We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Po Mia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Po , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I’ve been musical my whole life, and so has my family, but it was an extremely hard process, working up the courage to share my original work with the world. I’ve always wanted to be a person who stood out in a crowd, but I have been bogged down by insecurity for a very long time.

After participating in things like musical theatre, I thought it would be easy to just start performing. Unfortunately, I had been living my life in the shadows for too long, and didn’t quite feel comfortable being my authentic self. I believe everything happens for a reason, though, and that timing is everything.

After experiencing some traumatizing circumstances and going through a large transitional period, I finally decided to build up my PO-sona and begin my music career.

There was a lot of different factors that went into it, but ultimately, I am just happy that I made the initial leap to begin with. I wouldn’t change it for the world, and I’m immensely grateful for everyone who has lifted me up thus far. It may have been nice to get a running start a bit earlier, but I’m thankful for the point I am in this journey right now.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For starters, I studied Music Therapy in college, which was a big insPOration for me to begin bringing my musical skills into the community. It’s always been a passion of mine to impact and help others, and generosity is built into my personality. When it dawned on me that I could use the artistic medium that heals me the most in order to help others, my eyes were widened.

The music I make is meant to touch the hearts of others, as well as provide relatability that could POtentially get people through their hardships.

One of the biggest “selling points” to my POformances, is audience participation/engagement. I love to create an inclusive environment where individuals feel like they are being immersed in the show. The more the crowd gets involved, the more the connection grows stronger. Tapping into emotions, and touching upon stigmatized subjects is what I do best.

The way I’m recognized is typically by my whimsical and colourful presence. I’m basically a walking, sparkling, rainbow in human form. I’m really proud of myself for making it to where I am today, despite some bumps in the road and the hardships that come with such a path.

All in all, I just want to spread peace, love, and POsitivity, or at least provide comfort to those who don’t feel like they “fit in.” There’s so much division in this world, but music is definitely the universal language. It’s my goal to bring people together, and create harmony within our society.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There should definitely be better ways for artists to be compensated for their services. With the growing popularization of streaming services and social media, physical reimbursement, for this how much effort goes into it,is wearing very thin. It’s harder to even create and produce tangible products these days with the cost of making everything. I wish things could be more accessible in these ways.

So much hard work and passion goes into creative projects, which can end up being mentally taxing with little-to-no rewarding outcomes. I’ve always been a giving person, so it’s also a double edged sword for me to even want to ask for anything in return sometimes. I’ve learned that it is okay to want to feel compensated for my efforts.

The best ways we can uplift each other is to show out to performances, buy merchandise, and help promote peers on internet platforms as best as we can. Exude the energy you’d like to receive, and it will come back!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A few years ago, I was able to escape a very toxic and abusive musical partnership/relationship.

When I was first getting my feet on the ground, it was essential to lean on the kindness of others. In this phase, I was definitely vulnerable to predators and people who were in the market of taking advantage of me.

I ended up meeting someone that I believed was trustworthy, but they ultimately had intentions of putting me down in order to build themself up. During this beginning stage of my career, I thought I’d be trapped underneath this person forever.

It took a plethora of support, bravery, and determination to finally speak out in order to get out of that situation. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to recover or stand on my own, but it seems as though I’ve come back ten times stronger, to the point where I am even able to practice forgiveness and (to a degree) thankfulness for the knowledge I’ve gained about the world through these hardships

It’s imPOrtant to eliminate negative vibes, whether that be within people, places, or whatever is surrounding you. It can be easy to fall into traps or succumb to slippery slopes, but with enough advocacy and encouragement around us, we all have the power to be resilient in these ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/pomia
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/po._.mia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pomiamusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@pomiamusic
• Booking Email: [email protected]
• Other: Bandcamp: https://pomia.bandcamp.com/ *Inquire if more pics or EPK is needed*

Image Credits
-Cyrus Coble -Elle Fitzgibbons -Sara Anne Finke -SQSH Event Photographer -Terry Witt