SPOTLIGHT: MIDNIGHT DIVE
Meet Midnight Dive and tune into her newest single “The Graduate.”
Growing up in Los Angeles, a city with a vibrant and diverse music scene, how has your environment influenced your development as a singer-songwriter?
My close proximity to what I think is the heart of the music industry here in LA has definitely influenced me in a variety of ways. I was a songwriting minor at USC’s Thornton School of Music, which really shaped me into the songwriter and performer that I am today. Without that program, which really thrived off of the location of the school and the prominence of the professors, I wouldn’t have had the guidance and exposure that I needed in order to believe that being a songwriter or an artist was even possible for me. I learned all the skills I know from my courses at USC — music theory, Logic Pro production, storytelling, and structure, to name a few.
Balancing a burgeoning music career and law studies is no small feat. How do you manage your time, and what advice would you give to others pursuing multiple passions?
Honestly, managing my time is something that I am still working on. Some weeks it can be challenging to find time for long writing or recording sessions since I am a 1L at USC Gould School of Law. However, I think planning out my days and scheduling out these passions, even if it’s a short 30-minute writing and recording time during lunch or making sure that I’m writing while I walk to class, definitely makes it easier. I would tell others that prioritizing, compartmentalizing, and staying organized are so important. Finally, if you really love what you do, you’ll find time for it. Make sure that what you’re pursuing is authentic to your goals and dreams, and if it is, then it really won’t feel as difficult to manage.
Your music blends elements of dream-pop and lo-fi acoustic sounds. Which artists or experiences have shaped your unique musical style?
Samia, Phoebe Bridgers, Lizzy McAlpine, and Searows are the main artists who have inspired my sound. Their ethereal, soft sound and echoey production make their emotional lyrics even more punchy. I try to use the same kind of textures to further the melancholy themes in my music as they do.
Your previous single, “Where Did All My Friends Go? (Demo),” explores themes of isolation and transition. How do you approach translating personal experiences into your music?
I try to be as honest and authentic as I can when writing about my personal experiences because my goal is to create something that makes people feel seen. Especially when it comes to topics like isolation and change, I want the listeners who relate to my lyrics to feel like they aren’t alone in their feelings.
As an independent artist who records in your own space, what does your typical songwriting and production process look like?
I usually start my songwriting process by writing prose, like a journal entry that I can pour all of my thoughts and feelings into. Then, I’ll play around with guitar chords until I find a progression that emulates the emotions that the journal entry conveys. Next, I try out various melodies and then condense the journal entry into lyrics that rhythmically fit into that melody. On the production end, I use Logic Pro on my laptop and a Scarlett interface, and record in my dorm room! My style of production is as DIY as it gets, and I really like leaning into that bedroom-pop sound when I add things like reverb and EQ because oftentimes the minimalistic nature of my production is what resonates the most with people.
Your songs often carry a melancholic and introspective tone. How do you channel your emotions into your music to create such evocative pieces?
The main way that I try to channel my emotions into my music is through the guitar’s chord progression. In making “the graduate” I played around with stringing together dark chords that would work to carry the melancholy aura of the song. The instrumental is the beating heart of the song’s tone and created a foundation that allowed me to spill my emotions into the lyrics and melody. When working to inject my lyrics with my feelings of loneliness, yearning, and dejection, I try to describe specific experiences or small moments that convey a broader theme. I like using details like a conversation or a single word so that I can show my emotions instead of directly telling the listener. I think these methods really allow my songs to come together in a way that is undeniably raw and real.
Your latest single, “The Graduate,” reflects on your transition from college to law school and the accompanying challenges. Was there a specific turning point during this time that inspired this song?
There were a few important moments that inspired the song — like graduation day itself when I realized that a chapter in my life was closing or my first day of law school that solidified my notion that everything in my life was changing around me. But the biggest turning point was the day that I realized that even though I attended the same institution as I did for undergrad, my relationship with my undergraduate friends would never be the same. It’s like my status as a law student created a barrier between who I am now and who I was just a year ago. This song is especially about one friend in particular who also graduated early with me and who still lives in the area, but who I never see because she works and I’m in school. The lyric “and now I’ll run away, ’cause I’ll still see your face if I have to stay” really tries to capture this dual feeling of physical proximity and emotional distance.
The song captures the bittersweet experience of losing friends during significant life changes. What message do you hope listeners take away from it?
That change breeds evolution. We must experience these life-altering moments in order for us to continue growing into the people that we were meant to be. Because of this, the message of “the graduate” is to live in the present and savor every moment that you get during each facet of your life. And when that chapter of your life is over, don’t fight it, just allow yourself
to evolve.
Can you share any memorable moments from the creation or recording process of “The Graduate”?
I think the most memorable moment from the creation process of “The Graduate” was when I wrote the melody and lyrics for the outro. At this point, the rest of the song had been completed, but I felt as though something was missing at the end. I decided to just record on the
fly to see what I could create to fill the space, and ended up with the haunting lyrics, “Walk that stage, see you change/come and sit, graduate, graduate.” In a way, I think that the directness and bluntness of the outro makes it more raw, but also it allows the song to reach a final resting place that is perfectly bittersweet.
With “The Graduate” now released, how do you envision your music evolving in the future?
I can see myself going many different ways. I could stick with my current soft, dreamy sound, but I could definitely see myself developing a more indie rock, shoegaze sound.
Are there any themes or stories you’re eager to explore in your upcoming projects?
I would definitely want to delve further into my experiences as a law student, with all of its ebbs and flows. I’ve written about facing adulthood as an undergraduate and changing directions after graduation, so now I think it would make sense to unpack this next venture in my life, including the goals that I have for myself, and also my fears for how those goals may slip through the cracks.
To close on a fun note, if you were able to go on a joint-headline tour with absolutely any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Phoebe Bridgers! My entire journey as a songwriter in my indie, soft dream-pop genre can be traced back to my first ever concert, which was Phoebe Bridgers at the Greek Theater. After that, I realized that I wanted to write indie music like her and applied for the Thornton songwriting minor. It would be the coolest full-circle moment!
Listen to “The Graduate” here.
