Synth-pop artist PIERA is the collaborative duo featuring Piera Klein and Micah Plissner, whose influences range from Klaus Schulze to Depeche Mode. Both come from different backgrounds; Plissner is a multi-instrumentalist and producer hailing from New York City, and Piera is a singer, songwriter, and composer from California, and share a common love for music.
PIERA chatted with us about their latest single, the artful “Unraveling,” and its music video, directed by Cameron Dunbar, how they came to collaborate with each other, touring, music, and the pandemic, along with some of their fun music and entertainment favorites. Check out their music video for “Unraveling” below!
How did you two originally connect?
Piera Klein: We were originally introduced through a friend to connect musically. I was looking for a songwriter-producer to collaborate with and Micah was producing a lot of independent artists and working with major labels, etc. It was a life-changing introduction, to say the least.
Your sound is otherworldly – where do you draw your inspiration from?
Piera: My stream of conscious has always been my greatest inspiration and led me into interesting areas creatively. For me, the music always comes first, then the lyrics and meaning.
Micah Plissner: First, I hear a sound or rhythm or something in my mind that excites me, something I can’t ignore, and that’s my jumping-off point for something that evolves into a bigger vision. And, I chip away at it until I complete the vision. It’s almost like sculpting. It takes shape as I work with it.
The music video for “Unraveling” is one of my favorites so far this year – what was it like working with Cameron Dunbar?
Micah: Thank you. We had a lot of fun and the entire video – from inception to final cut took only a few weeks. Piera worked with Cameron on a photo shoot and loved his aesthetic, and from there birthed the vision for the video, also with a close collaborator and friend Adrian Arredondo. Cameron is a master with light and movement and understood how to bring our vision to life flawlessly. He’s a super talented guy.
Will you be performing live again when things fully open back up?
Piera and Micah: Absolutely! As soon as possible. We’ve just been booked for our first show post-quarantine opening for the band BERLIN. What a great way to kick off this new season.
Has the pandemic changed the way you view being an artist in the music industry?
Piera and Micah: The pandemic put the entire industry on pause, but it gave us the opportunity to spend more time in the studio writing new material and to work on the music video for “Unraveling.”
Fun Questions
Who was your first concert, and do you have a favorite one?
Micah: My first concert was the New York Philharmonic. I’m from Manhattan, and my dad took me when I was a little kid. The memory is as vivid as ever.
Piera: I can’t remember my very first concert, but I do remember one of the first festivals I went to was the Vans Warped Tour. Good times.
What was your first purchase on cassette, CD, and/or vinyl?
Micah: Jimi Hendrix Are You Experienced?, The Beatles’ White Album and Ziggy Stardust.
Piera: I was a child of the 80s and 90s. Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall was my first cassette. It still holds up as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Which five albums and/or artists would you not want to live without?
Micah: Tangerine Dream Phaedra, David Bowie Hunky Dory, Bill Evans, Robert Johnson Collection, Kraftwerk
Do you have a guilty music and/or entertainment pleasure?
Piera: Yeah, Ace of Base!
Micah: Any of the Kill by Death volumes
What have you been listening to, reading and/or watching?
Piera: I’ve been listening to Moss Green Omni Gardens, and reading a lot of art books actually – I am always greatly inspired by artists in different arenas – whether painters, photographers, architects, sculptors, etc.
Right now I have a huge collection of art books piling up in my loft. In terms of watching – I love watching documentaries and rock docs. The “Zappa” rock doc that just came out in the last year was great.
Micah: Been listening to the James Brown box set and reading Dante’s “Paradise.”
Connect with PIERA on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Connect with Micah Plissner on his website and Instagram.
Stream/download their music on Spotify, Amazon, and Twitch.
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