ThatWriterGuy

We recently caught up with Melbourne Singer/Songwriter Misha Bear to chat about her new EP ‘Stories’ and much more.

• Welcome Misha! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Thanks! Well, I am Misha Bear and I’m getting my music out there. I love to play guitar and sing, and belting it out is really my thing. I live in Melbs, and previously in Perth, and I think music is the best thing on Earth!

• What inspires you to write music?

Mostly I write about all things love – relationships, breakups and those feelings from above. When my heart is full of emotion, I find myself looking out at the ocean. I love St Kilda and I live near the sea, and that fresh sea breeze brings out the music in me. I write lots of lyrics, mostly in rhyme, and I pick up my guitar and sing every time. When I’m alone I can hear new songs, then my band learns them, it doesn’t take long.  

• Congrats on your new EP release. Can you tell us about the writing/recording process for this?

Thanks for that! So Craig Cumming and I sat down to compose, him at computer and myself with my prose. We recorded it separately since he was over in Perth, then he sent it to me and I sang for all I’m worth. A long-distance thing is possible now, technology wins and people are like wow!

• Do you have any plans to tour soon? 

Mostly I play here at home, but soon to Adelaide and Sydney I’ll roam. Keep up to date on where I am by getting on board my Facebook and Instagram!

• Who has been your biggest musical inspiration and why?

I love the 80s and we have gone for that sound, Eurythmics and Culture Club throwbacks abound. I also love to listen to Sia – and Silverchair were also great when they were near. In fact I think all music is like food, but really it depends on my mood.

• How do you stay motivated to write and play music?

Motivation comes and goes and that is ok, and others around me inspire me to play. I don’t want to stop but sometimes get tired, then other times I’m up all night totally wired. I just go with the flow, you can’t work all the time, and if I need a break that’s completely fine. But after a while a little whisper inside, starts to bug me and tell me not to hide. The music is in me, and it wants to come out – the energy I feel removes all of my doubt.

• What advice do you have for young musicians?

Be yourself, go with the flow, do your thing, it’s cool to go slow. Keep on trying, do your best, do it your way, ignore the rest. If you’re still feeling like others resist, you can’t give up you have to persist.  

• What is next for you? 

I want to keep writing, and recording as well, and getting my music out there and I hope it will sell. I want to travel and go where my music leads me, I really think there’s so much more to see. My next album is full length and coming out soon, having people listen sends me over the moon!

• Which track would you recommend for first time Misha Bear listeners? 

Head to my YouTube channel and you will find, plenty of originals and covers to fill your mind. Project 1 came out today, when you’ve got 4 spare minutes, go on, give it a play! Sugar Coated is a newer song, and more will be coming out before too long. These are more of my electronic style, but check out the Ladybug album, just go back through my file. It’s all on Bandcamp and Spotify as well, just search for Misha Bear, what more can I tell?

1. Anything else you’d like to add? 

Just to thank my family and friends who constantly show me support and come to my shows, without them where I’d be nobody knows!