Growing up in the suburbs of Oklahoma McKenzie was a part of a classical guitar ensemble at an arts-focused public high school. At home, she would write original songs over arpeggios she learned in guitar class and uploaded her original songs and covers on YouTube. She was determined to trade the great plains for a more populated skyline. After receiving a scholarship to Pratt Institute for visual web programming, McKenzie moved to Brooklyn, New York in 2013.
Between classes, McKenzie wrote music as a form of catharsis from rigid school assignments. During the second semester, she showed a classmate some of the songs she had been making and her classmate introduced her to several electronic music producers on Soundcloud, lent her a midi keyboard, and encouraged her to buy a real microphone. Her first released on Soundcloud, ‘Starchild’ (prod. by melodrama) received 100,000 plays in 24 hours.
Mothica is an alter ego that isn’t afraid of honesty even if it means showing weakness. Her distinct raspy yet honey-soaked voice is not one of vocal training, but of heartfelt emotion. Her storytelling writing style and unexpected melodies have set her apart in an music scene that is overrun with sameness. She lends her voice to many genres via collaborations, bringing electronic elements to life with the emotions she shares.
McKenzie desired the skill to produce her own instrumentals, so she learned Ableton and released an entirely self-produced EP called Mythic in 2013. Her somber song about self-empowerment, “No One” reached No. 6 on the US Viral Spotify Charts. The collaboration and record label requests came pouring in but she carefully hand selected her music partners and released the smash "Clear" with Canadian producer Pusher. The song currently sits at 12 million plays on Spotify put her on the radar for everyone from Spotify execs to VSCO to Teen Vogue.
Turning down every record label offer, Mothica remained independent and began performing around New York. She performed her first show solo, and it was completely sold out. She finished up a second solo EP called Heavy Heart about her experience with depression. She continues to grow into her writing style while collaborating with the likes of Tennyson, Crywolf, Said The Sky, and Electric Mantis.
Like her music, Mothica's live show continues to evolve. Playing from coast to coast with several headlining shows, 2017 saw the first iteration of a live music experience for Mothica with three additional band members interpreting lively versions of the songs her fans know best.
She started out 2018 with one million monthly Spotify listeners anticipating the upcoming release of two EP's throughout the calendar year. On Valentine’s Day, she will release her next single, Lovetalk, accompanied by a music video and is planning a late April US tour.
BEDTIME STORIES
mothica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reading Juliet & Romeo, yeah
Didn't think love could exist
If they don't die in the end
So I settled down with Jack and soda
Turned myself into a Casanova
Black out, end with a kiss
I still sleep with all the lights on
Wait until it goes wrong
Never thought I'd write another love song
Monsters creeping into my head
Say I don't deserve this
Grew up so afraid of all these bedtime stories
Read them like a warning
Forever wasn't for me 'til I met you
Never worn a dress like Cinderella
Locked in a tower all by myself, yeah
Wasn't looking to be saved
But damn I'm in love with your face
Guess I'm afraid of falling right out
Way up here, it's a long way down
I don't wanna let you down, let you down, let me down
I still sleep with all the lights on
Wait until it goes wrong
Never thought I'd write another love song
Monsters creeping into my head
Say I don't deserve this
Grew up so afraid of all these bedtime stories
Read them like a warning
Forever wasn't for me 'til I met you
The song "Bedtime Stories" by Mothica portrays the fear of love due to the twisted stories of fairytales that the singer heard as a child. The first verse introduces Mothica as a little girl from Oklahoma reading "Juliet and Romeo," skeptical of love due to the tragic ending. She chooses to settle down with Jack and soda, turning herself into a Casanova, blacking out and ending with a kiss to add another to her list of romantic conquests.
Despite her seemingly confident exterior, Mothica reveals in later verses that she still sleeps with all the lights on and waits for things to go wrong. The monsters creeping into her head say that she doesn't deserve love after growing up afraid of all those bedtime stories, reading them like a warning. However, she unexpectedly found love in someone who swept her off her feet, someone who she never thought she would meet.
