Mia Doi Todd

American singer-songwriter

Mia Doi Todd

Mia Doi Todd performing live at the Echoplex on August 22, 2008

Background information
Born|  (1975-06-30) June 30, 1975 (age 48)
Origin| Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres| Indie folk[1]
Occupation(s)| Singer-songwriter
Years active| 1997–present
Labels| Xmas Records, Communion, Columbia/SME Records, Plug Research, City Zen Records
Website| miadoitodd.com

Musical artist

Mia Doi Todd (born June 30, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter.[2] She was described by Dusted Magazine as "one of those artists that seem to function not just as creators in their own right, but as connecting links between other musicians."[3]

## Early life[edit]

Mia Doi Todd was born June 30, 1975, in Los Angeles, California.[2] Her father is sculptor Michael Todd and her mother is retired judge Kathryn Doi Todd.[4][5]

## Career[edit]

Todd started City Zen Records and released Zeroone, the follow-up album to Come Out of Your Mine, on the label in 2001.[6]

She signed a contract with Columbia/SME Records and recorded The Golden State, culling songs from her previous albums. Mitchell Froom helped her produce it, and the album came out in 2002.[7]

She released the fifth album, Manzanita, on Plug Research in 2005.[8][9] Her debut album, The Ewe and the Eye, originally released in 1997, was reissued later that year.[10]

Her 2006 compilation album, La Ninja: Amor and Other Dreams of Manzanita, included remixes from Dntel and Flying Lotus.[11] It was followed by her studio album, Gea, in 2008.[12]

In 2009, she released her first instrumental album, Morning Music, in collaboration with Andres Renteria.[13]

She returned with the solo album, Cosmic Ocean Ship, in 2011.[14] In 2014, she released Floresta on City Zen Records.[15]

Take What You Can Carry (Scientist Dub One) is a song about the World War II Internment of Japanese Americans camp experience which affected her mother and grandmother.[16][17] It was released on February 20, 2020, when California lawmakers passed a resolution to formally apologize to Japanese-Americans for the Legislature's role in their incarceration.[18][19]

She is married to Jesse Peterson and has a daughter.[20][21]

## Discography[edit]

### Studio albums[edit]

* The Ewe and the Eye (1997)
* Come Out of Your Mine (1999)
* Zeroone (2001)
* The Golden State (2002)
* Manzanita (2005)
* Gea (2008)
* Morning Music (2009) (with Andres Renteria)
* Cosmic Ocean Ship (2011)
* Floresta (2014)
* Songbook (2016)
* Music Life (2021)

### Soundtracks[edit]

* Music for A Midsummer Night's Dream (2018)[22]

### Remix albums[edit]

* La Ninja: Amor and Other Dreams of Manzanita (2006)
* Ten Views of Music Life (2021)

### EPs[edit]

* Pink Sun EP (2006)

### Singles[edit]

* "Dublab Remixes" (2003)
* "Sleepless Nights" (2008)
* "Take What You Can Carry (Scientist Dub One)" (2020)

### Guest appearances[edit]

* The Folk Implosion \- "Chained to the Moon" from One Part Lullaby (1999)
* Mission - "Home" (2001)
* Dntel \- "Anywhere Anyone" from Life Is Full of Possibilities (2001)
* Beachwood Sparks \- "Ponce de Leon Blues" from Make the Cowboy Robots Cry (2002)
* David J \- "Good to Be Loved" from Mess Up (2002)
* Adventure Time - "Sent from Sandy Shores" from Dreams of Water Themes (2003)
* Saul Williams \- "Seaweed" from Saul Williams (2004)
* Nobody \- "You Can Know Her" from And Everything Else... (2005)
* Thavius Beck \- "Down" from Thru (2006)
* Ammoncontact - "Earth's Children" from With Voices (2006)
* Savath & Savalas \- "Intro" from Golden Pollen (2007)
* Life on Earth - Look!! There Is Life on Earth! (2007)
* Dntel \- "Rock My Boat" from Dumb Luck (2007)
* Kraig Grady \- Beyond the Windows Perhaps Among the Podcorn (2007)
* Build an Ark - Love, Pt. 1 (2009)
* Build an Ark - "Say Yes!" from Love, Pt. 2 (2010)
* Build an Ark - "The Yes Song" from The Stars Are Singing Too (2011)
* Turn on the Sunlight - New Day (2013)[23]
* André 3000 \- "Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy" and "Ants to You, Gods to Who?" from New Blue Sun (2023)

