'Baby Don't Worry,' Mia Gladstone Is Feeling Just Fine
Music

'Baby Don't Worry,' Mia Gladstone Is Feeling Just Fine

Story by Matt Moen / Photography by Maisie Cousins

New York-based musical upstart Mia Gladstone is the name everyone is buzzing about. Her chilled out fusion of pop, R&B, and jazz is already grabbing everyone's attention with her mesmerizing DIY visuals leaving them hooked. Gladstone's effortless ease and abundant enthusiasm shine through in her work, making her a promising young voice on the precipice of greatness.

Covered in nothing but glitter and wandering through a desert populated by full-length mirrors. the video for Gladstone's "Baby Don't Worry" is a laid back extraterrestrial groove fest. Mixing elements of vaporwave, psychedelia, and everyone'e favorite Met Gala theme, Camp, the video teeters between the world of surreal fantasy and tripped out reality.

The vibe carries over into the track, with Gladstone's distorted vocals rippling through a orchestral sample-laden hip-hop beat that sounds like it was just pulled out from the back of the crate and dusted off. Gladstone carries a certain swagger throughout "Baby Don't Worry," with a calm, self-assured confidence that isn't so much cocky as it is down to roll with the punches. It's a song perfect for whiling away lazy summer afternoons, with no place to go and nothing in particular that needs to be done.

We sat down with Mia Gladstone ahead of the PAPER premiere of the official music video for "Baby Don't Worry," to talk about veganism, weed, and how it all came together.

The video has this alien-touching-down-in-a-desert kind of vibe, which is really cool. I'm curious as to what the inspiration behind it was?

The video is the result of lots of experimentation. I like to invite people into my world and my lens in my visuals. I wanted it to feel otherworldly and weird because this song is the essence of me. Cupid's Vault did my makeup and helped so much in accomplishing this visual feel. I used to stay with friends in LA who do film, and my girl Brooke came up with the mirror concept. We then revisited the video months later in New York and Jake, former LA roommate, shot me in the glitter look.

What's the story behind "Baby Don't Worry"?

I made "Baby Don't Worry" as part of my EP when I was in the best mental state of my life! I had just spent over a month in southern Ohio, completely isolated, with people I didn't know but grew to love dearly. I had a transformation and became so filled with love and acceptance and felt like my true self for the first time, which inspired an entire project of songs produced and written by me with The Kickdrums in spring of 2017. I wanted to share my open outlook with the world and empower other people to rid themselves of their judgments and lead with love. I'm so fucking happy I can finally pursue this plan.

Apparently you are a staunch advocate for veganism and weed, where does that come from?

I'm a huge advocate for veganism. I love weed, but it's not on the same scale. Veganism is my way of living. I practice kinship with all life and prefer to contribute as little harm to the world as possible. My whole family is vegan and I've inspired a lot of other people in my life to go vegan as well. It's been a really rewarding experience.

Did you celebrate 4/20 this year?

I don't know, it feels inhumane to make a whole celebration out of 4/20 when there are so many people in jail for weed. I treated it like any other day except I made my merch available online. I make custom lighters and I usually just sell them at shows, but selling them online for the day felt fitting.

Who are you stanning right now?

I stan a lot of my peers and other up-and -oming artists. I appreciate people who are pushing boundaries and diversifying the music scene. I love Bymaddz, a vegan queen and vessel of power. Her music makes me instantly happy.

What should we look forward to from Mia Gladstone in the future?

Look out for my debut EP in June, and lots of visuals and tunes to follow along with some really cool collaborations. Oh, and my vegan 'cookin' channel where I show y'all how to chef up the vegan way. All about the seasoning baby.

Stream "Baby Don't Worry" by Mia Gladstone, below, and follow her on Instagram (@miagladstone).

Photography: Maisie Cousins