Pass Mia the Mic!
office beauty sits down with Mia to talk about top secret skincare hacks like talking to your skin (because why not?) and getting all done up with Marilyn Manson (again, because why not?!). Hit play on her newest single, "Badlands" above and read the exclusive interview below.
Left - Long sleeve by OTTOLINGER; top and skirt by ECKHAUS LATTA; earrings by SOPHIE BUHAI; rings by CARTIER
Right - Shirt by TELFAR; blazer by SANKUANZ; trousers by TELFAR; rings by CARTIER
What was growing up in Miami like? Was there a lot of art exposure when you were a kid?
Yeah, there was actually. Even though I’m happy that I’m not in Miami any longer, I honestly couldn't have asked for a better childhood. I grew up near the ocean—I lived a very Tarzan childhood. I was super naked, no shoes, in the water in the trees. And then when I was 10 or 11, my dad started taking me to Art Basel. It was like our daddy-daughter weekend activity. He would just take me to a convention center during Art Basel, and we’d just look at art. Yeah, from a super young age, it was always a part of my life even though he wasn’t in the arts. When he was younger, he was a painter, but then he moved to American. He had to get a “real job,” I guess. So he’s always loved the arts; it’s always been a big part of my life.
Tell us what came first—the modelling or the DJing?
The modeling, but I wouldn’t even call it that. I don’t know, I’ve always considered myself ugly, so whenever people would ask me to take pictures, I’d say to myself, "This is stupid." But if you’re gonna pay me, then cool. I think that came first, because it was a lot easier.
How have your Latin roots influenced your musical style?
Tremendously. Everything I make, everything that speaks to me has to have a certain frequency that hits the soul. And I think that the base of Latin and African music—it’s all drums, all lower frequency-based percussion. Those are all things that speak to my soul. If I don't feel it in this particular spot in my gut, then I don’t want it!
As an advocate for POC inclusivity, what is one step you think the entertainment industry should take in order to strive towards incorporating this goal?
It all really starts at home for me. I think generations of Latinos, people of color, and immigrants in general were taught that we don't have that many options, because we need to make money—and there's no money in the arts. It’s very rare and very special when there are POC who have been in violin lessons since they were a kid. It really starts with people generally understanding that we can also get to those levels of greatness the way that white artists have. And then that will change the mindset of parents and caretakers to be like, "My child has this interest. Can you help take my child to a place of success?" You can carry that confidence into everything else that you do. Personally, it was very hard for me. Even now, my mom will still say to me, “Are you sure about this music thing? Are you actually doing okay? Is it successful for you? Maybe you should go to school. Maybe you should get a full time job." If I wasn't fully committed to my dream, I’d think that maybe she’s right. And then all my dreams would go away. A lot of it has to do with that understanding that we can achieve the same successes of our white counterparts.
Left - Shirt by APPLE SAVE; trousers by OTTOLINGER; rings by CARTIER
Right - Jumper by NO SESSO; trousers by DRIES VAN NOTEN; rings by CARTIER; socks by CALZEDONIA
What brought you to the West Coast?
It was honestly an ex who was much older than me. He was in music, and I was 18 and working at Victoria's Secret. I was not doing anything artistic at the time. I was a party girl, and he was a DJ and producer. Him and about 10 friends were all going to move to LA, and they were all digital artists. They were all done with Miami and were ready to further their careers. I had nothing holding me back in Miami except for my family. In Miami, you kind of hit a plateau—a feeling you feel very easily when you’re in the arts, and there's not much you can do. Some people are okay with that, and some people are very comfortable with doing local shows. But I always knew I had something and that staying in Miami wouldn’t have allowed me to do that.
You’ve been on tour, and you’ve modeled for countless brands. As a kid, did you ever foresee your career going down this road?
In my elementary school every year, we would have to create our own books. We had to illustrate and write it. You know how there's the "About the Author" page? Mine was always like, "She wants to become a singer, actress, designer." I always knew I was going to be an entertainer. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I knew I was.
When was the first time you bleached your brows? How did you decide to do it?
