In the early weeks of March, Mvstermind was gearing up to bring to life a music video directed by videographer Keaton Jones for his new single “GEMS.” It’s the debut single to his upcoming project — three interconnected EPs titled "Be," "Great" and "Fool," known collectively as "BEGREATFOOL."
His team filmed it in the nick of time. The following day, stay-at-home orders set the stage for the coming months and established the tone of collective anxiety that would dominate spring and summer.
“We just stuck with what we do best and worked with constraints. That's honestly what COVID has done — it honestly has catalyzed my creativity. Because I mean, creators, we always work with constraints,” he said.
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, Mvstermind — the performing name of St. Louis native Muhammad Austin — talked about how he lyrically gets past personal anxieties and overcomes universal troubles in “GEMS.”
The anxiety on Mvstermind's mind predated the pandemic. It had to do with living up to the standards he has for himself. He explained that he quarantined himself months before others were forced to in March to focus on his craft.
“It all began to write itself … because secretly what I was writing was the survival guide for this dreamer and doer; a survival guide for this husband, this father, this full-time self-employed individual balancing and juggling in the middle of St. Louis, Missouri,” he explained.
“I was writing my mental survival guide of how it was gonna get me to this very moment and beyond.”
The EPs are set to come out early this fall.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
