Who Is Mixmasha [Artist Interview]

A unique artist by the name of Mixmasha popped up on our radar when we received a new music submission entitled “Garage of Hopes,” an original track that puts you into a transformative dream state via electronic sounds and melodies. After a few listens, I had to chat James (aka Mixmasha) to talk about his story and approach to music. Check out the exclusive interview below:

Tell us a little about yourself for those who are new to you and your music.

First and foremost, hey y’all! I’m Mixmasha but my name is James for anyone wondering. I love anything creative and tech-related but I was raised to value hard work (African parents are something else), so I’m never above menial or odd jobs. Music is something very close to my heart and I love making it. That’s a brief summary of myself but there’s much more that you will learn about me through my music.

You have a unique and distinct approach to music by mixing and mashing songs and sounds. Is that where the name ”MixMasha” comes from?

Yes! I’m actually happy you and others who’ve listened to my music picked up on that. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved remixes and mashups, especially when there was a combo of artists that you would’ve never thought went together. I also have a vast taste in music so all genres are welcome to me as long as the song can move my emotions(although I do take playful digs at country music every so often haha). It just made sense to be an experimental or genre-fluid artist who blends different genres that go together to make something entirely new and different. I have a good ear for what works so ”mix” and ”masha” put together represent me in everything I’ve said here.

What inspired you to approach music this way?

I’ve had many influences, but my biggest influences are The Weeknd and KSI. The Weeknd is arguably the best experimental artist of my generation (I was born in 2001), perhaps the best experimental artist ever. From projects like After Hours to My Dear Melancholy to Dawn FM, he’s shown an incredible track record of something new yet familiar at the same time. As for KSI, I’ve been a fan of him long before he did music and was just a YouTuber. But his hard work and willingness to try new things in the music scene with works like New Age, Dissimulation and AOTP, it’s given me some major inspiration as to what to try out with my music now and in the future!

For people who are just discovering your music, what song would you have them listen to first to give your best first impression?

That’s a tough one! A lot of my music is straight bangers and vibes in my opinion so I’ll cheat here. I’d advise them to either listen to Sly Boi, My Matrix, Garage of Hopes, Garage of Dreams, Where You Are ft. Nana Araj or any track in my School Project and Crazy Couple albums. Any song in my EP entitled The Traveling Explorer is also good. See what I mean lol?!

Where do you want to see your music take you in the next 3-5 years?

Hopefully, it takes me to a place where I can pave the way further for artists that emerge after me. Really in everything I do inside and outside of music, I want to make something bigger than me. I like to tell myself: don’t build a house for yourself, build a city for everyone. But I also want my music to reach as many people as possible and I’d love for it to get me a chance at working with countless artists I’ve dreamed of working with(*cough cough* The Weeknd and KSI). I even have already written out the albums and EPs I wanna make and what artists I want featured on particular songs in said projects (there’s plenty of them both popular and famous and also niche and different). I’m also hoping the label I created(JILJE Music) becomes a place for artists to come to produce solid music and makes an impact further. As you can see, I’m ridiculously ambitious and hungry!

Is there anything we can look forward to in the near future for Mixmasha?

Yes you can! This year in 2023, I’m aiming to drop a new album titled Across the JDUB Universe (ATJU) and an EP titled Words I Can’t Say. ATJU is an album where I get in touch with my spiritual side (I’m a Christian) so this one is for my fellow religious people out there! As for Words I Can’t Say, you’ll get to hear about some of the things I wish I could’ve been more vocal about when I was younger but there’ll be a bit of creativity here so I’m looking forward to dropping both projects!

To get notified of these announcements, how can people follow and keep up with you?

Follow me on Spotify and all other streaming platforms (my name on them is Mixmasha). I also have a meme account which is mainly comedy but I make big announcements on that page (including about my music) so follow @jw.meme.lord on Instagram if you wanna laugh in the meantime! There’s also my personal page @jiadback where you can keep up with my somewhat quiet life and I’ll make such announcements there as well.

Mixmasha’s story and sound is one most creatives can appreciate. Creatives who like to see things from different angles or approach situations and problems from a different perspective. As a fellow creative myself, that is what I now think of when I now listen to his music. It’s a sound that is unapologetically unique and not meant to please listeners but instead to express. Big shoutout to Mixmasha on the chat and I look forward to seeing his journey and music develop.