Japanese-British singer and producer Miso Extra offers another glimpse into her highly anticipated debut with the release of her new single, ‘POP’, today. A catchy Hyperpop track that captures the sugary rush of first infatuation, the song features production from members of indie-pop collective MICHELLE. Drawing inspiration from K-Pop and UK Garage, and seamlessly blending English and Japanese vocals, Miso Extra continues to carve out a sound that is uniquely her own. ‘POP’ is taken from her forthcoming album, Earcandy, written and recorded in the summer of 2024 with Grammy-winning engineer Ricky Damian (Ezra Collective, Jorja Smith, Sampha) at Damon Albarn’s Studio 13. The album is set for release on May 16th via Transgressive.

Speaking about the single, Miso shares “POP is about the feeling of finding something SO cute you want to squeeze it till it pops! It’s a journey into a sugar fueled take on the pop genre, sonically inspired by NewJeans and CHAI.”

Listen to POP here.

‘POP’ follows the release of ‘Certified’, a synth-house-inspired pop track, ‘Good Kisses’ featuring Metronomy, where Joseph Mount hailed Miso Extra as “the future”, the pop-R&B track ‘Ghostly’, and last year’s euphoric, UKG-infused ‘Slow Down’, co-written and produced with DJ Boring. Her forthcoming debut album, Earcandy, co-produced by Miso herself, weaves a rich tapestry of collaborations, including contributions from A. K. Paul and Tyson. Adding to the album’s creative vision, Miso worked closely with Chinese-Indonesian filmmaker and photographer Claryn Chong to shape its striking visual identity.

Having been championed by Fabiana Palladino and Thundercat, as well as being hailed “One To Watch’  by titles including THE FACE, The FADER, NME, Vogue, Dazed, The Guardian and Observer, Miso Extra is well on her way to becoming the diverse musical role model she so desperately lacked when she was growing up. If anything, Earcandy is just a tantalising taste of what’s to come – the delicious evolution of Miso Extra’s instinctual sound that is poised to keep us coming back for more.

Throughout Earcandy, Miso Extra takes us on a journey of lovelorn vulnerability, growth and self-empowerment, melding genres such as K-Pop, UK Garage, 80s sonics and R&B, to create a sophisticated and self-aware pop record. She says, “It’s about growing through your mistakes and not being afraid to get things wrong. There are some deep messages in there but it’s surrounded by sweet earcandy – that spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.”

Speaking about working with Ricky Damian, she expands “he was my Mr Miyagi, I learned so much from him during the whole process. Plus working in Studio 13 was so inspiring since I’m such a Gorillaz fan and you can channel their energy there, as well as feel the influence of other people who have used the space from Erykah Badu to Paul McCartney.”

Having previously toured with Rejjie Snow and Yannis & The Yaw, and delivering a standout performance alongside Tierra Whack at Pitchfork London, Miso Extra recently wrapped up a tour supporting Kelly Lee Owens – making a special stop in Paris to perform with Toro y Moi. Now, she sets her sights on her debut headline tour across Europe this June, culminating in a special performance at the iconic Village Underground in London.

Get tickets here.

04 June – Hasard Ludique, Paris

05 June – Kantine am Berghain, Berlin

18 June – Doka, Amsterdam

19 June – Village Underground, London