Mia Boyka is one of the main stars of the modern Russian-speaking TikTok, known not only for her blogging activities, but also for her hit songs “Butterflies”, “Petal” and “Pikachu”. In an interview, the artist spoke about her childhood, creative plans, setting up TikTok houses, meeting streamer Nekoglay, and her dream to act in films. - In your work, children's motifs are often found - for example, in the chorus of the track "Petal" you perform a counting rhyme from Vladimir Kataev's fairy tale "Flower-Semitsvetik". Did you originally plan to create children's content?

— My first tracks were not aimed at children. But then we recorded the song "Pineapple Adidas", which became very popular among the younger generation. They fell in love with it, and I realized that this is a pretty cool niche, no one has done this in Russia before. After that, she began to purposefully work for a children's and teenage audience. I released all subsequent tracks on TikTok.

As for the motif from the fairy tale "Flower-Semitsvetik", many modern children do not know it. And with a song, I kind of tell them about this story. They eventually google it, learn something new. This is a different generation, they mostly have Disney cartoons. In my new track "Butterfly", for example, they sing: "And I don't give a damn." But today's children do not know this phrase and write in the comments: "And I don't care about the chandelier." For them, it's a joke.

You became very popular during the lockdown. How do you think it contributed to your rise?

- Before the lockdown, I already had several “shots”, planned concerts - but due to the outbreak of the pandemic, I had to cancel the tour. At the same time, the lowdown, of course, helped me with the media, that's for sure. When all the concerts were canceled, I had only two options: either sit at home and cry, or come up with something new. And I decided that I need to go to TikTok. As a result, during the lockdown, I managed to release many tracks, gain a large number of subscribers - from TikTok they went to me on YouTube and Instagram.

Now I again give concerts, work at corporate parties. Sometimes I also perform at city venues - if, for example, they invite me to sing at the City Day.

— Does TikTok really help a musician in promoting creativity?

— It all depends on the style of music. For example, I recently talked with The Limba and Jony - their songs are not gaining as much popularity on TikTok as on other platforms, such as VK. My main lever is TikTok, without it it’s still hard for me. This platform really helps many artists from all over the world in promoting songs, thanks to it even old tracks released ten years ago are trending again. But I can’t say that TikTok can promote everything in general. The Limba said that he was afraid to upload his music there, because it could only go there. As a result, he releases tracks on VK, and people just listen to them. Because his music is for a different, more mature audience.

— How would you describe the genre in which you release songs? Do you plan to change something in your work in the near future?

- I would not like to clearly highlight some of my style. I have a very flexible voice, I like to try everything. It is clear that there is already a certain model - funny teenage songs with folk notes and hip-hop inserts. This is what made me known and remembered. But at the moment I'm working in several directions. The first is more Western, we actively cooperate with world DJs. Last year, for example, they released the track "Ma ma ma" together with Sevenn, it went very well. It was my first song in English, it had a great feedback - both from Russian-speaking listeners and from foreigners. Now we are preparing a few more tracks aimed at a Western audience. I write them myself. The second direction is Russian, but for a more adult audience. It's kind of like what The Limba and Rakhim are doing.

My main task at the moment is to correctly convey new tracks to the audience. That is, I know how to do it with funny songs, but here is a new experience. I hope it turns out cool.

What else has changed in your life lately?

- I hid my figure for three years, wore oversized, but now my style of dress has changed. She began to open up, to make more feminine images. Now I like it. And, judging by the feedback in the comments, the audience too.

— Which artists and tiktokers inspire you?None of the Tiktokers. These are just my friends, for each of whom I “drown”, each of whom I respect. I get inspired by more serious musicians. For example, I really like James Blunt and Dothan. For some reason, I also started listening to Bruno Mars again, even though he hasn’t released anything for a long time. I also fell in love with the music of the 60s, I didn’t understand it before. And now I see references to such music in the work of Dua Lipa or Justin Bieber. It's very interesting to dive into history and find out that many modern hits are made up of music that was relevant 50-60 years ago.

By the way, I recently analyzed the tracks that have flown into TikTok this year, and I realized that many of them were released at least ten years ago. This moment also inspired me. It turns out that if my music does not go now, it will not mean that it is bad. It just means that now is not the time for her.

- Who was your idol as a child? Are you into any subcultures?

- I am from a very correct and strict family, so I was neither emo, nor anyone else - my mother always opposed this, and I myself grew up without a strong need for protest. As for idols, I had favorite singers, "girlfriends" in life - Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus. I also loved watching the series "Jonas Brothers" with the soloists of the group of the same name. As a teenager, I was a fan of Rihanna, I still love her. It is a pity that she ended her career and does not release anything. After all, Rihanna is very cool, the standard of behavior on stage.

Do you get the feeling that some TikTok houses, which are now really numerous, are actually exploiting the labor of their young members?

