff that is heard throughout the song is written into the original acoustic guitar version that I wrote it as. I was in the mindset of thinking about production while I was writing, as opposed to focusing on a certain theme of the song. The main line of the chorus, I wanna be your second best, I was planning on changing it, but then I thought about it for a second. I was like, “You know what? Relatable.” I had a different ending at first, and then I changed it to feel much more fitting for the song and what I was trying to say. The world surrounding it started creating itself.
The music video for “Second Best” has a lot of cool creative aspects that match the song perfectly. Did you take full creative direction?
ML: This one was so fun to make, and it's definitely a video that I'm the most proud of that I have created. The first little seed of the visual world for this one was that little prize ribbon that I'm wearing, and that's on the cover and in a lot of the visuals, which was partially subconsciously influenced by Clairo’s Sandy Liang rosette. Whenever I've seen people wear those, I'm like, “That's so cute, I would love to bring that into my world.” My cousin and I made that little prize ribbon and it’s sitting on my nightstand and watches over me as I sleep.
The red color palette in the video was accidental, but I wanted to visually translate the saturation of the song itself. All of my other videos have kind of been trial and error of what I like to do visually. There's lots of stop motion that I had played with a little bit before in past videos, but I kind of found the process that doesn't take me out. It still takes hours, but I’ve figured out a bit more efficient way to do things. The orange flashes that happen throughout the video are actually a super, super zoomed-in video of an orange that I'm eating which is my favorite random tidbit to tell people, because obviously it just looks like a random orange screen.
If “Second Best” was the anthem to any film, what would it be?
ML: I'm thinking of something where the main character would rather be losing than on the sidelines. (500) Days of Summer is coming to mind? Sonically, it’s not completely the vibe of the movie, but in terms of storyline, I feel like Tom would relate to that, although I feel like my interpretation of that is a little bit different than him. For him, he needs to let it go. Not that I don't let it go too, but my take on it is kind of more sweet and endearing to want to have somebody in your life in any capacity at all, rather than to not have them at all in your life.
Perhaps if he heard your song, the film would’ve gone differently! You’ve recently been playing shows around New York, so what has your experience been like being able to perform these new songs live?
ML: It’s been so fun. It's kind of similar to how I felt about music a year ago, where I spent that first section of time just figuring out how to do it at all. Now I get to actually play and explore more. I'm trying to be more intentional about the direction of the sets themselves, and in watching my friends play and going to shows for fun, I've been thinking about the audience's experience, especially in smaller venues. Obviously, it can be easy to be categorized and swooped under any other indie-rock show that's in a small bar downtown. I have just felt like it's so inspiring to play with people who love to play with you too. I used to come home from school when I was younger and when nobody was home, I would perform a whole set by myself, so I've been really thinking about her these days.
What can fans expect to see from you in the upcoming months?
ML: I'm currently plotting and scheming for my next project right now. All the “Second Best” stuff has encouraged me to get everything else going and put into action. I'm currently finishing writing and about to start recording. I've started producing some of it myself, but I'm going to take some of the songs that I've started and start recording them for the next project, so that's kind of what I'm focused on. I'm so, so excited about it.
