MishCatt – alter ego of Michelle González – is the alluring and sultry voice from Costa Rica (now based in Los Angeles) who grew up singing, playing guitar and piano, while using music as a sanctuary for expression and sonic exploration. Born with synesthesia – a perceptual condition of mixed senses – MishCatt credits her condition for her unique take on music allowing her to see colors and shapes in each track she writes.
Today MishCatt unveils the animated video for “Your Eyes” – the final track off her newly released The Real Pavo EP via Amuse and a reflection of the rising artist’s synesthesia. She says, “‘Your Eyes’ is a call back to ‘Blue Blood’ but it explores what was happening when that strong summer love came to an emotional end. The very introspective video was animated by Albin Eidhagen. It represents that feeling at the end of a relationship when you’re falling, and it feels like it will never end.” According to PopMatters, the “visual experience accentuates the dark pop song’s introspective layers as it undulates through varying explosions of color.”
With The Real Pavo EP the artist continues to explore the connection she carries with her inner-self and simultaneously her jazz infused soulful roots bloomed in Costa Rica. Inspired by the complicated emotions involved in relationships, the EP (produced by Pontus Winnberg of Miike Snow notoriety and co-writer for Britney Spears, Sky Ferreira, Kylie Minogue, etc.) explores the love story between MishCatt and her intuition. Inviting you into that journey from track 1 to track 5 , both MishCatt and Winnberg exquisitely tap into groovy, synth-pop and psychedelic sounds alongside masterful storytelling.
Prior to the big reveal, MishCatt shared the acoustic rendition of “Fades Away” by Avicii following her touching performance at the Avicii Tribute Concert for Mental Health Awareness in Stockholm, Sweden in December 2019. The live track was the first from the event to officially be released across DSPs via Universal Music and has racked up over 20 million streams. She humbly states “Life is very interesting… Not too long ago I had no idea I would be singing a song from Avicii. I mean… it’s Avicii! But last year ended with an incredible tribute to such an amazing human. As we went into 2020, it seemed it would be giving us a warm welcome, but here we are, going through very weird and dark times… We’re conscious of the vulnerability of life as we know it. It all somehow feels like when we need to cry for a long night, so we can float into bliss the next morning. I never imagined I would have this opportunity, but I always hoped to somehow share all my love through music, and this song is a very special one. I hope its message resonates with all of you as it does with me.”
“Pavo” – the third single to be revealed off the EP – served as a reminder to dance to the beat of your own drum, MishCatt says “This song is about feeling that delicious rebel flow in your veins and going against society. It’s about creating your own movement, your own wave with whoever wants to join.” MishCatt explains. “It’s about giving full power to the vibration in your happiness and freedom.” tmrw Magazine called it “the backdrop to that opening movie scene that sweeps across a vast and otherwise ordinary city on a sunny day, setting the scene for an adventure still untold.”
At the top of 2020 MishCatt also unveiled “Midnight Sun” along with a video via Ladygunn. While “Midnight Sun” lulls you in with its nostalgic and melancholic vibe, the video directed by Albin Eidhagen invites you into MishCatt’s irresistible world of color. MishCatt elaborates: “This song is about feeling far away from your essence. Really wanting to be in touch with it, but never being as close as you want to be.” She adds “For the video we built this cardboard version of Pontus’ car, and put it in this crazy animated video created by Albin Eidhagen, who directed the video. The car travels on a wild adventure through many environments within the MishCatt world.” The acoustic version of “Midnight Sun” shortly followed which in its raw simplicity allowed the introspective lyrics to shine.
In 2019 MishCatt she dropped “Blue Blood” – her first single to surface worldwide after a three year gap. The track has a dreamy, space pop groove which marries up with EP’s striking blend of psychedelic sounds and synth-pop soul. Both remind us how important it is to re-discover your true colors and never be afraid to embrace them. Earmilk dubbed the visual “comforting in the chaos of it all” while praising MishCatt on her ability to “create singular soundscapes that move freely with unbound emotion.”
Her debut Highlighter EP, which includes “Another Dimension” (All Things Go, MILK, NYLON) and “Gun to the Head,” amassed over 50 million collective streams. The success of her debut (also produced by Winnberg) marked her as Costa Rica’s most streamed artist and one to watch in the indie electronic pop scene.