Tammy Huynh, also known as Mitamu, is a vocalist, composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator and scholar who is currently earning her master’s in music from the Manhattan School of Music. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Huynh has experience as a vocalist for big bands, small combos and everything in between, and has performed extensively throughout the tri-state area and abroad. Most nights, you can find Huynh performing as Mitamu, the frontwoman and lead songwriter of an experimental art pop act that dates all the way back to her days as an undergraduate at Temple University. Inspired by new wave, improvised music, poetry and the tender sadness of growing up, Mitamu brings sophistication and swing to the low-lit bars of Philadelphia and Manhattan.
With cutting synthesizers and powerful vocal outflowing we are quickly pulled into the tactual and peculiar world of mitamu on the new single, “old young boy.” Akin to a video game or epic fantasy soundtrack, “old young boy” is colored with an interesting palette of cool electric guitar and raw arpeggiated synthesizer flair that sounds like Tuneyards meets Janelle Monáe.
“Old young boy” is a cautionary tale about the perils of immaturity and spite. My music community is still dominated by male voices, in particular, old white men. I often felt diminished and/or dismissed and so I wrote this song to empower my own voice. It felt cathartic to mock them by declaring that I am “more of a man” than they are. As I stated before, this is a cautionary tale. Although it feels good for a time to ridicule these people, it felt shallow. Admittedly, I was begging for their attention and respect. In the end, it felt unfulfilling. The track uses elements of old and new to reflect the title. It was recorded acoustically but during production, we decided to add more electronics and chiptune aesthetics to give it a young feeling.”
