This week, Her Campus Emerson has decided to highlight influential women of the modern era. These women have all made an impact on our writers in one way or another, and they have all chosen to highlight their work and recognize them for their achievements. Thank you for taking the time to learn about the women who inspire our writers!
Mitski Miyawaki, commonly known just as Mitski, is an indie rock singer-songwriter who most recently received tons of critical praise for her fifth album, Be The Cowboy. Even though I’ve only been a fan of her music for a little over a year, I can confidently say that she’s so much more than just that one album, although, to be fair, it is an amazing album. She’s released four albums before 2018’s Be The Cowboy — Lush (2012); Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013); Bury Me at Makeout Creek (2014); and Puberty 2 (2016) — and they’re all masterpieces full of gorgeous instrumentals, incredible lyrics, and angelic vocals. Her work highlights themes of race, mental illness, and relationships, and she does it all with grace and intelligence. For example, her songs “Last Words of a Shooting Star”, “Nobody”, and “My Body’s of Crushed Little Stars” all grapple with the messy emotions and feelings that come along with mental illness. “Your Best American Girl”, my personal favorite of her songs, discusses her navigation of relationships as a Japanese-American woman. She’s become more well-known over the past year, and I’m so glad that many people are realizing just how wonderful Mitski is.