We were lucky to catch up with Miist recently and have shared our conversation below.

Miist, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I’m very proud of this journey that I get to work on, along with so many musicians who also want to use their musical ability to help more people—to do more than just make good music. I’m honored to work with them, and together I hope this album can help people find a way through the difficulties that we all face.

I want it to let people know that no matter where they are or what circumstance they are in—they can affect the world around them with simple, positive actions—like smiling again.

My podcast, “Make Me Smile with Miist,” is an extension of The Smile Project because it gives me the platform to go into the details of each song I wrote and the issues behind it. It helps explain why we find ourselves so disconnected from each other and the natural world, and explains the science and psychology behind it. And again, it offers the simplest steps that we can all do in under 15 seconds, no matter where we are, to start changing our life.

People are so overwhelmed these days that I also wanted to provide a simple daily reminder of these 15-second actions. So we created the Kindness Kube™. My husband and I started the World Smile Initiative, a non-profit organization that produces the Kindness Kube™ and supports my Global Smile Project.

The foundation provides the Kindness Kube™ on a donation basis. It ships in a flat envelope that can be delivered anywhere the post office delivers. It offers us a gentle reminder to do the smallest actions each day. When you open up the envelope, it pops open into a three-dimensional cube that has these nice little reminders on it like “Smile,” “Remind Someone You Love Them,” “Be Silly”…

You can put it on your vanity or nightstand, and maybe in the morning, you pick one of the actions as the goal of today. Tell yourself, Today, I will spend 15 seconds just to do this one thing. And when you come back home at night, you’ll see the Kube again, and it will remind you of how you did.

I want the Smile Project to last a lifetime and beyond. My goal is for it to remind all of us how simple things matter—and they change the world around us.

Miist, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

It all started during the pandemic when we were all looking for new hobbies. I discovered that I could write music. It became therapy for me, and that’s how I realized how powerful music can be in healing and helping others.

Later on, I was discovered by Narada Michael Walden (Billboard Top 10 All-Time Producer), and he mentored me in songwriting and produced my first album, The Songs from the Living Room. The album had critical and commercial success with multiple Billboard hits and records. That’s how I got introduced to the music industry.

I was encouraged to do a second album of more straight pop; however, that is not my calling. I want my music to be meaningful and to help people heal, like it has for me. So on the second album for this year, I really wanted to go back to where I started. I wanted these new songs to tell the story of struggle and hope. That’s why The Smile Project exists, along with my non-profit, World Smile Initiative.

The EP this year has “6 Important Songs,” which each touch on very difficult subjects like depression and our disconnected world. But the songs offer very simple solutions and actions that we can do anywhere, anytime—even right now—to start changing our world.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Well, when I was 27 years old, I was diagnosed by a dozen doctors in different countries with terminal liver cancer. I had a 15-centimeter tumor on my liver that enveloped my gallbladder. It was a very difficult time for me and my family, and every doctor was telling me that if I didn’t have surgery to take care of it, I would die in a matter of weeks or months. But also, having the surgery didn’t mean it would save my life. It’s a very risky surgery to remove 60% of your liver. So death was very real to me at that moment.

However, eventually, I found a doctor who was very good at what he does and was willing to do it.

My parents abandoned me at a boarding school at 5 years old. My abusive father never returned, and my mom came in and out of my life until the cancer diagnosis. Then she came back into my life full-time and supported me when no one else in my family would. I also had lots of help from the medical staff and so many friends in Vancouver, Canada, who helped me. They overwhelmed me with support and love.

So I don’t know if this story demonstrates resilience, but it is definitely a story that demonstrates love—their love and support. That saved me also. That’s a nice reminder. That’s another reason why I really want to help others with what I can do, because I’ve experienced it, and I know how important it is to receive the help we need when we really need it.

You’ll hear in my music themes that sound very personal—and most of them are. I touch on subjects like domestic abuse from a personal view. I do this not only to express my experience but to encourage people to have the strength to go on, to talk about our hurt and pain, and find a way to leave it behind—to not let it dictate our entire life.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To me, it is when I perform to a group of people, oftentimes in an intimate setting, in order to see the reaction to a new song. When they react to the song, when I can see it affected them and they understood, sometimes with tears or a hug—that is my reward. I love seeing my music affect people and motivate them, or give them peace. To put into words and melody those feelings that are so hard to express, those little moments of connection are the most rewarding to me.

To receive a note or a comment on a song telling me, “Thank you. That song reminded me of my mom or dad or spouse,” those expressions mean that I have made their world a better place, for at least a moment. And that is a wonderful gift for both of us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.miistthesinger.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miistthesinger/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miistthesinger/
• Twitter: https://x.com/MiistTheSinger
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@miistthesinger
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@miistthesinger