I recently had the opportunity to sit down with TikTok sensation Mia Asano on her first headlining tour, “West Coast Tour,” during its stop in Albuquerque. She performed at the Revel Entertainment Center Backstage room, which is used for a smaller, more intimate setting. Joining Mia Asano was Deadgrace, led by heavy metal saxophonist Grace Kelly.
Entering the venue, I was escorted to the green room as I entered the outer room. Mia got off the couch, came out, and shook my hand, inviting me to sit down, and we started talking. It was like having coffee with an old friend. Their tour recently went through Colorado, and they stopped in Denver, Asano hometown. I asked what it was like to perform in the same building, same stage that she performed her senior recital on not so long ago; her words were, “It was so special; I was able to show people my vision. The same friends and family that had helped me and supported me were there to see what I had become.” I asked her what it was like to wake up and have thousands of followers, “Originally I posted a video to share my music that I enjoyed and love on a platform where my friends and family were not there.” Then she was being contacted by musicians to perform with bands like Two Steps From Hell, Sabaton, working with people like Lindsey Sterling as well. This current tour was split between the East Coast and West Coast, with the West Coast tour ending soon.
We talked about her next album that has been a discussion all through the tour, she says, “The music is ready just a matter of sitting down but with the tour it has slowed down the process but has been good to perform eight songs from the album to get the audience response to what songs will be the most popular and position on the album.” As soon as the tour is over, their priority is to release the album. Releasing the album may even prompt another reason for another tour. The name of the new album is Lore. It is a collection of stories about mystical creatures from around the world.
We also spoke on her recent marriage, touring with and without her husband, Sam Fairless. We also spoke about her support for a healthy mental health and that during this tour they are donating to MusiCare, an organization that supplies support for musicians with their mental health, and Asano says mental health is important as she lost a close violinist friend a year ago. With that being said, I did ask her what she does to deal with the stress of touring. She says, “I surround myself with friends, and they all know what to do,” and help her and each other to relax; plus she says, “I don’t drink or party, I make sure to get plenty of sleep and eat healthy.” Traveling with her husband, who is her guitarist, really helps as well with their relationship and keeps her focused.
If you want to know more about Mia Asano, check out these links, listen to her music, and then get in line for the release of her next album:
https://www.facebook.com/miaasanomusic
https://www.instagram.com/miaasanomusic
Deadgrace is led by Grace Kelly, an American saxophonist, singer, and songwriter from Boston but calls Los Angeles home now. She has taken the jazz world by storm; at only 34, she has released 15 albums, performed at Barack Obama inauguration, and performed with the Boston Pops by the time she was 16 years old. From there, she has performed at thousands of festivals and concerts around the world. She commands the stage when she is there with her powerful, strong saxophone sounds. She has empowered many young girls to become more confident and to work toward their goals.
Kelly is not afraid to push the limits, and her unique adaptations of heavy metal songs using a saxophone have created a fresh new look at music and shown that anything is possible. She makes a stage show fun. Mia Asano and her both jump on each other’s performance to head into the crowd and perform. She is the co-founder of Saxy School with Leo P (of Too Many Zooz), an innovative online saxophone school for beginners and seasoned players alike. She has held a guest teaching residency at The Berklee College of Music and spearheaded the establishment of the Fred Taylor Endowed Scholarship Fund by organizing, emceeing, and performing in the All-Star Benefit Concert in 2017, which raised over $70,000 for the fund.
More information about Deadgrace, head over to these links:
https://www.gracekellymusic.com
https://www.instagram.com/deadgrace_xx
Leave a Reply