Mitski, the US’s best young songwriter: ‘I’m a black hole where people dump their feelings’

With songs about heartbreak and capitalism, the cult pop singer is on the brink of the mainstream - but the intensity of her fandom has her fearing for her safety

There is a jokey meme that captions a picture of Mitski with Therapists HATE her". Her songs can make you doubt what love, happiness and stability are even for. Over the course of six albums, the 31-year-old has become the US's best young singer-songwriter, stating her feelings with dry amusement or real pain. Her songs are vignettes heavy with painterly symbolism. She connects squalling indie-rock to ambient ballads with plenty in between; her chords never resolve in the way you think they will, rather like life. Perhaps therapists hate her because she is putting them out of a job - as well as being troubling, her music is often uplifting, cathartic and compassionate.

It turns out she is in therapy herself. I love therapy! Having someone to talk to, who you don't feel like you're burdening, because it's their job - it really eases up all your friendships," she says, laughing. You're saying it out loud, giving it words; it clears things up. In America, there's still this notion that you're not good until you're happy. I hope we can get away from that."