Australian-born artist Mish stopped by to reflect on her career and the hard dance scene, sharing her plans to take her project worldwide.
Australian-born DJ and producer Mish has captivated the hardstyle scene with her glimmering outfits, ground-shaking records, and bubbly personality that shines brightly everywhere she goes. Don’t let her beauty fool you, though. Mish is one of the most promising rising stars in hard dance today, and she’s done it all through her unrelenting passion for music and undeniable ability behind the decks and in the studio.
Over a few years, Mish has taken her project from a bedroom idea to the grandest stages worldwide, including Defqon.1 Weekend Festival, Tomorrowland, Creamfields, and so many more! Continuing to add to her illustrious resume, she had the honor of creating the REBiRTH Festival anthem this year with Sickmode under their electrifying side project, RAVE LOVE.
I was surprised when REBiRTH asked for RAVE LOVE since our style is harder than the previous anthems. However, due to the theme of mayhem, expecting the unexpected, and being something never heard before, it made sense to go with a style which is harder and different than the others. Of course, it was excitement, pressure, and happiness all at the same time.
Mish
Mish felt great responsibility and pressure for “DISCOVER THE MAYHEM” as creating festival anthems differs from event to event. “For REBiRTH, we were given a briefing on the concept of the festival, some mood boards for inspiration, and we took it from there,” she said. “When I did the anthem for Free Festival last year, I was asked to follow the theme of ‘Free,’ like freedom, and I based the track around that.”
Even with these production milestones, Mish still has a fiery passion for creating records that allow her to have fun while still catering to her fans. “Making tracks for fun is always an interesting process because sometimes they can turn out to be the best tracks to release,” she said. Of course, this powerhouse always loves to put her interesting spins on already released records by making edits and bootlegs for her live sets, too.
With REBiRTH Festival over, fans are already clamoring for new music, and she gave some insight on her production process for RAVE LOVE, saying that she and Sickmode go with the flow and sometimes, ideas are decided upon only a month in advance!
She also wants the project to remain special, which means minimal releases and performances this year. So, while there are no plans currently, Mish is certain RAVE LOVE will make a comeback soon. On the flip side, she plans to shift focus onto her solo project to take her production to the next level.
This year, I really want to focus on getting more Mish solo tracks out because Sickmode and I have already released 20 collaborations and edits, mostly on ‘RAVE LOVE PT.2.’ I’m hoping to collaborate with some other artists as well!
Mish
Looking into the future, Mish also wants to elevate her performances at different events and festivals. Just a few years ago, her dream events to play were Defqon.1 Weekend Festival, Intents Festival, and Supremacy. With the rapid growth of her project, she’s already played at these three events and many more, but the work doesn’t stop there for Mish.
“Within those festivals, my goal is to get booked on bigger stages and continue to be booked in general,” Mish said. “This year, I played at REBiRTH, and later on, I’m playing at the Intents Festival and Decibel Outdoor mainstages, which is huge for me and my solo career!”
Mish is currently on a tear through the hardstyle scene in Europe but is always seeking new ventures and methods of showcasing herself to the entire world, so playing in countries and festivals she’s never been to is always on her mind. More importantly, she wants “to show the world what hardstyle/rawstyle is and bring that female flavaaa!” When reflecting on where she wants to go next, Mish gave insight into some of her bucket list locations.
A huge goal of mine is to get to America and play EDC Las Vegas. 100%! I’ve never been to America, so it’s a need and a must at this point! I would also love to do a tour all over Asia!
Mish
For fans in America, Mish says she sees every single request for her to perform there and loves the enthusiasm from her fans. “The only thing standing in the way right now is having my US visa,” she explains. Applying for a US visa is a long, difficult, and expensive process, and unfortunately, being approved for one is never guaranteed.
There definitely has been interest for me to go to America, so I’m going to be starting my visa process soon. I can’t say much more than that. Fingers crossed that I will be over there in 2025!
Mish
Before Mish travels to America to make her long-awaited debut, she will continue on her path of destruction in the European hardstyle scene. Her explosive rise didn’t come easy, however, as she navigated the industry as a woman. Usually, Mish finds herself as the only woman on the lineup about 75% of the time and the only woman on the stage about 85% of the time — a glaring reflection of the scene as a whole.
Luckily, the hard dance scene generally accepts women in successful positions, and it’s not something that she notices except when she’s in a backstage area that doesn’t have the essential mirrors or only has shared toilets.
Despite having a personally positive experience, Mish expresses that being a female in the scene still comes with its assumptions and haters. She urges other women seeking to break ground in the industry and achieve their dreams just as she has “to try and ignore the negativity and only focus on the positive things!“
The best advice I can give is to continue to do what you’re doing no matter what anyone says. Stay true to yourself and be honest. Most importantly, be unique!
Mish
On the topic of standing out, Mish incorporates her unique fashion style into every performance with her vibrant outfits that can be spotted from the front row to the back of the room. When fans attend any of her sets, two things are guaranteed: epic kick rolls and stunning outfits!
“I’m just a girl who loves clothes, and I love showing that to the world,” she explains. “My fashion style gives a nice touch to my brand and allows everyone to understand me for who I am because whether I’m DJing or just attending a festival as a visitor, I’d be wearing the same outfits.
When it comes to fashion, Mish even has a dream of owning a clothing line but she doesn’t have enough time managing her brand and performing at gigs. Still, she was kind enough to provide some advice for all the ravers looking to up their fashion style at the next event as our conversation came to a close.
Please wear whatever you want! Please take the risk because you will look amazing! I encourage everyone to do the same because if you feel amazing, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with some flare pants and a cute crop top, though.
Mish
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