Just Jaded
Interview: Mia Giovina on New Single ‘Deathbed’
By: Kelly Carciente
Dreamy melodies, delicate vocals, and heartfelt lyrics. Rising to success through TikTok covers, including her popular debut cover of ‘Cherry’ by Harry Styles, Mia Giovina captures the hearts of 171,000 followers with her soft voice. In 2021, the singer-songwriter released her debut single ‘Sirens,’ accumulating 800,000 streams on Spotify. Her vulnerable and relatable lyrics compliment her mesmerizing music in future releases, ‘Time Machine’ and ‘Go Getter’. The 20-year-old singer explores feelings of heartbreak and control in her newest single, ‘Deathbed’. Giovina shares everything from how the song came to be, the catharsis of songwriting, and her growth in this exclusive interview.
You just released your fourth single, ‘Deathbed’. What does this song mean to you?
I wrote Deathbed in October of 2022. The months prior had been some of my lowest. I felt so stuck in my life and especially in my career. I hadn’t written a song I liked in months. Then finally – as if a much older and much wiser version of myself had taken over – the line “someday when I’m on my deathbed I don’t think I’ll think of you” came out. The rest of the song wrote itself in under an hour. It was the first time in so long that I could hear my voice in my songs. The entire process that followed (production of the song, shooting the cover art, etc) literally brought me back to life. For the first time in a year, I felt like I was the one in control. I remembered why I chose to do this in the first place. ‘Deathbed’ felt like the first step in taking my life and my career into my own hands.
You have shown so much growth in the last couple of years throughout your projects. I especially love your songwriting style. How do you feel you have grown in your songwriting since your debut single, ‘Sirens’?
I feel like a completely different songwriter in some ways. I think the heart of what created ‘Sirens’ is still there but a lot more refined. When I first started writing my own songs, I think I wrote a lot of what I thought other people would want to hear- really what I thought would go viral on tiktok. And when they didn’t go viral, all I was left with was a song that I didn’t really like. Now, when I sit down to write a song, it’s to write a song. Not to write the best song in the world, not to go viral. I just write to write. Shockingingly, I’ve found much more success and happiness in this method.
Your lyrics from ‘Sirens’ and ‘Time Machine’ all reflect retrospection and nostalgia. You draw on those same themes in ‘Deathbed,’ only this time, with a heavy heart you recognize how insignificant this person you describe will feel the older you get. How would you say your songwriting has aided you in reflecting on your own experiences and the way people in your life affect you?
Songwriting has become so therapeutic for me! It basically feels like an elevated journal entry. I feel everything so deeply but sometimes I have a hard time putting words to the emotion in the moment. But something about playing a pretty little guitar riff helps me to formulate my thoughts. I just think it’ll be really special and surreal to look back on these songs in 40 years and know exactly what I was going through.
The instrumental composition of your new song is quite ethereal. What was the vision for the song’s production? Did you draw from any musical influences?
The song actually started completely stripped back with just guitar, drums, and my vocals. At the time, I thought that was the direction I wanted to go in. The more I listened, the more I felt like this song could be so much more. So I went to my producer, Noah, and we knocked it out in basically one zoom session. I knew I wanted it to sound pretty and dreamy at first and then turn into something bigger and almost cinematic. I really owe it all to Noah for being able to take my chaotic ideas and turn them into something awesome.
Finally, how would you persuade any music fan to listen to this song? Who would you say is your target audience?
This song is for anyone but I think people in their twenties will have a special appreciation for it! The people and things that I thought were the end of the world when I was a teenager aren’t anything more than a memory to me now. A memory that I can look back on and be glad that it made me who I am today!
If you are a fan of artists like Catie Turner, Gracie Abrams and Lizzy McAlpine, Mia Giovina’s music should be your next listen!
Where to find Mia Giovina:
Spotify | SoundCloud | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
