“David Lynch would be so happy about this,” says mehro, seated on an ornate scarlet couch, his slender, black-shirted frame flanked by lush, red curtains. “It all looks very Lynchian.”

They’re at SIR — Studio Instrument Rentals — in Los Angeles, taking a Zoom break for this cover interview. And they couldn’t be nicer — or more enigmatic.

It’s impossible to tell if mehro’s coyness is deliberate or simply part of his nature during our hour-long conversation. The deflections — always polite, almost disarmingly so — make personal questions more of a challenge than I expected.

He avoids talking about his early years or his age, though subsequent internet searches reveal a bit more, including the first name he legally changed to mehro in 2021. Just as often, he redirects the conversation back to me — we spend nearly a quarter of our time discussing a short film I made in college, which he seems genuinely interested in.

He speaks with measured care, charmingly self-effacing and frequently apologetic for not being more forthcoming. Bit by bit, layers peel away, revealing hints that may explain his initial hesitancy.

So, who is mehro?

He stands among a wave of young musicians forging independent paths, building dedicated fanbases while drawing in new listeners — myself included. His forthcoming album, weirdthrob, is his strongest work yet. It sheds much of the shimmering delicacy of his prior album, Trauma Lullabies, in favor of something more feral and aggressive, while still remaining melodic and accessible. A stunning work, weirdthrob feels like a true emergence, the arrival of an artist poised for a major breakthrough.

The first singles prove it: the entrancing “Sepia Tones,” with its delicate harmonies, and the explosive, thrilling “You’re So Pretty,” a track built for perpetual repeat play. When the full album drops on September 9, fans will discover more standouts — I predict the gorgeous “Sewers,” with its impressive vocal gymnastics, will be a favorite. Mehro says he’ll perform much of weirdthrob on his expansive new tour, which hits Washington’s DC9 on September 27.

They are also eyeing a film career — acting is a first love — but music runs in mehro’s blood. He won’t reveal his mother’s name, only that she has written massive hits for some of modern pop’s biggest stars (think Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, and others). In mehro’s case, talent is clearly inherited.

During our conversation, the Los Angeles native drops a revelation that leaves me gobsmacked. It’s a reveal that will resonate with lovers of classic 1940s cinema, an era when social cause filmmaking and razor-sharp screenwriting defined Hollywood. In that moment, it becomes clear: mehro is a mystery who, deep down, longs to be solved.

METRO WEEKLY: We’re going to start at the very beginning and get to know you. Talk about your early life, growing up. What was your home life like?

MEHRO: This is something I usually keep as private as possible. I will share what I can with you, but I like to keep my life as private as possible, due to the fact that the world is so public now. It’s so easily accessible to know everything about somebody. And I love the idea that somehow, in a world that is constantly trying to suck the magic and the mystery out of life, that I can somehow persevere through that with intention, and with love, and keep certain parts of myself protected. But at the same time, I also want to be open, vulnerable, and honest with you. So I’m on a tightrope here. I’ll do my best.

MW: Well, I’ll ask some specifics, then. Was music a big part of your family life?

MEHRO: Yes, it’s always been a big part of my family life. My mom is my favorite person in the entire world. I love her more than anything, and she is a remarkable songwriter. She was pregnant with me going into sessions and writing with people, and working with artists, and in the studio when I was a baby. I’ve always been around music my whole life.

MW: So you were born into music, where the talent is passed down genetically from parent to child.

MEHRO: Perhaps. I don’t know if I could ever say I’m as gifted as her, because she’s an anomaly of anomalies, but I’m also biased.

MW: How old are you?

MEHRO: I like to keep people guessing.

MW: My guess is early twenties.

MEHRO: I auditioned for Ryan Murphy about three times for this show called The Shards. And I was auditioning for 17-year-olds, which is a compliment, just fantastic.

MW: I can see that.

MEHRO: We’ll see. I’m still waiting to hear back about this other part. I was going for the lead, but they already cast it, so we’ll see.

MW: So you’re working on the acting side of things as well. That’s something I didn’t know.

MEHRO: Yes. After high school, I went to acting school at a place called Baron Brown Studio in Santa Monica. Film was my first love. I didn’t think I was going to do music growing up. I thought I was going to do film. I’d like to act. If you see the “Sepia Tones” music video, it’s a movie, and we have an actress from the movie Anora who’s in that music video with me.

MW: Back to your formative years. I’m trying to think of things I can ask that you’ll answer. It’s like a game show.

MEHRO: I don’t mean to make this so difficult on you.

MW: This is not difficult — I can tell you what a difficult interview is. But I want to learn a little bit about the person. It sounds to me, and you can correct me if I’m wrong, that you had a pretty good upbringing. Still, one of your albums is called Trauma Lullabies.