Mothica describes herself as a character, one who "never worn a dress like Cinderella" and "locked in a tower by herself." Nevertheless, she wasn't looking to be saved, but she fell in love with the person's face, scared to fall right out as it would be a long way down. She doesn't want to let them down because they made her realize that her belief of forever was possible, despite her upbringing.
Overall, "Bedtime Stories" is a mix of heartbreak and hope, with Mothica describing the fear of love beautifully through the lyrics of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a little girl from Oklahoma
As a girl from Oklahoma, I didn't think much about love, but I remember reading the story of Romeo and Juliet.
Reading Juliet & Romeo, yeah
I read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at some point during my childhood.
Didn't think love could exist
At that time, I didn't believe in the concept of love and thought it was just a storybook fairytale.
If they don't die in the end
But when people didn't die in the end of the story, it threw me for a loop and made me question if love could really exist.
So I settled down with Jack and soda
Over the years, I started dating people and having relationships - but they felt unfulfilling like something was missing.
Turned myself into a Casanova
I tried to play the role of a Casanova, dating multiple people without getting too close to any of them.
Black out, end with a kiss
I often found myself drinking myself into oblivion and having one-night-stands that never turned into anything lasting or meaningful.
Add another one to the list
So I just kept a running total in my mind of all the people I had been with, without any real emotional connection.
I still sleep with all the lights on
Even now, I still have trouble sleeping and feel more comfortable with the lights left on.
Wait until it goes wrong
I'm always waiting for something to go wrong like it inevitably does.
Never thought I'd write another love song
I never thought I would write a love song because I didn't believe in love in the past.
Monsters creeping into my head
My insecurities and doubts about relationships often make me feel like there's a monster in my head, whispering negative things to me.
Say I don't deserve this
That voice tells me that I don't deserve love and happiness, and that it will all go wrong eventually.
Grew up so afraid of all these bedtime stories
Growing up, I was scared of the dark and the scary stories that were read to me as a child before bed.
Read them like a warning
I saw those stories as warnings that bad things can happen - especially when it comes to matters of the heart.
Forever wasn't for me 'til I met you
But then I met someone who changed my perspective and made me believe that maybe forever in love could be possible.
Never worn a dress like Cinderella
I never imagined myself wearing a dress like Cinderella and being rescued by a prince.
Locked in a tower all by myself, yeah
Instead, I saw myself more like a princess locked in a tower - resigned to be alone forever.
Wasn't looking to be saved
I didn't actively seek out someone to save me from that tower and my fears about love.
But damn I'm in love with your face
But then I met someone who I found incredibly attractive and fell in love with - against my better judgement.
Guess I'm afraid of falling right out
I'm still scared of falling out of love or losing the person who helped me believe in forever.
Way up here, it's a long way down
Being in love is amazing, but it can also be scary because there's always a risk of getting hurt in a big way.
I don't wanna let you down, let you down, let me down
Because of that, I don't want to mess things up or let my fears sabotage a relationship where I'm finally happy.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Lauren Mandel, McKenzie Ellis, Richard Myers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kash3938
Its crazy how all of mothica’s songs are so good that you can listen to them on repeat for days and you still wont get bored
@Mothica
Thank you for listening :')) so excited for the album!!!
@kash3938
@@Mothica we are more excited 💗💗
@thaisttx
I do that! 💖
@gggx1344
@@Mothica AAA new song 🖤
@michaelgunter6342
She speaks to soul! Luv my Mothica need her words daily.
@Mei-ov4hu
Crazy how I always end up obsessed with every single one song mothica is releasing!
@Mothica
♡♡♡
@wolfytsuki
Sammee
@kaycie92
I love seeing Mothica get the attention she deserves! Been here for years since before the debut album, so exciting seeing her rise up 😍😍