Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Midoca

Midoca is the musical project of Los Angeles based producer and composer Chaz Treharne. He’s captivated the industry with his textured soundscapes and melancholy vocals, striking a chord with every fleeting bar. This year, he’s dropped not one but two EPs, making a profound statement. Pop Culturalist caught up with Midoca to chat about his 2019.

PC: You’re a singer, songwriter, and producer. How did you discover your passion for music? Is there one that you naturally gravitate towards?
Midoca: I first started playing guitar around ten-years-old, but I didn’t really take it seriously until my teen years. I remember my first song at ten was about getting in a fight with a neighborhood kid. I love songwriting and writing lyrics, but I also have a strong passion for producing and creating the spaces for those songs to exist in.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Midoca: Honestly, it’s hard for me to rank these sorts of things. There are countless artists who’ve influenced my work as well as others who’ve given me an opportunity or platform to share my own. Let’s just give this one to FAFSA because I spent my entire grant buying a computer six years ago and paid for my college books from part-time work. Without my computer, I would’ve had a much harder time creating anything.

PC: You just released Dry the Rose? What inspired the EP?
Midoca: I did. Lyrically, I wrote the EP after acknowledging changes in my behavior subsequent to a romantic relationship. The EP’s production, however, was greatly inspired from touring. I had always enjoyed making minimally produced songs, but after playing my first tour of the year I was inspired to make a body of work with more energy and spatially expanding textures. I wanted something that would fill larger spaces in a live setting.

PC: If you had to pick one song off Dry the Rose that best encompasses you as an artist, what would it be and why?
Midoca: I’d say the title track, “Dry the Rose”. This is the best representation of what I set out to achieve with this EP. The synths are more fit for a large environment and the lyrics feel refined and true to me.

PC: How does this EP differentiate itself from past releases?
Midoca: I sound like a broken record here, but I think this is sonically the largest body of work I’ve made as Midoca. I think this music fits a different live environment than my last EP.

PC: Your music is incredibly vulnerable and raw. Is it a challenge to be so open?
Midoca: It’s not really a challenge, it’s a strength. I find the more honest you are in your work, the better the work will be understood and received. It’s necessary to be vulnerable if you want to be an artist.

PC: What does the rest of the year hold for you as we look ahead to the end of 2019 into 2020?
Midoca: More details soon but shows, merch, music video, and more writing.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Midoca: I don’t know if anyone is surprised, but I listen to Yung Lean almost every day.

PC: First album you bought?
Midoca: New Found Glory—From the Screen to Your Stereo

PC: First concert you attended?
Midoca: Elton John when I was three

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Midoca: Dawn Golden—Still Life. This album gave me the confidence to start singing.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Midoca: Red Rocks and The Hollywood Bowl

PC: A must-have on the road?
Midoca: I only crave peanut M&Ms when I’m on a road trip.

To keep up with Midoca, follow Twitter or Instagram. Pick or stream Dry the Rose on Amazon Music, iTunes, or Spotify.