### Compilation appearances[edit]

* "La Vie en Rose" from The Unaccompanied Voice: An A Capella Compilation (2000)
* "Digital, Version 2.1" from Dublab Presents: Freeways (2001)
* "Ready or Not" from Loving Takes This Course: A Tribute to the Songs of Kath Bloom (2009)
* "Night of a Thousand Kisses" from Transmissions from Sinai (2009)
* "Um Girassol da Cor do Seu Cabelo" and "Canto de Iemanjá" from Red Hot + Rio 2 (2011)
* "Jardim do Amor" from Red Hot + Bach (2014)[24]
* "Spring" from Mood Indigo: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2014)

## References[edit]

1. ^ Zeiss, John (March 4, 2008). "Mia Doi Todd - GEA". Prefix.
2. ^ a b Zeiss, John (February 26, 2008). "Mia Doi Todd: Interview". Prefix.
3. ^ Kelly, Jennifer (April 30, 2006). "Mia Doi Todd - La Ninja". Dusted Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
4. ^ Steve Hochman (September 1, 2002). "In a Foreign Land". Los Angeles Times.
5. ^ "Division Two: Justice Kathryn Doi Todd". Judicial Council of California. 23 September 2023.
6. ^ Nickey, Jason (November 11, 2001). "Mia Doi Todd: Zeroone". Pitchfork Media.
7. ^ Nickey, Jason (September 24, 2002). "Mia Doi Todd: The Golden State". Pitchfork Media.
8. ^ Raposa, David (March 8, 2005). "Mia Doi Todd: Manzanita". Pitchfork Media.
9. ^ Whibbs, Chris (March 2005). "Mia Doi Todd - Manzanita". Exclaim!.
10. ^ Nishimoto, Dan (February 24, 2006). "Mia Doi Todd - The Ewe and the Eye". Prefix.
11. ^ Whibbs, Chris (May 2006). "Mia Doi Todd - La Ninja: Amor and Other Dreams of Manzanita". Exclaim!.
12. ^ Whibbs, Chris (April 2008). "Mia Doi Todd - Gea". Exclaim!.
13. ^ Ranta, Alan (May 26, 2009). "Mia Doi Todd - Morning Music (with Andres Renteria)". Tiny Mix Tapes.
14. ^ Murray, Noel (May 17, 2011). "Mia Doi Todd: Cosmic Ocean Ship". The A.V. Club.
15. ^ Sylvester, Daniel (September 17, 2014). "Mia Doi Todd: Floresta". Exclaim!.
16. ^ Take What You Can Carry (Scientist Dub One) Mia Doi Todd's Bandcamp page
17. ^ Play It Forward: The Multiplicity Of Mia Doi Todd November 12, 2020 NPR.
18. ^ California Lawmakers Apologize For U.S. Internment Of Japanese Americans. February 20, 2020 NPR
19. ^ HR-77 Relative to World War II Japanese American concentration camps. Revised February 20, 2020. California Legislative Information.
20. ^ "Music & art space headed to Elysian Valley | The Eastsider LA". www.theeastsiderla.com. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
21. ^ Shimoda, Yuri (September 10, 2014). "Mia Doi Todd". jigsawmagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
22. ^ "'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Soundtrack Announced". filmmusicreporter.com.
23. ^ "Turn on the Sunlight featuring Mia Doi Todd". dublab.
24. ^ "Red Hot + Bach Releases June 17th". Red Hot. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14.

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* Mia Doi Todd discography at Discogs

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