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

Christine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

Truly I’ve been so blessed to have experienced so many different forms of kindness in my life. Sometimes just a smile from a stranger on a tough day feels like the nicest gesture anyone could make…and reminds me because I always try to smile at strangers because you just never know what’s going on in someone’s life and that may be the only time they were shown kindness that day. I don’t know how to ever rank kindness but I do have a beautiful memory of getting a letter in the mail earlier in the year on a random day from my friend Tiffany. There was no holiday or occasion t send this letter. I had a picture of us together in it, colorful stickers, and a note simply saying that she just wanted to tell me how grateful she was for our friendship. Tiffany only lived a 20minute drive away. I could’ve seen her any day or she could’ve called me o n the phone to say this. I remember receiving this letter at a time where I was having a particularly bad week and this made me so happy. The fact that she curated such a kind letter and took the time out of her day to send this in the mail to surprise me, truly filled my heard with so much love and joy.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

my songs are made to listen to while you’re driving in your car, right before sunset when the sky is just turning orange, with the windows down, and your hair is flowing in the breeze. timeless nostalgia. i thrive on the connections between others and myself. why are we the way we are. why do we do what we do.

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mistine bio::

Log cabin-born but Jersey-bred, Mistine is a rising Pop / Rock artist combining the rhythm and warmth of classic rock with her own brand of angsty pop sincerity. Mistine’s music is a perfect blend of modern and vintage, drawing inspiration from classics like Aerosmith to early-aughts icons, Avril Lavigne and Hannah Montana. This is the kinda music best played at full volume while driving down the highway screaming the lyrics into the wind with your best friends in the backseat.

But, before she was Mistine, Christine Meisenhelter was just another third-grade kid watching Piglet’s Big Movie. At least, she was, until Carly Simon showed up on screen playing guitar and singing along. Suddenly, Meisenhelter knew what she wanted to do, and it’s been music ever since. In the years following this early spark, she’s attended USC’s Thornton School of Music, toured with Conan Gray for over two years, and honed her voice as an artist and musician as Mistine.

When it comes down to it, though, all she wants to do is make music that makes people feel good. Mistine’s unassuming charm is what makes her work just so welcoming; in her own words, “I want my fans to feel like they’re my best friends.”

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing how others relate to the music. Watching young fans in the crowd connect with songs, young musicians coming up to me after a show and asking for advice on how to artist playing bass, listeners messaging me on the internet to tell me how much my music means to them and encouraging me to keep creating …these are all just moments in time that would never be possible without my creativity. They remind me that although I am creating from my own experiences, people of all different age groups experience the same emotions. We are all experience struggle and joy and every emotion under the sun. Connecting with others thought art is one of the most universal experiences. You don’t even need to say anything to feel this bond. I find this to be so magical and rewarding.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Learning how to accept failure was one of the most important lessons. I really had to take time to unlearn that I don’t need to be perfect. Realizing that things are going to go wrong, I’m going to mess-up, and I can’t control any outcome in life was the most freeing lesson I’ve ever learned. Unlearning that I needed to find perfection also freed up space in my world to just let myself fall into creativity and accept anything I create as beautiful in its own way. I also learned how to accept myself more in the process. I also believe part of this journey was realizing that it only matters if I like myself and the art that I make – no one else has to be a fan for me to be creative and make art and love the exact person I am in that moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mistinemusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mistinemusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mistinemusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mistinemusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGVsiekfdoEaT3De0arbEDg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mistinemusic

Image Credits
Dimitris Tzoytzoyrakos