MIDLO is a pop duo, featuring Dan Middleditch and Renata Baiocco. Dan has previously been a performer on Cruise Lines around the globe, including Norwegian Cruise Line. “Get Away” is about his inability to break away from cruise ships to then go and do something bigger. His complacency and comfortability performing on these ships held a lot of weight in his mind. It’s also about his own disillusionment with the idea that world travel would provide some sort of enlightenment, when all he really would do is sit in different coffee shops and look at the same cycle of people over and over again in different countries. The environment changed, but the situation never did.
Check Out The Interview We Did With MIDLO Below:
Hey Guys!! So excited to be chatting with you both!! What inspired you guys to pursue music?
Well, honestly, it’s really the only thing I’m good at. Renata is super multi-faceted and has so many outside influences, but really is such a talented writer, singer and human being that bringing her into the project was a no brainer to pursue this together.
Can you tell us a little something about each of you?
Well, I’m originally from space and Renata was born under a blood moon during the winter solstice, and has unlimited cosmic power.
What has your journey as a duo been like for you guys?
Honestly, I would’ve lost my mind a long time ago had Renata not been such an incredible support structure and confidant. Being that the world has ended, mental health has been such an imperative focus for both of us.
How would you describe your musical style as a duo?
Good question. It’s music that provokes deeper meaning under the guise of a generic pop song.
What artists do you guys look up to right now?
Renata has a huge jazz and soul background and really brings the cool factor to our music. I’ve recently been really into Nordic folk music, particularly Heilung, Myrkur, and Skald. Pretty much anything on the Northern Spirits playlist on Spotify
What’s the meaning of the name “MIDLO”?
Oh, this one is pretty straight forward. My last name is Middleditch and Middlo is a family nickname. Middlo didn’t fit on our licence plates, so we put MIDLO. When it was initially a solo project, I wanted it to be something bigger than a bland, cookie cutter project with my own name, so…MIDLO was the choice.
You guys just released your new single “Emotional”!! How excited were you guys to get this song out into the world?
Well, “Emotional” has been out for a little over a year now, and was actually released when it was just my solo project with Renata as a featured vocalist! Getting something out into the world was a major check mark on the bucket list. To have the moderate success it has had was just a little bonus.
What do you hope your supporters will think of the new song?
Oh, “Emotional”? I mean, it has over 1.3 million streams now, so I think our supporters enjoy it! That said, it is on a running playlist, so I’m pretty sure the deeper meaning of the song was lost by the fact that people are needing an escape from doing cardio as opposed to actually listening to the song, ha!
Can you tell us how this song came about and the meaning of the song?
The song was written because I have crippling social anxiety and used to drink to silence the voices in my head in social settings. It’s primarily about that, but then generalized into a pop format of it being about an actual human being. I happened to be dating a girl at the time the initial situation took place and she was a major support for understanding and coming to terms with my feelings being too out of whack or blown out of proportion.
Are there any other projects in the works you can tell us about?
We have a new song, “Get Away” coming out TODAY and then our first album will drop in the new year.
Why do you think social media is so important for artists today?
I think social media has become so necessary because of a heavily over saturated market. Record labels want to see numbers, so they don’t have to do as much leg work. Viewers and fans want to escape their mundane lives, so we put on some artifice and facetune ourselves so outsiders can pretend to convince themselves that someone else’s life is perfect. Social media is unfortunately a thing that artists have to use, and it is destroying society as we know it. Do you know how much people go crazy for that little blue verification check mark? Is it THAT big of a deal?
What social media platform do you use most to stay connected to your fans?
Typically Instagram and Twitter.
How do you want your relationship to be with your fans?
We would like for it to be a real, genuine connection. Not some clout-chasing nonsense. We are both fairly personable, so don’t be afraid to talk to us or only ask for a shout out or something. We would rather have a meaningful chat.
What’s an average day like for you guys?
Well, I typically wake up, make breakfast, go to the gym and then spend the rest of the day battling my existential dread! Renata is a full time student at Marymount Manhattan University, so her day is typically spent crushing it. All day. Every Day.
Do you have any last things you want to tell your supporters?
Social media is a joke, love yourself, love others, wash your hands, wear a mask and don’t forget that you are enough.
Thanks for taking the time to do this interview
