Yours Truly talks upcoming record, being a woman-led band, quarantine, and more-- exclusive interview

Jul 28, 2020

Australian pop-punkers Yours Truly have released several awesome tracks recently. From their single "Together" to their cover of Oasis, Yours Truly has consistently put out fantastic music amid the pandemic. All Punked Up got to sit down with Yours Truly's frontwoman Mikaila to talk about their upcoming record Self Care, what it is like to be such a fast-rising, female-led band, and much more. Check out the interview below!

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Yours Truly has really started to blow up since Afterglow in 2019. What has it been like to be one of the youngest and fastest-growing bands in the scene?

2019 was such a huge year for us. We’ve been so grateful for every opportunity we’ve been given. It has been very surreal to have been able to grow as fast as we have. Just enjoying as much as we can at the moment there’s a lot of first-time experiences.

You noted in a recent press release that you were fearing imposter syndrome since you were gaining so much momentum as a young band. Your new single “Together” tackles this issue hard. What other ways have you been coping with your fears of imposter syndrome? What advice do you have for other rising acts dealing with similar fears?

Putting out the singles “Composure” and “Together” helped a lot with that. Releasing these songs that I had built myself to be anxious about and seeing such a great reception was great. I like to think I’m a great self sabotager and can make things seem so much worse in my head, but talking to friends and family and having everyone be so proud of how hard we worked made me feel like it was worth it. You’re always your toughest critic. The only advice I have is to make sure you work as hard as you can and if you know you worked as hard as you can there’s nothing you shouldn’t be proud of. Nothing perfect is made overnight.

In a male-dominated scene, what is it like being such a young powerhouse female vocalist? What advice do you have to women who want to get into the scene?

First of all, thank you. Being a woman in a band is very rewarding, and that’s because I hopefully get to inspire other women. I’ve always been so focused on what I want to do that I’ve never thought of letting someone stop me. It can be very hard, although. It can be easy to feel not as welcome. Surround yourself with people who believe in you just as much as you believe in them. And most importantly, be unapologetic.

Your debut record Self Care is due this September. What were some successful and challenging moments while creating this record?

A successful moment while recording Self Care was when we wrote “undersize”. It was the last song written for the record because we felt like we were missing something. Writing that song was so easy and felt so right, once it was done we knew the album was complete. It was pretty challenging getting sick halfway through the recording of the album. I was not stoked whatsoever and I was out for about two weeks. I had to record the second half of the album not being able to breathe very well and coughing like crazy. Fun fact: the cough in “undersize” is actually me between takes.

What are some forms of self-care that you utilize besides music? What are the best ways you have found to care for yourself during the pandemic?

I like to spend some days playing the Sims haha. Self-care during a pandemic is very hard in my opinion. It’s hard to appreciate relaxing time when you feel like you have so much of it and you don’t know when life will go back to normal. My best form of self-care during this has been switching up my days and not having an exact routine every day so every day is a little different.

Which track off the album are you most proud of and why?

I’m very proud of “Half Of Me”. It was the first song Lachlan and I wrote right after recording Afterglow. Hearing that song recorded and finished was a really nice moment after writing it a couple of years ago.

When concerts come back, where are some of the first cities/venues you hope Yours Truly gets to play?

I can’t wait to get back to the States. We’ll be over for Sad Summer next year and I’ve been so excited about that for a while now.

What artists/musicians do you look up to for inspiration?

The guys and I are really influenced by bands like Basement, Pierce the Veil, and Movements.

What have you been jamming to lately?

Teddie recently showed me the new hockey dad stuff and that’s really cool. I’ve also been enjoying the new Hayley Williams album, and I think I listen to City and Colour every day.

Do you have anything else to say to your fans or All Punked Up readers?

I just really hope you enjoy Self Care and that you stay safe and healthy during these times and always!