Pandemic piano hobby turns into a Billboard-charting music career

Singer Miist, seen at her Tiburon home July 8, tried out songwriting during the early days of the pandemic and has since forged a career in pop music. She’s now worked with producer Narada Michael Walden, and her music videos have received over 1 million views on YouTube. (Francisco Martinez / The Ark)

Tiburon resident Rongrong Souang began teaching herself piano during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, watching YouTube clips to learn chords.

Her husband, however, challenged her to learn on her own, so she wouldn’t be influenced by other styles. She finally decided to give it a try — if only to prove him wrong and put an end to what she says is the only real argument they’ve ever had.

“Let me show you that I really can’t do this today,” she recalls telling her husband. “I’m going to give it a very honest try on it. I will give my best effort, sit at the piano and try to write something. If I can’t, let’s just drop it so we don’t have to fight anymore.”

That same day, she wrote three songs.

Today, the 37-year-old Souang is a budding pop singer who goes by the stage name Miist, with songs that have appeared on — and topped — Billboard and other music-industry charts. Her single “Move Your Body Slowly,” an infectious dance-pop track with a music video filmed at a Belvedere Avenue mansion, reached No. 26 on Billboard’s adult-contemporary chart. The same song hit No. 1 on the indie adult-contemporary chart organized by Mediabase, a music-industry metrics tracker.

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