M2

Unofficial placeholder cover art

"**M2**" is an upcoming extended play by the Norwegian singer-songwriter MIIA. No official title or release date has been made public for the project.

## Background & Timeline

* Background
* Timeline

The upcoming EP was first announced on April 24, 2014, when her old label, Position Music, posted about it on Facebook. Throughout 2015 to 2017 MIIA was seen collaborating with her friend Brandon Skeie and uncle Joachim "J Ryggs" Rygg, as well as the group Cazzette and the duo Tom Martin and Adam Znaidi, however, none of these tracks would be released as MIIA delayed the release of the EP until sometime in early 2019.

It is assumed MIIA changed the direction of the EP, as she talked about it as her upcoming album in season 2, episode 3 the Norwegian TV series "Muitte mu - Husk meg" ("Remember me"). During the episode MIIA also said she had been working on it since the beginning of 2018, meaning the previous songs she recorded between 2014 and 2017 got scrapped during the process.

On June 13, 2019, MIIA updated her Facebook "about" section and confirmed she had been working on an EP, implying the album she recorded in 2018 was either scrapped or reworked into the new EP. The new EP was never released as MIIA went on a short hiatus in 2020 where she completely stopped writing music.

On December 31, 2020, MIIA updated her fans about her music and explained her absence in the description of a surprise YouTube release of her joik "Joachim Louhti (Joachims Joik)", which was played live in the TV series "Muitte mu - Husk meg" ("Remember me").. She ensured them new music would be released in the upcoming year and that it was her biggest goal. MIIA then collaborated with her friend, Martinius Solum, and was featured on his song "In Your Arms", which was released on September 17, 2021.

Throughout 2021 and 2022, MIIA has been seen in the studio with her uncle Joachim Rygg, recording and perfecting her EP. A confirmed feature for the EP is her friend Vaarin.

On December 24, 2022, MIIA revealed that the first single for the EP would be her song "Oxide".

### 2014

On April 24, 2014, Position Music posted on Facebook about MIIA taking a break from recording her next EP.

On July 22, 2014, MIIA was in the studio recording a song. It is unknown if this song is already released or if it was intended for the EP she was working on at the time.

### 2015

MIIA teased new music she recorded with Cazzette on October 28, 2015, however, this was never released.

MIIA was in the studio with Joachim Rygg and Hillary Bernstein on November 9, 2015, however, it is uncertain what they were recording during this session.

In an interview with Musicbed, MIIA confirmed she had been working on new songs in L.A. and in Norway. MIIA also stated these new songs was what she wanted to be doing.

### 2016

On April 18-28, 2016, MIIA, Brandon Skeie and Joachim Rygg were seen in the studio together writing a new song. Not much is known about this collaboration.

In a 2016 interview for the magazine "Det Skjer I Kragero", MIIA stated she had more music that was ready to be released, however, she wanted to wait.

In a 2016 interview with Real Music Spain when asked about her recording sessions in L.A., MIIA stated she has been working on an EP for a little while after she recorded "Dynasty" and her fans would be getting new music, but it takes a long time in the business.

On October 4, 2016, MIIA was in the studio recording water sounds for an upcoming song, however, it was not released.

### 2017

On March 16, 2017, MIIA was in the studio with Tom Martin and Adam Znaidi. She was with Tom Martin again on March 19, 2017.

### 2018

In 2018, MIIA mentioned in an interview with the Norwegian media VC that she was going to release the EP she had been working on in the new year, but first she was planning on releasing her joik. She described her music as a first priority before school. It is speculated this EP eventually got scrapped and MIIA started working on the album that was mentioned in "Muitte mu - Husk meg" ("Remember me").

In a TV show by NRK called "Muitte mu - Husk meg" ("Remember me") that aired in 2018, it was confirmed MIIA has been working on her first album since the beginning of 2018.

In a 2018 interview with Varden it was revealed MIIA was recording new music for an album.

### 2019

On April 14, 2019, MIIA posted pictures of herself in the studio working on a new song.

It has been speculated the album MIIA was recording got scrapped after MIIA's official Facebook "about" section got updated on June 13, 2019, stating the following:

> "*Currently living in Oslo MIIA is in the process of making her second EP. Through her upcoming live performances she hopes to prove that she is worth keeping an eye on in the time to come.*"
>
>

### 2020

On December 31, 2020, MIIA announced on her Instagram she would be releasing new music in 2021. She has since been seen in the comment sections of her YouTube videos saying she will be releasing new music in 2021.

### 2021

On April 2, 2021, MIIA and Vaarin were in the studio recording new music with Joachim Rygg producing. On April 8, MIIA confirmed in an AMA on her Instagram story that she was recording an EP and Vaarin would be featured on it with their currently untitled collaboration. MIIA also confirmed they would be making more music together in the future. In the same AMA MIIA stated her favorite song by herself was one her fans had not heard about yet. On April 10, 2021, MIIA stated there would be four songs on the EP, however, she was unsure if this was final or not.

