Quite the prolific artist, 34-year-old Mitski (aka Mitsuki Miyawaki, born Mitsuki Laycock) has released a handful of great records over the past couple of years. Her current tour finds her supporting her latest, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, which has resonated with her adoring fans while also receiving critical acclaim.
She embarked on an ambitious tour at the end of August—an itinerary that includes an all-ages show Sept. 25 show at Frost Amphitheater, with Wyatt Flores opening. The current North American tour was preceded by a successful spring leg along with a Europe and UK run. Strong ticket sales and demand from her fans will keep her on the road for the better part of next month.
I was introduced to Mitski by my daughter, who was already a huge fan and had been listening to her constantly on Spotify and YouTube. And although my daughter had not owned any records to date, I made sure to purchase some for her collection in the last couple of years.
When asked about what makes Mitski special, my kid said she simply liked her vibe. For those not in the know, Mitski produces rather melancholy fare that has become a huge hit with the young female market in particular. And although she doesn’t tour as much as she should or wants to, her adoring fans will always queue up to see her live.
Her latest video, “Star,” was directed by Maegan Houang. “Unlike the more narrative/concept driven videos Mitski and I have done together in the past, I wanted this video to encapsulate the impressionistic circularity we all experience. Our lives oscillate between light and dark repeating itself in an endless cycle where nothing is permanent. The best moments are fleeting, but so are the bad,” Houang has stated.
Mitski is not doing interviews currently and is famously protective about her personal life, As Charlotte Goddu wrote in an article for The Ringer about the new album, “Over the course of her career, Mitski has adapted her performance persona in a way that underlines, rather than obscures, how little her audience truly knows about her, using choreography to make her shows into deliciously alienating spectacles that both parody and mimic the platonic ideal of pop stardom. She’s telling her fans over and over, through her artwork itself, that they’ll never really know her.”
Mitski thinks life would be easier without hope, or a soul, or love. “The best thing I ever did in my life was to love people,” Mitski has said on X. “I wish I could leave behind all the love I have, after I die, so that I can shine all this goodness, all this good love that I’ve created onto other people.”
Her end goal, however morbid it may sound, is to continue to shine her love for humanity long after she’s left this mortal coil.
Look for Mitski to shine a good light or two on the crowd at Stanford University. Judging by the set list on the recent tour, everyone is in for a treat. And suddenly for one weekday night, the world will not seem so inhospitable to the people who need it most.
Mitski plays the Frost Amphitheatre at 351 Lasuen Street, Stanford, at 7pm on Sept. 25. Wyatt Flores opens the all-ages show. Tickets: $62.50–$133.74.
