Drawing from her diverse background in fine arts, design, music, and acting, MIA MURR, who released her latest track “MONOSUIT at Sharks,” focuses on sustainable fashion, using her songs to highlight important environmental issues. Raised on a farm, the versatile artist’s respect for nature spurred her to address the environmental crisis she witnessed during her travels. This led her to use materials like abandoned fishing nets and investing in sustainable technology. 

Her Eastern European origins and travels across 60 countries have significantly shaped her artistic vision, blending creativity and problem-solving in her work. During our candid conversation, she revealed that her dance background influences her unique approach to songwriting and performance, infusing energy and a touch of irony.

Mia Murr’s songs often have a prophetic element, reflecting events in her life, as seen in “MONOSUIT at Sharks” and “Somewhere In A Parallel Universe.” She draws inspiration from artists like Harry Styles and Wet Leg, integrating their energetic and playful styles into her work. 

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Mia’s recent appearance on ‘Shark Tank’ was another turning point, increasing her visibility and supporting her mission to revolutionize the fashion industry towards sustainability. Her creative process involves blending elements of hyper-pop with her fashion sensibilities, creating engaging and interactive music. 

Looking ahead, MIA MURR aims to continue pushing boundaries in both music and fashion, focusing on sustainable, innovative projects that merge artistic expression with environmental activism.

Read the full interview below.

Your work seamlessly blends fashion and music. How do these two passions influence each other, particularly in your latest track “MONOSUIT at Sharks”?

As an artist, I don’t have specific boundaries – I blend fine art, music, design, and acting.  It’s just energy flowing and taking different forms. In the case of “MONOSUIT at Sharks,”  I’m expressing myself through design and music – telling a story of sustainable fashion, saying something serious through ironic rapping, capturing people’s attention and opening their eyes to protecting the oceans.

“MONOSUIT at Sharks” promotes sustainability through its lyrics. Can you tell us more about your commitment to eco-conscious living and how it inspires your music and fashion designs?

I’m a farm girl who was raised to have great respect for the land. So when I traveled the world for my corporate job and saw islands of plastic polluting the ocean, I knew I had to act. And since I can’t go a day without creating something, I decided to incorporate my passion for the environment with my fashion designs. That’s why we use abandoned fishing nets from the ocean to create our best-selling jumpsuit, the Ecomonoskin. I also continue to invest our profits in sustainable technology with a goal of zero-waste production.  My songs, too, often talk about a better world and empowerment. We can change things!

How have your Eastern European origins and subsequent move to the U.S. influenced your artistic vision and the development of your unique sound?

Coming from the former USSR with its limited freedom and resources caused me to be very creative and can-do at a very young age.  You had to create what you wanted – fashion, furniture, music. You had to do your own repairs, make your own food, everything. So my whole mindset is creativity and problem-solving.  Then I traveled to more than 60 countries, sometimes living there for 6 months or more – Italy, France, Dubai. All of these influenced my artistic vision. And of course the United States is the land of opportunity, where I could bring everything together to create music and fashion and anything else I wanted.

You’ve mentioned that your passion for music was ignited during your early years immersed in dance. How did this background in dance shape your approach to songwriting and performance?

Like many kids, I loved to put on crazy outfits and dance and sing. As I grew up, I took classes in Jazz, modern, twerk, Afro-fusion, hip-hop. I always combined them with singing. Each one gave me a new way to express myself.  To me, dancing and singing together is the perfect cocktail – a way to liven up and loosen up a serious business show.  One guy commenting on my performance said I was awkward and “cringe.” But dancing in fancy clothes and singing something awkward is the perfect thing to do on a TV show – especially ‘Shark Tank.’ Say what you want about me, but you can never call me boring.

Your lyrics have been described as having a prophetic touch. Can you share an example of how events in your life have mirrored your songs, particularly in “MONOSUIT at Sharks”?

My song “Somewhere In A Parallel Universe” is a great example of the prophetic touch.  I had used Kylie Jenner’s name, mainly because it rhymed, and six months later, I saw her wearing one of my MONOSUITS. In that same song, I sang that my voice would spread like radiation – in other words, I’d perform in front of a big audience. I’d get my message out. Fast forward several months and I was selected from about 100,000 applicants for a space on ‘Shark Tank.’ 

As for “MONOSUIT at Sharks,” I mentioned that I wanted $1 million for 5% in the song and coincidentally, that was the commitment we ended up receiving from an angel investor. I can’t wait to see how other lyrics play out in the future!

With musical influences like Harry Styles and Wet Leg, how do these artists inspire your work, and can we hear their impact in “MONOSUIT at Sharks”?

Harry Styles and Wet Leg inspired me with their uncompromising stand, their high energy, sarcasm and playfulness. They combine a love of life with optimism and melodrama. Deep meaning hides behind their playful approach. I tried to incorporate all of that in my song – ocean pollution is a serious subject and I think my optimistic rendition makes people smile and think.

The Monosuit is an innovative fashion statement made from ocean waste. How do you balance fashion innovation with environmental responsibility in your creations?

I don’t think they need to be balanced! Imagine wearing an outfit made from recycled fishing nets, then when you want something new, you send it back to us so we can dissolve the yarn and re-knit it into a new design. That’s what I’m working on:  Sustainable technology that can eventually lead to zero waste. 

Beyond that, we do many other things. Two examples are eco-friendly packaging, and keeping a limited inventory so we don’t end up burning our leftover stock or throwing it on a trash pile – which many fashion brands do. Fashion is one of the biggest polluters on the planet – and MONOSUIT wants to inspire the industry to revolutionize their processes.

Your appearance on ‘Shark Tank’ was a pivotal moment. How did this experience influence your career trajectory in both music and fashion?

It certainly got me noticed! The video of me performing “MONOSUIT at Sharks” went viral and sales of our Monosuits have increased exponentially. People who are creative, looking for innovative products and interesting new artists – both in fashion and music – are finding my work. I’ve also had a lot of interest from investors, which could really fast-track my company’s ability to reach zero waste. It was a great opportunity to share my belief that fashion can be zero waste and not one of the biggest polluters in the world.

Can you walk us through your creative process for composing “MONOSUIT at Sharks,” particularly how you blend elements of hyperpop with your fashion sensibilities?

My initial thought process was to tell my story, and the story of MONOSUIT, in a fun, light way. Hyper-pop fits the personality of my current designs and my own upbeat view of life. I kind of naturally gravitated to it. I also wanted to make the song interactive, to draw in the Sharks by naming them, teasing them and daring them to act. So I took the most interesting elements of MONOSUIT and started building my song. I write new songs almost weekly and I constantly play with words, so the rhyming and the creativity came pretty easily. And because I love dancing, I naturally started moving around while I was singing – making hand and body motions that matched my words.

Following the success of “MONOSUIT at Sharks,” what future projects or themes are you looking to explore in your music and fashion endeavors?

Following the success of “MONOSUIT at Sharks,” I’m gearing up to push boundaries even further. My upcoming projects will be a wild fusion of hyper-pop and sustainable fashion, where high fashion meets satire in a visually jarring yet thought-provoking manner. Picture my fashion designs taking center stage in all my music videos, like in the soon-to-be-released “Somewhere in a Parallel Universe,” which is a heady mix of imagination and a touch of the absurd. It’s all about taking risks and seeing how far I can blend these contrasting worlds to create something uniquely memorable, while following my mission of raising people’s eco-consciousness and advocating for absolute freedom of artistic expression.

Listen to “MONOSUIT at Sharks” below: