Style Rider: Grace Mitchell Is Lost Without Her Guitar and Stun Gun

Photos courtesy of the artist

While YouTube was the mainstay for aspiring musicians in the early 2000s, Soundcloud has become the go-to for getting your music heard and shared in the indie world. For Portland musician Grace Mitchell, Soundcloud is what helped her and her music get noticed. Though she’s only 18-years-old, Mitchell has been slated to become a combination of the next BANKS and Lorde (and being signed to Republic, she’s in good company). Combining soulful, catchy, and melancholic pop melodies, Mitchell has shown off her talents with two EPs so far, her most recent titled Raceday. Her bio cites her as a "post-Yeezus" musician—Mitchell is not trying to be your run of the mill pop girl—she wants to experiment, push her limits and surprise people. Most recently Mitchell showed us her flair for creativity on the very, well, jittery, track “Jitter”—which jumped from hip-hop, electro-pop and hypnotic dance beats.

It’s no surprise that when it comes to Mitchell’s style, she likes to keep things interesting. For each of her necessities, she has strong and specific opinions about why she needs each unique item. From a quirky hat to a stun gun, Mitchell doesn’t mess around with her look. And we totally want to cop her style.

"It makes me feel like a free spirited contemporary Annie Oakley with a mysterious sexual identity. I like to wear it with my go-to Canadian tuxedo outfit: Citizens of Humanity boyfriend jeans with two giant holes in the knees, (so big they're comical), and my mom's jean jacket from the 80s."

"The guitar is a Martin dreadnought from the sustainable wood series. For all of the nerds, it's got a Sitka spruce top, and cherry wood back and sides that were all collected in an ecologically responsible manner. My Great Aunt Yvonne, bought it for me at 12. Bless her."

"They’re for blocking out the haters and feeling like a bad bitch."

"One question: why can't all gum be shaped like, and taste like Hubba Bubba? It's so unnecessarily oversized and delightfully gluttonous. Undoubtedly, it causes more cavities than removes plaque, but damn is it a good sugar rush when you need something to soothe your inner self-sabotaging demons. Plus, it makes me feel like I'm ten."

"My kelly green stun gun because FUCK any motherfucker who tries to mess with me on tour, or in life ever. You have been warned."

Follow Ilana on Twitter and purchase Grace Mitchell's Raceday here.