Born in Oklahoma, McKenzie Ellis, best known by her stage name Mothica has been turning heads since launching with her debut single, “Starlight”, only a few short years ago. Having relocated to Brooklyn to attend Pratt University, Mothica turned to writing music to find a release from her stressful college curriculum, not knowing that it would eventually lead to a career change as well as an incredible amount of personal growth.
After seeing the success of her debut single, Mothica decided to kick things into overdrive, continuing to pen new tunes and honing in on her dark, emotive, Alt-Pop sound. In 2015, she released her debut EP, “Mythic”, and as they say – the rest is history. The project quickly landed her on the radar of tastemakers around the world and has since accumulated over 14M streams. Since then, Mothica has only continued to cement herself as an artist to watch, releasing a number of other EP’s and singles – pulling inspiration from her own consuming thoughts, inner demons and chaotic environment.
Preparing to release her long awaited debut album, titled, “Blue Hour”, Mothica has recently unveiled the projects lead single, “NOW”, and it is as much a jam as it is a new chapter. With gritty synths, muted melodies and pumping drums setting the tone, Mothica delivers a rich, raw, untethered performance in which you can hear her soul cry. While she admits the tune started as a freestyle, it has developed into so much more – and we are all lucky to be able to hear the final product. About the single, she says, “I didn’t write out lyrics beforehand, i just pulled from my subconscious and leftover phrases from the graveyard of past demos. ‘It’s not my fault, it’s my fight’ embodies what message I wanted to get across with my music. I was born with mental illness and I choose to battle it every day. For the first time, I felt compelled to write a full length project about my struggles and try to better myself in the process.“
With her debut album now in the pipeline and, “NOW”, setting the tone – we can anticipate her forthcoming project will have a whole lot to offer. About the album, Mothica admits, “I started writing songs when I was in the thick of my depression, self medicating with drugs and alcohol while desperately seeking a way out. I worked on myself, I started exercising, I found group therapy, and I wrote songs constantly. Something radically shifted in me, and I was given the gift of perspective. I got sober during the writing of this album. Being able to share my honest, raw emotions in the recording studio truly saved my life. I’ve never felt so connected to my purpose as I have with all the music I’m releasing next. This is my blue hour.“
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