Miist – Could You Lend Me A Smile

Abandoned at five years old and surviving a terminal cancer diagnosis by 28, singer-songwriter Miist defied the odds when she discovered her musical gift at 34 and last year, became the 1st native Chinese artist to break into Billboard’s Top 25 AC chart. 

Today, she shares a new global anthem and music video, “Could You Lend Me a Smile,” featuring artists with 60 Grammy awards and nominations in 15 languages across five continents – including a moving spoken word and ASL version ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 15 and National Smile Day on May 31, during AAPI Heritage and Mental Health Awareness Month.

Miist shares: “I want to remind people even though we are as a human family inundated with massive challenges and problems, we are NOT powerless. We can actually hugely affect our world by doing some basic simple things everyday and by doing so we feel empowered, hopeful and happier.”

Part of her non-profit World Smile Initiative, the song is included in her upcoming concept album releasing later this year. It was inspired by the story of a young man in Tokyo who passed away alone in his apartment and was not found for weeks, a heartbreaking case of what’s become known as “Lonely Death.” Miist wondered if a simple smile from a passerby could have changed his fate, a step towards combating the loneliness epidemic facing so many. That moment birthed the song, with strings by Grammy-winning cellist Eru Matsumoto and violinist Nathalie Bonin, and the spark for a global movement.

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