INTERVIEW: Mijo Biscan explores the concept of life with new album, Golden Moment
Melbourne musician Mijo Biscan is not afraid to put himself in extraordinary circumstances to perfect his craft. Biscan found himself traveling all the way to Iceland for a month to be in solitude to help him in his songwriting process for his upcoming album Golden Moment. We talked to him about his upcoming album, the passion in his storytelling, and future plans.
You travelled to Iceland for a month to be in solitude for the songwriting process for Golden Moment. What did you learn about yourself while you were there? Did you face any challenges by changing your environment and if so, how did you handle it?
I’d say that I learned more about songwriting in a month on my own in Iceland than any time before. It had to learn to trust myself, to trust my creativity, to trust that the music is there and all I need to do is create the environment and the space for it to come through.
The biggest challenge would be the solitude and isolation. My mind would play tricks on me, I’d get a bit paranoid that there was someone in the house. I had a mysterious situation with a CIA black SUV up the road, with no-one in it. When I came home that night from a long walk, the lights were on in the house, but no-one was there. How did I handle it? I made a confessional video so that if I was found dead in the house, people would find the video and it was probably the CIA!
The first single you released was ‘You’ve Got Your Life’ which was accompanied by a music video in August. You worked with Andrija Biscan and Lauren Simmonds on the creation of the visuals which incorporates the song’s focus on the preciousness of life. What is the reasoning behind choosing this track to be the first single released off the album along with a music video as well?
‘You’ve Got Your Life’ was chosen as the first single because it best describes the main theme of the album and the main theme I continue to write about. I have such a visceral response to the concept that life is precious, it’s a miraculous gift of the universe. I did nothing to earn it, yet I treasure it more deeply and respectfully than anything. It’s an ode to a friend who passed away too young. A stark reminder that I’m still here and I want to make my time count for something.
Although music videos can be epic to make, I love the challenge of marrying the visual form to the music. When they work symbiotically, each makes the other stronger and makes for a richer emotional experience of the song.
Along with ‘You’ve Got Your Life’, you released the singles ‘That’s So Pretty’ and ‘We’ve Got The Numbers’ ahead of the full release of the album which were all met with praise from publications such as triple j, The AU Review, and CrushCop. How did the reception of these singles make you feel about how successful and anticipated Golden Moment will be?
Having the songs ‘land’ with music lovers who really know their stuff and the current musical landscape is gratifying and encouraging. It was an opportunity to start connecting my music with an audience who is interested in music that was thoughtful, existential, has some unexpected turns and continues to offer treats with repeated listens. I’m really proud of the complete album and I hope it will be a treat as a complete piece of work with a narrative arch when taken in its entirety.
The song ‘Twin Flame’ encompasses a lot of passion and emotion towards someone with invigorating lyrics such as “You’re the only song that I’ll ever know”. Is the story behind these lyrics based on a first-hand experience?
This song came as a premonition for what I wanted and would ultimately find in a lover. As I watched the sun go down behind the gum trees by the Yarra River from my share house bedroom, I began to wish for a new kind of experience of love. One that was less about me getting what I want and more about what I could be for someone else.
Such as “I want to be your eyes at sunset” refers to the bliss and joy a lover could experience by viewing someone they loved deeply. Rather than wanting someone to be my sunset and what I would get from that, I wanted to offer that to someone else. That’s a bit of a 180 from how I’d been approaching relationships and a huge revelation.
Who did you collaborate on the album with? Who were the producers and who mastered it? Is there anyone else you would like to thank or who helped contribute to the final product of Golden Moment?
I set out to make a ‘solo’ record and found quickly that the process for me was enormously enhanced by collaborating with brilliant, talented, experienced, skillful artists of all kinds. Gotye supported the record by giving me access to his studio to work up demos and do the lion's share of the instrument and vocal recordings for the record. His dad Frank was a superstar in giving me access to the studio for months on end.
Marty Brown (Clare Bowditch / Art Of Fighting) was involved from early on in shaping the songs’ arrangements, through to producing the record, mixing the record and then advising how I go about releasing it.
My number one pick drummer was Danny McKenna (Mia Dyson, Jeff Lang). He came on board with Tristan Courtney on electric and double bass. These lads helped to lift the songs to new heights, help discard songs that weren’t working and tweak final arrangements of the tracks. Their performances on the record are A1-five star-stellar-inspired-golden moments. Callum Barter (Courtney Barnett) recorded the bulk of the album at Newmarket Studios in Melbourne like an absolute stealth legend.
My long time collaborator Adam Dempsey mastered the record. There were musical guests, friends giving feedback on demos, my partner giving input and a host of other forces that brought this ‘solo’ record into the world. I’m deeply grateful to each and every one of them. I couldn’t have done it without them.
Besides your trip to Iceland, what else can you attribute to the creation of Golden Moment? Did you utilize any past experiences and transform them into a song or was all of the inspiration for the album based on fresh visions?
A number of the songs had been lingering before my time in Iceland and some came afterwards. An important part of developing the songs were born out of my time in Iceland. It was to make a lot of structured time and space each week to write songs, whether I felt ‘inspired’ or not. My songwriting discipline meant that I had to FINISH a song a week at least. That meant that all the chords, lyrics, sections of the song were all there. That helped me write about 40 new songs to consider for the album. Many didn’t make it to this record and might be fodder for the next album.
What are your plans after Golden Moment is released? Are you planning on any tours in the near future?
I want to connect the album to as many music lovers as possible. I’ll be touring through Australia in March and April and then heading to Europe to tour in the middle and second half of the year. I lived in Berlin for four years and love to go back to visit and continue spreading the positive message of the songs I write. For now, I’m focusing on launching the record on Sunday 9th February at Northcote Social Club in Melbourne.
