The Independent Ear

Mourning Notes is The MZA’s most vulnerable work to date: a nine-track meditation on heartbreak, loss, and the quiet spaces where healing begins. But while the record feels intensely personal, it’s also deeply collaborative. Shelby Swims lends her luminous voice to several songs, Mario Sweet balances MZA’s introspection with soulful warmth, and Malice Sweet delivers a brief but unforgettable role on “What’s Best.”

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Together, they’ve created an album that moves like a diary but resonates like a community story. We spoke with The MZA about the process behind Mourning Notes, the weight of collaboration, and why sometimes the hardest truths make the most necessary art.

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Independent Ear: Mourning Notes feels like a record written in solitude but built in community. How did collaboration shape the project?

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The MZA: That’s exactly it. I wrote these songs in moments of isolation, but I didn’t want the album to sound like it was stuck there. Bringing in Shelby, Mario, and Malice gave the songs texture I couldn’t reach alone. Shelby’s voice, for example—it’s not just background. On songs like “Fog” and “Too Young,” she becomes the air around the words. She brings grace where I bring grit.

 

With Mario, it was about dialogue. He and I aren’t the same artist—we come from different spaces. But that difference mattered. On “It’s Over” and “On My Heart,” his warmth made my honesty heavier. It’s almost like he’s the counterpoint, grounding the confessions.

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And Malice… man. “What’s Best” is the shortest track on the album but maybe the most devastating. Letting Malice carry that perspective—the other side of a breakup—made the project more truthful. Because a breakup isn’t just my voice. It’s theirs too.

 

Independent Ear: This is a breakup record, but it doesn’t feel like wall-to-wall bitterness. There’s regret, yes, but also gratitude. Was that intentional?

 

The MZA: Absolutely. I didn’t want to make an album that just says, “I hurt, I lost, I’m broken.” Life isn’t that one-dimensional. Even in endings, there’s memory, there’s beauty, there’s growth. That’s why “Too Young” lands the way it does—it’s a letter of appreciation, not anger. You can love somebody and still lose them. You can look back with gratitude instead of spite. That’s a form of healing too.

 

Independent Ear: The process sounds almost therapeutic. Did making Mourning Notes change how you see yourself?

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The MZA: It did, and it scared me. A lot of these songs are confessions I never planned on saying out loud. “Leave Me Alone” is me admitting I was toxic in a relationship. “Wannabe” is me admitting I hid instead of speaking up. “On My Heart” is me admitting I became the very downfall I warned about. Recording those words didn’t feel like art—it felt like accountability. And accountability is heavy.

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But that’s why I call it Mourning Notes. These songs are grief, but grief is also a teacher. It strips you down, shows you what’s real. I didn’t want to just mourn what I lost; I wanted to acknowledge what I learned.

Independent Ear: For an independent release, the sound is remarkably cohesive. How did you approach production?

 

The MZA: Minimalism, always. I didn’t want the production to overshadow the words. Most tracks live in the space of a few chords, ambient textures, and raw vocals. It’s like a notebook recording—just elevated enough to carry. That choice was intentional because I wanted listeners to sit with the words, not get distracted by noise.

 

That being said, every collaborator understood that mission. Shelby layered harmonies that sounded like whispers in the next room. Mario pushed the melodic edge but never pulled it away from intimacy. And Malice’s track stayed hauntingly bare because the truth doesn’t need much decoration.

 

Independent Ear: Looking at the full arc of the record, what does Mourning Notes mean to you now that it’s out in the world?

 

The MZA: It means release. It means I don’t have to carry these feelings in silence anymore. But more than that, it’s an offering. If somebody else can hear themselves in these songs—if it helps them name their grief or admit their own fault—then it’s bigger than me.

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I’m not interested in being perfect. I’m interested in being honest. Mourning Notes is me being honest, even when it hurt. And in the end, that’s the only kind of music I want to make.

 

Independent Ear: Last question—what’s next?

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The MZA: Right now, I’ve got a project called 1980 G-SOUL that’s in the mixing stage. If everything lines up, it should drop in December. It’s a completely different energy than Mourning Notes—more groove, more rhythm, more reflection on where I come from musically. If Mourning Notes was about sitting with the weight of grief, 1980 G-SOUL is about standing back up and moving again. I can’t wait for people to hear it.

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Mourning Notes by The MZA is available now on all streaming platforms. 1980 G-SOUL is expected December 2025.