- I would not fit all TikTok houses under the same brush. Each of them has its own producers, founders, investors. We all see that the guys from the Dream Team do not scatter, everything works great for them - producer Yarik (Yaroslav Andreev -) gives them his knowledge and experience, while the participants earn money for themselves and their families by filming content. That is, it is good for everyone. However, there are also producers who offer tough conditions. For example, a novice tiktoker once approached me, asking if he should sign a seven-year contract. Moreover, according to the contract, he could not leave the house without paying a serious amount - even if the producer had not invested anything in it at all. At the same time, the producer himself could kick him out at any time.

- It is known that TikTok is a rather demanding platform in terms of the amount of content released - you need a lot of it to stay afloat. But more specifically, how often should a successful tiktoker post videos now? And how, with such a rhythm, is it possible to maintain creative sincerity?

TikTok algorithms change frequently. Previously, for promotion, it was necessary to release 10-15 videos a day, then - 1-2, but now everything is tied to timing, growth depends on whether you post videos lasting 1-3 minutes or not.

The platform does not allow us to relax, we are forced to adapt to it. If you do it exclusively "for fun", it is unlikely that you will achieve results. As far as I know, only Danya Milokhin never bothers, and at the same time everything works for him. But, for example, Karina Kross writes plans and scripts for each of her videos - and even for Stories on Instagram. After all, blogging is a daily job.

— You graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. How did it happen, why not a creative specialty?

- It was my only opportunity to leave the village for Moscow. If I had not left then, my parents would not have let me go anywhere. They are very strict with me and have been saying all my life that the big city is very dangerous, that there are many temptations there.

I didn’t want to go to the theater, because I understood that I would lose a lot of time there. No matter how rude it may sound, but the majority of people who graduated from "creative" universities remain unknown. Perhaps they - conditionally - sing very cool, but they do not have freedom. Because they come there as rough diamonds, they make a “square” of them and release them into the world. And now all these "squares" walk around and think that they are cool. And they can really be cool, but they no longer have personality. I wouldn't want her to be taken away from me.

- Do you need any diploma at all when it comes to show business?

- Personally, higher education helped me a lot. And continues to help. I graduated from the Faculty of Business with a degree in Management in Innovative and Social Entrepreneurship, so when I work with people now, I return to the knowledge and experience gained from teachers. In addition, she recently launched her own brand. These are products for my audience, mostly children. It includes a toy - a starfish, a mug with a personal design, the world's longest coloring book, five meters, an encyclopedia of the underwater world. And we are also preparing a diary together with psychologists. Because I want to not just release merch, but do something educational for children.

- With which performers would you like to make a fit?- The problem is that no one else has a style of music like mine. Collaborations should be done with those who have plus or minus the same style. I respect other artists, but now I want to develop solo.

- There is a feeling that in the music was more depressing than the current one. But the paradox is that zoomers talk much more about mental problems compared to the adult generation. Why?

- My dad calls it “transitional goat age”: when puberty comes, you want to be bold, youthful maximalism manifests itself. I understand all this, but I don’t want to go on about this. What for? About it and so sing all and sundry. I want to bring something creative. And I don't want to propagate something bad that could turn out to be fatal for someone.

- If we talk about foreign artists of your age, they are quite active in supporting the rights of minorities, they are politically active. Do you think that a musician needs to declare his civic position in his work?

- I think that music should be outside of politics and other things. When artists mix it up, the thought immediately pops into my head: either they were asked or they were paid, there is some kind of subtext in this that is beneficial to them. Musicians shouldn't care what color their listeners are or what their citizenship is.

- You had a scandal with anime people and A.R.M.Y. - BTS fans. What happened then?

— A.R.M.Y. are the fans, the little kids who are bored and need someone to pounce on. I was on the show "Contacts" with Anton Shastun and joked that the creator of "Naruto" died when he heard my song. This is a carbon joke, Shastun checked it out. But the kids took everything too close to their hearts. I just talked to them live. I'm not used to enduring hate.

- You were a guest on the stream of Nekoglay and Ivan Zolo. Considering Ivan's behavior and his vision of life, how do you feel about their cooperation with Nekoglai?

- I feel good, because I know Kolya personally. And I also met Vanya's dad. I saw and know how Kolya treats Vanya and his parents. I can say that they are not under his thumb, as envious people say. Kolya pays money to Vanya's parents and himself after each stream. In fact, he gave them the opportunity to earn. Neither Vanya nor his parents could monetize his popularity. Thanks to Kolya, they were able to earn income from it.

I remember this broadcast and I can say that there was no evil banter there even close. The only one who had a negative attitude towards Vanya was Sveta Sollar. Everyone else treated him with understanding and love.

- Today, many musicians like Lady Gaga or Jared Leto successfully realize themselves in the cinema. Do you think that an artist should be engaged exclusively in his own business - or is it still useful to go beyond the profession?

- I am now studying acting with a teacher, I plan to get a role in a movie. I have already been called, but I do not agree, because I want to debut as a hitman, Wonder Woman, rescuer or agent. This is interesting to me.

- Who do you like from modern actresses?

I grew up on the work of Angelina Jolie. She is my favorite actress. The acting teacher even noticed our resemblance to her. Perhaps I watched a lot of films with her, so I developed similar game moments on a subconscious level.

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