The Caledonia High School alum based in Nashville aims to make waves as an indie-pop/rock artist, recently releasing a new single while attending Belmont University. The Local Spins Q&A.
It Keeps Getting Better: Mystique on her songwriting and performing. (Courtesy Photo)
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
After graduating from Caledonia High School in 2023, Mystique Niles moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University where she’s majoring in professional music with a focus on songwriting.
But Mystique already has started making an impact with her music, writing songs with Brian Sproul and recently releasing her second, infectious indie-pop single, “Honestly.”
The up-and-coming teenage artist came home for the holidays, performing a special acoustic show at Butcher Block Social in Caledonia.
Local Spins writer Enrique Olmos caught up with Mystique to learn more about her music, her passions and her plans for the future.
On Stage at Belmont University: Mystique and the pop ensemble. (Courtesy Photo)
Enrique: How’s Nashville been treating you?
Mystique: I haven’t been able to like gig out in Nashville yet since I’ve been focusing on my school. I just became an RA, so I have a big responsibility. It’s really interesting because I’m in a pop ensemble and it’s been a really great opportunity to work with a bunch of different people who all have different interests. We’re all coming together to create this huge show.
Enrique: What did the show entail?
Mystique: It was an amazing opportunity to experience what it’s like to be part of a touring performance, like the dancing, the background vocals, and also singing lead vocals. You just learn more and more about how to like work with people in the industry — ighting, microphones, sound, like everything. (Scroll down for a video of Mystique’s performance.)
Enrique: What differences have you noticed between the West Michigan and Nashville music scenes?
Mystique: Because I was able to perform my original song and not many people get to do that on a big stage with lights that early in your career and I just felt like it’s such a great opportunity to do that, but it’s definitely different between Michigan because here (in West Michigan) I feel like it’s not really competitive because of the high standards that I have. It is kind of hard getting gigs, but other than that, with the talent and competitiveness in Nashville, I’m surrounded by people that have the same dreams and have the same work ethic and all these kinds of things.
Enrique: What’s another art form you enjoy besides just performing and being center stage?
Mystique: So I’ve always loved to dance. I have always been the kid that knew all the moves when the other kids didn’t. I found that love for dance again doing this. I have been in musicals and that’s just like classical dancing, but hip hop and commercial dancing, like Beyonce and Christina Aguilera. It was just great because people love seeing you dance as well, especially when you are having fun.
Enrique: That’s cool that you’ve found other avenues that you enjoy within the industry.
Mystique: Yes, like I would love to be a background vocalist for Sabrina Carpenter, like even those opportunities, probably not dancing because that’s not what I do, but doing something like that would be also a dream and not like doing like, of course, I want to continue doing my own music, but yeah, why I would be happy.
VIDEO: Mystique, “Who Are You?”
Enrique: Why is that one of your dreams?
Mystique: I believe I’ve always had the talent and the ear for learning stuff really fast. And I feel like those are qualities that you need as a background vocalist. I feel like I would flourish, especially with other singers because it’s not just one background vocalist. It also makes me better at creating background vocals for my own music.
Enrique: Your new single (“Honestly”) was released recently. How does it feel to have that song out in the world?
Mystique: It’s not what I was expecting. I’ll be honest, I was expecting way more of a singer-songwriter approach. But I played piano, I played drums and I liked the instrumentation and the composition and what I was hearing. Playing it live was so much fun. It gave it a whole different feel because my first single, I haven’t really performed it on a big stage with a crowd like that big. So I felt that this original just has a different feel to it because of the feedback that I received verbally from an audience seeing it live. And I just have a wonderful producer that plays guitar and I just, I just trust him with his abilities and he just always, he always exceeds my expectations.
A ‘Rush of Ideas’: Mystique has many of those when it comes to new songs. (Courtesy Photo)
Enrique: When do you get your best musical ideas?
Mystique: Sometimes, it’s when I’m walking. It used to be when I worked at Target and I got a lot of ideas when I was working there ’cause I was just stocking all day and your mind is going on and on. So I would take out my phone and I would just start recording voice memos. It was actually really interesting when I got back home from Nashville. The rush of ideas, you know. I got to read and watch movies and rest. I got to fill the creative well.
Enrique: I’m wondering what keeps your interest and energy focused towards music, you know, as an art form, but also as a future vocation. What keeps you going?
Mystique: Each time I make a new song, I’m like, oh, we can get better. We can make more. It just kept getting better. I’m never going to stop having ideas. And I think that’s one of the most motivating things is that it’s just going to keep going no matter what, because I want to do these things.
Enrique: What kind of artist do you hope to be?
Mystique: So one of my big things is that I notice social media tends to make everything seem like it’s perfect. And I just want to let my fans know, at least, that I’m not perfect. One of my huge struggles that I faced was having acne for a very long time. And that image crushed me. And I know there’s a bunch of girls and guys out there that struggle with that. And I just want to make sure that there’s a face out there saying that it’s something that everyone goes through.
VIDEO: Mystique, “Honestly” (Live)
Copyright 2025, Spins on Music LLC
