In the latest instalment of The First Time, Mitski reflects on bus stop song writing, elementary school plays, and switching from piano to guitar for efficiency.
While Mitski has previously stated that she composed her first track when she was 17 or 18, she corrects the record here by stating that the first time she “wrote a song without knowing I was writing a song” was while waiting for the school bus in first or second grade.
Later on, Mitski recalls another early musical experience, stating that her first performance was in a Japanese school play of Thirteen Cats.
Mitski also discusses her efforts to eat vegan, particularly while on the road, her affection for Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, and the nightmares she still has from witnessing Takashi Shimizu’s horror classic, Ju-On (which inspired the Hollywood remake, The Grudge). Mitski also discussed how public transportation and New Yorkers’ icy demeanor drove her to make a significant musical shift from piano to guitar.
Mitski, who is the latest digital cover star for Rolling Stone, will release her latest album, “Laurel Hell,” on February 4 through Dead Oceans. Following the critically acclaimed Be the Cowboy in 2018, this is her first album in four years.
