A singer and songwriter known for both candid lyrics and a catchy yet volatile version of indie rock, Mitski is short for Mitski Miyawaki. A onetime music major, her first two records were school projects in 2012 and 2013. Her label debut, the more emotionally charged Bury Me at Makeout Creek, saw her picking up a guitar for the first time in 2014. Mitski’s itinerant childhood and themes of identity and belonging factored into that album and songs such as “Your Best American Girl,” a streaming hit from her 2016 LP, Puberty 2. The latter marked her Top 20 debuts on Billboard’s independent and alternative charts. In late 2015, Mitski signed with the independent label Dead Oceans, which released Puberty 2 in June 2016. Featuring the streaming hit “Your Best American Girl,” the album was supported by a North American and European tour that kicked off at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Puberty 2 went on to receive widespread critical acclaim, placing in the Top 25 of year-end lists by publications such as Rolling Stone, SPIN, and Entertainment Weekly. It also found commercial success, landing on Billboard’s alternative, rock, independent, and Heatseekers albums charts. She followed it in 2018 with Be the Cowboy, her third straight album with producer Patrick Hyland. Less personal than Puberty 2, it explored a domestic female persona with a still intimate and turbulent approach.