Mikaela Davis will release her third studio album, Graceland Way, on April 24. Her first album since 2023’s And Southern Star… has fans excitedly awaiting to see how the Rochester native and her music have grown in the past three years of consistent touring and performances with Circles Around the Sun, Grateful Shred and Phil Lesh, among many others.
NYS Music spoke to the Rochester native – who we’ve proudly covered since 2012 – to pick her brain about the new album, dive deep on the making of the album and what she took away from the experience.
Keira Mulder: How do you find balance between your own artistic expression and commercial appeal when creating new work?
Mikaela Davis: That’s not something that factors in when I’m writing. I like popular music, so there’s inherently a commercial appeal. If you don’t create something you love, who’s going to connect with it? At the end of the day even if no one listens to my music, I’m proud of it and that’s all that matters.
KM: As you grow into a bigger artist do you feel you’re trying to prove your dedication and talent to yourself or your fans more?
MD: I’ve been a touring musician for 15 years; I stopped trying to prove anything to anyone a long time ago. The best thing about music is there’s always more to learn, I’m never satisfied! I will continue to learn more about my instrument and myself for the rest of my life. If I spent all my time trying to prove myself to other people, I would lose myself. I figured that out pretty early on in my career.
KM: What albums, artists, movies or TV series were you inspired by during the creation of Graceland Way
MD: Sheryl Crow – Tuesday Night Music Club, Self-titled. Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever. Charlotte Gainsbourg – 5:55. Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball. The Sundays, Broadcast, Cocteau Twins… David Lynch and Twin Peaks. Very inspired by the magic of California, spending so much time staring at the hill and the yellow house across the canyon from UHF Studio. Thus the term “Canyon Country” was born.
KM: What song off Graceland Way are you most excited for fans to hear?
MD: I’m excited for anyone to listen to the album in full, front to back, the way it was meant to be listened to. “Spring Petals In The Snow” is the most vulnerable.
KM: What’s the best piece of advice another musician gave you or what’s something someone told you you always remember when creating?
MD: Don Was once told me “you’re only ever a half step away from the right note” when improvising, that helped give me the confidence to try.
KM: What is your preparation for the upcoming tour like?
MD: Honestly, not thinking about it until a week before, packing up and driving across the country to start. Can’t wait.
KM: Was there a moment in making this album where your original vision broke open and shifted into something different. What triggered this pivot?
MD: It doesn’t really work like that, making music isn’t a conscious process for me. Writing an album goes hand in hand with living life. It just happens and you chip away at it little by little until it’s finished.
KM: Are there any sonic details or lyrics that really have an impact on you that listeners might skip over?
MD: The accordion making its entrance on “Spring Petals” is one of my favorite emotional moments on the record.
There are currently three singles out from this album “11:11” “Starlite Tonite” and “(Looking Through) Rose Colored Glasses”; this leaves us with seven more songs to hear later this month.
Her upcoming tour will make a few stops in New York: Rochester Lilac Festival May 13, and TV Eye, Ridgewood NY July 18. Be sure to listen to this album on its release and hear it live this summer on tour.
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