Feeling like you can connect to an artist’s music is something incredibly special. For all of us Small Town Girls who grew up feeling like there is so much more out there than the cards you were dealt, MINOE is for you. We recently sat down to interview her about her latest single, ‘Small Town Girls,’ and her upcoming album, Stella Marina.
Hello and welcome to The Hive!! We are beyond excited to have you. Do you want to introduce yourself before we get started?
Hiii, I’m MINOE <3 I’m an alt/pop artist from Nova Scotia! Thanks for having me. 🙂
You JUST released a brand new single titled ‘Small Town Girls’ from your upcoming debut album, Stella Marina. Congratulations!! What about this track made you want to release it ahead of the album itself?
Thank you! Honestly, I view this song as the focus track of the album, so it’s a good question! But the whole team worked really hard on it, and I’m so proud of it. I want to ensure it gets some solo attention as well.
Your debut EP, Bleeding Hearts Disco, was an absolute hit. What aspects of this EP and its release do you think best prepared you for an album?
Ouf, thank you so much; that project was a huge learning experience for me! For this project, I focused on sustainability and ensuring everything I do is true to who I am, while also being repeatable and buildable. With Bleeding Hearts, I was just so excited to make something beautiful that I went a little crazy on the budget and the scale, and then realized if I want to do this forever (which I absolutely do), I needed to find a way to realize my vision without going crazy! So this album is very DIY but very intentional, and I’m excited about that because I feel my hands are all over it and it’s even more personal/special.
You create honest music that amplifies feminism, the importance of empowering each other, queerness, and more. Why is this so important to you? What do you hope that it means to listeners?
I think it’s just a reflection of who I am and what I care about. I never go into a session thinking about the politics of it all, but I’m living the politics, so it spills into my work. I am a queer woman, my friends are queer, and my community is so special to me, so I hope the people who relate to that find the music or hear the words I’m saying when they need someone to relate to in those ways!
Having a hometown of Nova Scotia and now being based in Toronto has given you a variety of environments to fall in love with music in. What other artists do you take inspiration from when writing and creating?
Yeah, absolutely, and I lived in Montreal for a long time as well! I love Canadian music. I grew up on Mother Mother, Jenna Barry, Jenn Grant, Aidan Knight, Sam Roberts, and Arcade Fire. All of them have crept into my sound today, I’m sure. My international faves are Lykke Li, Lana Del Rey, Tove Lo, Banks; they’re all in there somewhere too. I think this song really brings all of those influences together, which is part of why I’m so proud of it!
Art is absolutely gorgeous, and there are so many ways to be an artist. What made you decide to take the path of music?
I’ve been writing songs since I was about 7 years old, so I don’t think there was ever a moment I decided I would do music; it has just always been there, and I’m so grateful for it. <3 It has been my lifeline for as long as I can remember. I think it has to be to stick with it cause it’s not an easy path!
After all your hard work and dedication, what are you looking forward to most about your debut album Stella Marina being released?
Throughout this campaign, I think I’ve really seen my style/identity as an artist develop in a way that feels the most true to myself I’ve ever been, so I’m excited for this project to be out there and exist as a creative baseline or backbone for anything that I do beyond it. It feels like the first brick in a castle; I’m excited to keep building on it. 🙂
You are an absolute icon on stage. If you could use one word to describe the feeling that being on stage gives you, what would it be and why?
Aw hahaha, thank you so much! I have a hard time focusing on myself. I love writing for other people or, like, hermiting and creating, which I know probably sounds weird for someone who posts TikToks every day. But even in that process, I try to spend as little time in front of the camera as possible. When I’m on stage, especially recently, I feel like it snaps me back into my body. Like I need to be present, I need to be here, I need to focus and deliver and be comfortable being in the centre of attention. It feels like giving and receiving at the same time, and that I have permission to be myself fully, loudly, and it’s beautiful. So yeah! That’s not one word, sorry. :’)
We just want to say thank you SO much for joining us! Before we let you go, is there anything else you want to share with our readers?
Stella Marina comes out January 21st . <3 In the meantime, check out ‘Small Town Girls!!!’
We want to send a HUGE thank you to MINOE for joining us! Be sure to stream ‘Small Town Girls.’ Let us know what you think by sending us a tweet @TheHoneyPop! We are also on Facebook and Instagram!
Want to read more artist interviews? We got you honey!
