Inside the Creative Heart: An Intimate Conversation with Miki Ratsula on Music, Identity, and Self-Acceptance

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Hi Miki!! Welcome to Pop Palace! We are beyond thrilled to have you. What are you up to this week?

Thank you so much for having me! This week I’m actually recording vocals for my next song! I’m super excited about it.

I would describe your music as very intimate and close. Would you agree with that? Was this intimacy a conscious decision, or did it just naturally evolve through your creative process? 

Oh, 100% I agree. I guess that’s the only way I’ve written music my whole life. It probably has to do with the fact that a lot of the artists I’ve looked up to write in the same way. I’m definitely someone who wears my heart on my sleeve in my personal life so naturally it translates to my songwriting. 

In 2021 you released “Suffocate” featuring the iconic Lauren Sanderson, can you give us a look into how this collaboration happened?

Lauren and I were mutuals for a little bit and had met a couple times before working together! I love collaborating, so I knew for my debut album I wanted to have a couple of features. When thinking about which songs would be the best for a feature I immediately thought of “suffocate”. I had it written and produced and just felt like it was the perfect song to have someone else sing with me. My mind immediately went to Lauren. I knew we’d sound great together, I’d been a fan for a long time, and we have a lot of crossover with our fans! I texted her the song, she loved it, and sent me her vocals the next week. Lauren then took me on my first ever tour as an opener for her tour in 2022! I’m so grateful for Lauren’s friendship and artistry. And it’s still one of my favorite songs and music videos of mine to this day. 

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Besides music, what else are you passionate about? 

Trans advocacy and women’s soccer!

Being an artist takes its toll physically and mentally, what are some self-care practices you implement into your routines?

I love weightlifting! It not only helps me to alleviate gender dysphoria, but it’s a great way for me to recenter myself. I usually will listen to a podcast or calming music while doing so. I love feeling strong and mobile. Also cooking! One of my favorite forms of self care is cooking a good meal. Usually I’ll watch a comfort show while I’m in the kitchen (right now it’s Grey’s Anatomy) . There’s something so grounding to me about cooking - I think it being such a hands on process really helps. I feel like I can shut off the noise in my head and just focus on what I’m doing in that moment, while also being really excited to eat whatever I’m making. 

What was the most meaningful or challenging part of creating your debut album i owe it to myself, and how did the themes of self-acceptance and identity shape the songwriting process? 

The title is very literal for me. I quite literally owed myself the opportunity to write and produce this album and to share my story. While making this album, I came out as trans nonbinary and got top surgery. This record was a form of reintroducing myself as an artist, which was the most meaningful part. One of the main themes of the album is self-acceptance - the song “second” really highlights that. In this album I wrote about the trans experience for the first time, which felt very vulnerable and new - so I guess that was challenging. I really did write this album for myself and it’s really cool to see how many people relate to it. 

Lastly, here at Pop Palace, we have our own 'Royal Court' of artists who inspire us. If you could build your own musical palace, who would sit on your throne, and who would make up your royal court of all-time favorite artists? 

On my throne would be the one and only, Adele. Listening to her record, 19, while in middle school shifted something in me. Her music and humanity made me want to share my music and pursue this career. She is my queen, so the throne is fitting.

My royal court would include MUNA, Coldplay, Bon Iver, Angus & Julia Stone, Arlo Parks, Ryan Beatty, Frank Ocean, The Paper Kites, and City and Colour.