It was in 2018, I think sometime in September. It was because I was growing super bored of my appearance, and I wasn’t ready to dye my hair. I was way too scared, because I used to dye my hair in high school, and the damage scared the shit out of me to try that again. So I was like, "Fuck." And I started googling brown girls with pink eyebrows. And I literally could not find anything. The one artist, the one photo I found of a brown woman with dyed eyebrows, was Kelis. And she had these baby pink eyebrows, and I was like, "Dude, that's it!" I really wanted to dye my eyebrows pink, but I’ve never seen anyone with my skin tone doing it, and when I Googled it, all I saw were really pale models on runways. But then I found Kelis’ photo, and the next day, I hit up my friend. I didn’t realize how easy it is to dye your own eyebrows. So I was like, "Hey, can your mom dye my eyebrows?" I ended up going to this lady’s crib and dying my eyebrows, and that was it.
The bleached eyebrows and the dark-lined lips are just a few of your many iconic looks. What influences your makeup designs?
Well, a lot of it is Latin and Black culture for sure. I just remember watching my mom put on lipliner when I was a little girl in the car, and when we were at a red light, she’d be perfecting her lipliner. She could literally do it anywhere, anytime, and it would be these straight and perfect lines. It took me a really long time to get into it, because I have a lot of scars on my lips from a really bad dog fight when I was a kid. I very specifically remember the doctor saying to me, "You’ll never be able to wear lipliner, because your lips aren’t even." And I don’t know why he thought that that was going to be important to me. Why would you tell this child that she can't wear lipliner? It makes no sense. I remember he said that to me, so it just stayed in my head that I couldn’t. So I didn't—for a very long time, I didn’t try it. Recently in the past couple years, I’ve just become comfortable with the idiosyncrasies of my face. I’m just like, "This is my face, and there is nothing I can do about it." I really love lipliner, and it’s something I have a historical connection to. But yeah, my influences would have to be my mom and Latin culture.
Right - Shirt by TELFAR; blazer by SANKUANZ; trousers by TELFAR; rings by CARTIER
Left - Long sleeve by OTTOLINGER; top and skirt by ECKHAUS LATTA; earrings by SOPHIE BUHAI; rings by CARTIER
We’re dying to know how you maintain glowing skin 24/7. What are your skincare secrets?
Dude, my skin’s a fucking mess! Honestly, I just try to drown myself in water. I have acne-prone skin, but it’s all hormonal. All my acne is on my chin. I am able to make the top half of my face, from my cheeks up, look glowy. I try to drink two-and-a-half liters of water a day; that’s the most important thing. And this might be stupid, but I talk to my skin. I really talk to my skin. Even if I’m looking at myself, and I want to cry. Even if I’m red and have cystic acne, I’m still like, "I love you. You’re so cute. Just go away. This is not what we’re doing. This is not our vibe. But I love you, and I am very patient with you." It’s my only way of maybe psychologically getting myself out of my head; because when you’re talking to someone at a gallery, and the lighting is fucked up, you’re just thinking that that’s all someone else is thinking about. I feel like when you put energy into something, whether it’s positive or negative, it creates an effect. And maybe I’m crazy, I don’t know! I’m also very adamant about regimen. I love a regimen. I don’t care if I have the flu. I’m on it. Even after a night of being out and getting home at six in the morning, my boyfriend will say to me, "You got to do your regimen, because you’ll be heated tomorrow." And I’m just like, "Damn, you’re right!" It’s five steps. Toner, serum, cream, under eye cream, SPF. I’m into all of it. And all organic shit—nothing too strong.
Name one beauty product you can’t leave the house without grabbing.
Sonya Dakar’s Organic Omega Booster serum. It’s has my mom's name, so I trust her. It literally made a huge change in the appearance of my skin. I get dark spots easily, but it helped so much with that. It’s expensive for this small-ass bottle, but I don’t mind spending money on skincare and eating pasta at home.
How many pairs of grills do you have?
I have six pieces. I lose them a lot.
If you could choose to get ready with one person, dead or alive, who would you choose?
Marilyn Manson. I would 100 percent be down to do my makeup with Marilyn Manson—that’d be super tight!
