Just when you thought you had a handle on all the hip, young, happening crew from LA (Kendall and Kylie Kardashian, Gigi Hadid…) it turns out there’s* another* member of their set whoses Instagram account you need to be following... 18-year-old Pia Mia.
Hailing from the island of Guam, Pia (who’s still a few months shy of her 19th birthday) is just about to release her first album. Having first attracting attention on YouTube (her cover of Drake’s Hold On, We’re Going Home set things into hyperdrive), it wasn’t long before Pia found herself with friends in very high places and, after Kim Kardashian posted a ‘Keek’ video (never quite figured out what that was) of her singing at the Kardashian dinner table, the rest has been history.
Now, she’s found herself a new gig as the face of Missguided’s high summer range, launched in collboration with new Babes of Missguided, the brand’s celebration of talented girls from around the world. We caught up with Pia to talk summer staples, how to deal with trolls and what it’s really like being friends with the world’s most famous siblings.
Hello Pia! Did you have fun on the Missguided shoot?
It was very fun. I’m obsessed with Little Caeser’s breadsticks and they surprised me with them, it was so sweet of them. The campaign was amazing. I’m obsessed with everything they have on their site.
How do you go about building an outfit?
I like a little heel, but not too much of a heel so they’re comfortable and you can run around in them, but basically I find a piece that I love and then build upon that and make it into a look.
Not going to lie Pia, it’s still freezing here, but in the hope we do get hot weather at some point – what’s your summer staple?
It’s always changing! Let’s see, what do I do for summer? I’m wearing lots of little suede crop tops at the moment. And tube tops. Suede crop tops are dope, though.
How do you choose what to wear for your music videos?
I’m very heavily involved in it. I’ll find a lot of the pieces I want to wear and then I’ll get someone to help me, so it all depends on the concept of the video.
You’ve collaborated with so many people – has that all been a bit mental?
It’s insane to me! I come from the island of Guam and I’ve been singing since I was about eight years old and it’s always been my dream to collaborate and perform and inspire people and change people’s lives and the fact that I’m able to do that now is crazy to me. I’m so blessed and so thankful.
Are you not scared of getting on stage? I think I’d cry if anyone forced me to sing in front of an audience.
A lot of people say that but that was the thing for me when I knew music was what I wanted to do like, when I got on stage I wasn’t scared. The stage felt like my home, which is the complete opposite of what a lot of people say!
So who have you worked with then?
I’ve been working on my album for about a year – I’ve worked with a ton of insane people and I’m really excited to have these records come out and share them with you guys, but I’m keep it all under wraps!
Talk to me about Celine Dion…
I LOVE Celine Dion. There’s so many Celine songs that I love. My Love is my favourite song of hers. When I was growing up on Guam, there’s not a lot of access to music, so I listened to a lot of Celine Dion and Michael Jackson and Beyoncé. I tried to copy their vocals.
And you’ve got some fans that say some very nice things about you on the internet.
Yeah! Any time I talk to my fans they lift my mood so much. When we’re able to connect, literally tweet to tweet and talk directly, I love that feeling and their love is really special to me.
And are people ever mean to you?
I’m all about love. I don’t really get distracted by negative feedback so if I see someone giving me hate I’ll either just ignore it and pretend like it doesn’t exist or I’ll send them back something sweet. Maybe they’re having a bad day. A lot of the time they’ll write back and be like, ‘I’m so sorry I didn’t know how to express myself.’ There’s a reason that people act like that and if you send them love then you’ll get love back.
Finally, what’s it like being friends with the world’s most famous younger sisters, Kendall and Kylie?
It’s good being friends with Kendal and Kylie. It’s really nice to be able to find friends that feel like family, especially when I’m not from here. Being able to find friends like these sisters – there’s just nothing that compares.
Like this? Then you might also be interested in:
Your Summer Music Guide: 6 Essential Girls To Add To Your Playlist Now
Follow Jess on Twitter @Jess_Commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.