On April 27, 2021, Martinius Solum teased an upcoming collaboration with MIIA for the first time, however, Martinius stated this would be intended for his upcoming releases and not for MIIA's EP. The collaboration was again teased on April 28, 2021, by MIIA. MIIA was with Solum again on June 10, 2021. This song would later be revealed to be titled "In Your Arms".

On June 2, 2021, MIIA held an AMA on her Instagram where she was asked about doing a Zoom meeting with her fans. She said she would do it once the release for her EP was getting closer. MIIA was also asked if she would do a live stream on her Instagram, to which she replied she would, but the songs for the EP needed to be a little more done. MIIA also ensured the songs are coming and she knows her fans have been patiently waiting for them.

On June 15, 2021, MIIA posted a process post to her Instagram account showing the progress she has done on her upcoming EP. The post included a video of her in the studio with Martinius Solum, where they were recording their song together, along with a picture of Joachim "J Ryggs" Rygg in another studio.

From August 7 through August 8, 2021, MIIA held an Instagram AMA where she was answering questions about the upcoming EP along with confirming her and Martinius Solum's song, "In Your Arms" would be released. MIIA also stated there would be music videos for the songs, that she was still thinking about making the EP four songs long, and she might turn this and the next EP or her previous songs into an album in the future.

Through December 20-22, MIIA held a Q&A on her Instagram where fans asked her questions about the upcoming EP. MIIA started off by saying she already knew which song would be the first single for the project and that two of the songs were almost done, and the last two were coming together. MIIA acknowledged she did not release any new song, besides the one she was featured on, in 2021 like she promised in the description for "Joachim Louhti (Joachims Joik)". She stated the creative process was taking longer than expected and she really wanted every song on the EP to be as close to perfect as they could get, which was why she did not want to rush it. MIIA, however, did say the EP would be out in 2022.

MIIA then went on to state, again, that there would only be four songs on the EP. Two of them would be written by her, one of them would be written by her, Joachim Rygg and Tom Lund, and the last would be written by Vaarin.

### 2022

On February 2, 2022, MIIA uploaded a picture of Joachim Rygg and Tom Lund in the studio with her to Instagram, implying they are making a song together.

On April 20, 2022, MIIA was interviewed by the Nordic Natural Beauty Podcast about both beauty standards in the music industry and her upcoming EP. The description of the episode states the following:

> "*In 2015, MIIA took the world by storm with her single "Dynasty", premiering on Billboard and placing in the most recognized international hit lists. Today, she has more than 120 million streams on Spotify, though, after years of digging deep into her soul and reconnecting with her roots to find the artist she was meant to be, MIIA is soon revealing new music. The debut EP of this new chapter will be released this year, in 2022.*"
>
>

During the podcast MIIA stated she was working on a music video for one of the new songs and that this would be her "debut" EP compared to her older EP from 2014, In the Light of Love, which was produced to be radio friendly and to be used in TV and films. MIIA described how she felt this new EP would be completely different from her older and that it would be her debut as a person, and not her debut as an artist.

MIIA also stated that the EP and the songs on it would be a smaller preview of her upcoming album. This is also why MIIA sometimes refers to it as a mini-album rather than an EP.

MIIA and Vaarin were both updating their Instagram stories through April 30 to May 1, 2022, as they were recording a music video for their upcoming collaboration at Drammens Teater. Multiple team members involved with filming the video also uploaded behind the scenes clips.

On December 24, 2022, MIIA updated her followers on Instagram with multiple stories about her upcoming song, "Oxide", a pre-save link to the song and a small teaser clip of the music video. MIIA also updated her banner and avatar on her Spotify page.
## Theme

MIIA has stated the new songs are in the same world as "Dynasty" and "Beautiful Creature", but over the years she has been inspired by new artists and genres. MIIA described her main focuses while recording the EP as:

* Being honest
* Letting each song guide her in the direction it wants to go
* Not being afraid
* Having fun
* Trusting yourself
* Having no rules

MIIA also stated some people have inspired these upcoming songs and every song has a mood board. MIIA also went on to say the songs would have some of the same elements as "Beautiful Creatures" and "Dynasty", but the new songs would also be very different from each other.

MIIA has also stated each song has its own mood and story, and she will share these stories once the EP is getting closer to being finished and getting released. The songs are amongst the most honest songs MIIA has ever written and they are based on things that have happened to or around her in real life.

The EP will be an introduction to MIIA and who she is as a person, what she stands for and what she believes in.

