Miso Extra has a unique story. Born in Hong Kong to a British father and Japanese mother, she moved to Japan when she was a child and later relocated to the UK. Growing up, she learnt how to play the violin and loved to sing. Her musical influences include J Dilla, the late MF DOOM, Daft Punk and Kelis. Aside from music, anime has been a huge inspiration, with all these references woven into her work today.

The producer/rapper has now returned with her new single “2nd Floor”, released on Transgressive. Gritty and high energy, with whipsnap beats, the track was co-produced with her frequent collaborators Tricky N’ Duke. It arrives as a double single, alongside her take on Little Dragon’s tender track “Constant Surprises”.

Speaking about “2nd Floor”, Miso Extra says “It’s a song that explores the moment you realize you’re in a toxic relationship and the anguish from realizing your own naivety. There’s hope though in the line in Japanese that states “I don’t need a Prince” to allude to the idea that I can be my own knight in shining armor to have my happily ever after and not rely on another to be my source of joy.”

And about “Constant Surprises”, “I adore the band Little Dragon and the lyrics in this song particularly resonate with me as I am often prone to daydreaming. To me this song serves as a beautiful reminder to count my blessings.”

Though she was musically inclined from a young age, music wasn’t a path that Miso envisioned for herself due to the lack of Asian representation in the industry. As someone who often bottles up her feelings, music has enabled her to articulate herself, providing her with a conduit through which she can express and make sense of her emotions. “A lot of the music is my observations on self-reflecting. It’s the form of self-talk. Being part Japanese and British, it’s trying to marry that gap of being Asian but not Asian enough and being Western but not Western enough. It’s trying to toe that line constantly.”

In 2020, during the UK’s lockdown, Miso began to finesse her skills. As the world hit pause, Miso Extra – her musical persona – was born. The name is a pun derived from the racism that the artist experienced growing up in the UK. Having received taunts such as “me so horny”, and subverting the stereotype of Asian people being quiet, she reclaims the phrase, flipping it into “me so extra” – or Miso Extra. The alias is an anime-inspired character; a musical entity who lives in an alternate world, known as the Misoverse. Miso Extra is a peace-loving warrior who leans away from violence, but will engage in conflict if necessary. She chooses to see the good in people and values real talk, but isn’t so naive as to not see the truth from them. Miso Extra is hopeful; a character who values love and sees insecurities as learning curves for us to push through.

The double single drop follows the release of Miso Extra’s recent MSG EP, which arrived in the summer. She has also played as support to Thundercat at O2 Brixton Academy, London and Marc Rebillet on his UK tour.

order “2nd Floo” by Miso Extra HERE