Mothica: An Independent Artist Who Broke the Music Industry Mold with Her New Single VICES
On June 26th, a brand new artist appeared on the iTunes Top 10 Charts seemingly out of nowhere, with no prior reputation in the industry to yield such success. Oklahoma-based pop singer, Mothica broke the mold of the music industry with the release of her new single VICES, which received over 1.2 million plays on Spotify within the week that it has been out on all music streaming platforms. Who is this new rising star, and how did she achieve this milestone within a week of her debut, when it takes most artists years of hard work?
With the accessibility of digital audio workstations and recording equipment, it has been known for many years that artists have paved their own path in the music industry by side stepping major record labels to create and release music on their own. They maintain creative and monetary control over their music, and are not bound to any contractual agreement that typically comes with being a signed artist. However, one of the biggest struggles for independent artists is to put their name out there and expand their audience to a large number of people. For Mothica, she surmounted this challenge through Tik Tok by uploading a video of her listening to the finished song in her car. The video went viral, standing at approximately 3.8 million views, resulting in Mothica’s music being introduced to millions of Tik Tok users and her following growing to over 224 thousand on the app. Not to mention her other social media profiles such as Instagram, Twitter, and of course, Spotify, blowing up with followers.
This one viral Tik Tok opened up multiple doors for Mothica’s success as an artist, and even earned her an interview and radio play with Oklahoma’s most popular pop radio station. This goes to show how Tik Tok has become a major promotional vehicle for smaller artists. With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, independent artists can achieve the same popularity that Mothica earned through the app. If you would like to learn more about how Tik Tok is useful for music promotion, and how to use it to your advantage, we have an article explaining all of the steps and information you need to know! Feel free to check out How Tik Tok Became a Top Platform for Promoting Music, And What You Can Do to Get ‘Tik Tok Famous’.
So what is it about ‘VICES’ that drew people in? It may be the catchy melody of the chorus, the contrast of the different sections, or perhaps the raw and vulnerable lyrics. The beginning of the song starts out with dark, ambient tones and a simple piano playing chords on the downbeats of each measure. Mothica’s voice comes in with a deep tone explaining her pain. She sings “It’s not love, it’s just a guy” emphasizing how she relies on other people for a temporary escape from her thoughts. She explains that she turns to drinking to numb herself from her mind as the music intensifies with swelling synths and the entrance of the bass and vocal harmonies. This buildup of the pre-chorus paves a path for the chorus to come in with a beat drop, pulsing chords, and a syncopated kick drum. The portion of the song that was featured in the Tik Tok serves as the biggest contrast from the rest of the song, with Mothica singing “if it’s not drugs it’s drinks, if it’s not drinks it’s things, if it’s not thing’s it’s people” in an ascending melody. The percussion is at its fullest during this section of the chorus, which gives the song a more upbeat feel for a brief moment before most of the instruments cut out to return to the deep, melancholy tone of the verses.
The song follows the same format as the first half for the second verse, pre-chorus and the chorus. However, to add contrast the production involves more percussive aspects with a lot of reverb and extends the upbeat, “pop” section of the chorus for a longer portion of the song. When the bridge of the song enters, Mothica’s vocals are layered over each other with different effects and voxes to make the sound fuller along with ambient synths and an electric guitar plucking at its strings. When the final chorus enters, the syncopated kick drum is absent to allow for a later beat drop when Mothica sings the same “if it’s not drugs it’s drinks,” ascending melody line. The song closes with the familiar upbeat chorus and eventually fades out with a high pitched synth. The production of VICES is very professionally done, and draws an appropriate amount of contrast between the sections to keep the listener engaged and unexpecting, yet maintains the overall sonic nature of the song and its message.
When listening to the lyrics, anyone can tell that the subject of VICES talks about dark topics regarding alcoholism and depression. As Mothica explained the story behind her single, she revealed her own personal struggles with substance abuse and her journey to sobriety. In her “Behind the Lyrics” video which is posted on her YouTube Channel, the young pop artist explained the painful experiences in her youth that led to her alcohol abuse growing up. She revealed that when she was 13, she was sexually assaulted by her youth pastor, which left her in a dark state of mind that prompted an attempt to take her life at 15. Mothica stated, “I survived, but I was still broken” which led to her finding an escape from reality in drinking.
The singer-songwriter revealed that she began writing VICES two months into her journey to become sober. She shared with her audience that her goal is to be open and honest about her experiences, where she came from, and how she got to the point at which she is at now. She wrote, “[VICES] is about the chaos that followed, and how I quickly replaced drinking with Tinder, dating, hookups, Hinge, Bumble, binge eating, ice cream, soda, candy, purging, ...escaping from my own reality.” The list of vices that Mothica had is very long, which goes to show how much she has been through and what she has put herself through during her difficult times. However, the young artist proves that she is a fighter and is optimistic for her future. Just two days before uploading the Tik Tok video that made her song go viral, Mothica proudly celebrated one year sober.
Overall, VICES is a very deep and emotional song that is very close to Mothica’s heart, and everyone listening to it should take a moment to understand its meaning. Mothica serves as an empowering example for those struggling to face their own vices by sending the message that with strength, determination, and hope, it is possible to overcome your lowest points. If you have yet to listen to VICES, be sure to check it out on Spotify, Apple Music, or iTunes. To learn more about Mothica and see who she is as a person and artist, you can view her on any social media platform including YouTube, Instagram, and of course, Tik Tok.