## Hiatus

Since MIIA's releases in 2018 and 2019, she had started to doubt her abilities to make music and therefore went on a break from writing, however, she did confirm in the description of "Joachim Louhti (Joachims Joik)"'s YouTube upload that she would be releasing new music in 2021 and it was her goal to put more out before the year was over.

> "*Perhaps some of you are wondering why I haven’t released the joik - or more music in general - until now. And it is scary to be honest about this. For different reasons, I have had very little confidence and belief in myself for a while. Although I truly love my music, that I have released so far, there have just been too many painful feelings on both a personal level and as an artist. To be brutally honest I at some point even thought about quitting music. But guess what, things get better! Although I still have worries and insecurities, I am starting to regain my «strength» and I’m making music again. This time for MYSELF, for my uncle, and of course, for you guys. All you beautiful people sending me messages everyday. I love talking to you and hearing your stories. Thank you for being so patient and kind. / So basically I wanted to share this joik with you now, before new music arrives. I don’t know when yet, but my biggest goal this year is to release new music - this year.*"
>
>

## Announcement

MIIA has yet to make an official announcement regarding her future EP, however, she has been seen posting about it on social media and talking about it in interviews.

She released the first single from the EP, "Oxide", on January 11, 2023, and the second single, "Skin of a Fool", on March 10.

## Confirmed songs and tracklist

 n/a
 Skin of a Fool | MIIAVaarin | n/a

MIIA confirmed on April 10, 2021, that there was a chance the EP would consist of four tracks. The credits for each individual track was revealed during a Q&A that took place between December 20-22, 2021.

### Skin of a Fool

On April 2, 2021, MIIA and Vaarin updated their Instagram stories with pictures of each other and MIIA's uncle Joachim Rygg in a studio together recording vocals. MIIA later confirmed on April 8 in an AMA that Vaarin would be featured on the song for MIIA's next EP. Throughout the days they were recording the song, MIIA and Vaarin both revealed the original title of the song they were uploading videos and images on their Instagram stories. The original title of the song was "Miia og Vaarin", which translated to "Miia and Vaarin". It can be assumed the song had no official title at that point. On April 17, 2023, MIIA and Vaarin revealed the title, "Skin of a Fool", through Instagram along with a release date set for March 10, 2023.

### Unknown Song #1

MIIA stated in an Instagram AMA that took place on April 8, 2021, that her favorite song by herself at the moment was an unreleased song the fans had not heard yet. It is speculated this song will appear on MIIA's upcoming EP.

### Oxide

On December 24, 2022, MIIA publicly revealed a song for the EP titled "Oxide". She stated it was written in December 2021 up in the mountains of Norway.

## Singles

On December 24, 2022, MIIA publicly revealed to her followers on Instagram that "Oxide" would be the first single for the project, and that it would be released on January 11, 2023. It is currently unknown how many singles MIIA will release for the EP besides "Oxide", however, it is said to be three singles.

On March 10, 2023, MIIA released the second single for the EP titled "Skin of a Fool". This is also MIIA's first song to feature Vaarin.

## Trivia

* MIIA stated on April 9, 2021, that she has considered physical merchandise for this EP.
	+ She said she would love to have a vinyl for the EP.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.facebook.com/PositionMusic/photos/a.10150971582344556/10152358644014556
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://twitter.com/MIIAMUSIC/status/722213946287988736
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.facebook.com/MIIAMUSIC/photos/a.488609994583215/786211091489769
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.instagram.com/p/BRrV1FIly05/
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/i/l1RX87/norske-miia-er-streamet-20-millioner-ganger-debuterer-paa-tv
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://tv.nrk.no/serie/muitte-mu/sesong/2/episode/3
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.facebook.com/MIIAMUSIC/about
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrpurXSsyqo
9. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/qwMR\_Yth2P/
10. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/94RsW6th6N/
11. ↑ https://www.musicbed.com/blog/music/living-the-daydream-a-conversation-with-miia/
12. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BEUWZ4CNh2M/
13. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=874746669302877
14. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BEuY6Ikth4g/
15. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BLDjcA5AKmz/
16. ↑ https://realmusicspain.wordpress.com/miia-epic-pop-all-the-way-from-norway/
17. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BLJdZF5gKsC/
18. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BSD5fUnhecD/
19. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BR1YljXl2MR/
20. ↑ https://www.pressreader.com/norway/varden/20181129/282346860869139
21. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BwO2PvBA2Lk/
22. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CJdxoHUhSYi/
23. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/COId7XkJzU6/
24. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CQJ2oA2BzXQ/
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 https://youtu.be/iV7hIraSTV0
26. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CZeYvYeoO-X/
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 https://open.spotify.com/episode/32jf4bICMhM0GNW4ttIElQ
28. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17883095528777357/
29. ↑ https://ffm.to/miia
30. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CmjjBLyIeSO/
31. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cown5gyKMCW/