MEHRO: So, it’s so funny that you say that album of all albums, because I put that album out on my mother’s birthday, and that art piece on the cover — the painting of the angel playing the lute — was this painting that my grandmother fell in love with. She had this painting in her house for so long. And then I was born with these little red curls, and she said that she manifested me. I even have a little necklace of the Trauma Lullabies artwork. [Shows pendant around neck.] It says “Trauma Lullabies” when you flip it. It’s very meaningful. So I put that album out on my mother’s birthday because she’s everything to me. So funny that you’d say that.

MW: How has she felt about your musical career?

MEHRO: I don’t think she could be any more proud. [Tears up.] Forgive me, I get emotional even just thinking about her. I don’t think she could be more proud of what I’ve done, and that is better than any number of ticket sales. That’s better than any number of album sales. That’s better than anything to me. I can’t stop talking about her. Sorry.

MW: Don’t be sorry. It’s fine. What about your father?

MEHRO: My parents divorced when I was very young, and they have stayed very close, and I love my dad. But my family knows the situation — everybody knows the situation — that she’s number one, and that’s how everybody wants it to be. Everyone’s very happy about that decision. My dad would not want me to put him above her, and it’s not like she wants to, “Oh, I have to be number one,” this is just… Do you have a favorite musical artist, a favorite musical, a favorite… What would you say is your expertise? What’s the thing that you are most knowledgeable about in your life?

MW: Who, me?

MEHRO: Yeah.

MW: Film probably.

MEHRO: Film. Do you have a favorite film?

MW: Yes.

MEHRO: What’s your favorite film?

MW: The Birds.

MEHRO: The Birds by…

MW: Hitchcock.

MEHRO: By Hitchcock. Okay. First of all, I’ve never seen it. Forgive me. Forgive me.

MW: No worries. Put it on your list.

MEHRO: But just as you feel clearly that The Birds is number one, the other filmmakers that you tell that to are going to be like, “Hey, that’s your choice. That’s clear, that’s fine.” And Hitchcock doesn’t need to be your number one, but that’s just the way that the cookie crumbles. That’s it. So I feel that strongly about her. I’m such a dork.

MW: No, not at all! But that was quite a pathway.

MEHRO: Are you familiar with older film history at all? Are you an older film history buff?

MW: Sure.

MEHRO: Like the ’40s?

MW: I default to Hitchcock in the ’40s. My turn: What’s your favorite film?

MEHRO: The Godfather is my favorite film of all time. Standard pick, but Italian background…. Francis Ford Coppola is just insane. I love the book as well, but that’s my number one for now. But that could change. Maybe it’ll be Goodfellas next week.

MW: So, Italian background. We learned a little bit there.

MEHRO: Yes.

MW: So I’m feeling emboldened. Going to go for broke and ask you how you identify in terms of LGBTQ?

MEHRO: I have never publicly stated my sexuality — which is, I’m assuming, what you’re referring to — for the sake of privacy, for the sake of not labeling myself, and not giving people that answer and letting people wonder, letting people be curious, letting people come to their own conclusions, because people are going to come to their own conclusions regardless if you give them an answer or not, you know? That is something I’ve always politely maneuvered around — that question — for myself as well as for the people that listen to my music because I don’t think… I’ll leave it at that.

MW: Fair enough. You say on your social media you’re pronoun indifferent. What does that mean?

MEHRO: It means that you can call me whatever you’d like to call me.

MW: So he, him, she, her, they, them?

MEHRO: Whatever you’d like to call me.

MW: What do you like to call yourself?

MEHRO: I like not having the specific answer. I like the openness of it. I like adjusting from a day-to-day basis. I like adjusting from a conversational basis. Because the roles change even when you’re in a conversation with somebody. Every interaction is a dance. Every environment inspires something different out of me. And that might sound fucking woo-woo and something out there, but I’m a bit woo-woo, I’m a bit out there, otherwise I wouldn’t be looking to do this with my life. And that is genuinely how I feel.

MW: So I can’t really ask about the coming-out story, can I?

MEHRO: I don’t think that would be fair to people who know themselves better than I know myself. And I don’t think that is fair for people who do strongly identify with something, people who have gone through so much, and people who are fighting for so much. And I don’t think it’s fair for me to give you an anecdote or a story about that when there are people — amazing people — fighting. I think it would be unfair.

MW: Okay. I want a promise from you. When and if you feel like you do want to reveal that information, I want you to come back to us, I want us to be the ones to break it.

MEHRO: I can make that promise to you. Of course. You’ll be my first call if that ever happens. Anything for you, Randy. Anything.

MW: Oh, you’re a charmer.

MEHRO: Don’t tell my ex’s parents that. They won’t believe you. Sorry, that was a bad joke. Please go ahead.

MW: I suppose if I were a good journalist, I would say, “Hmm, is that ex he or she?” But we’ll just keep it to “ex.” You’re even more interesting than the music — because the music is mysterious in itself. You’re like a man of mystery. You’re an enigma.

MEHRO: I couldn’t ask for somebody to define me in a better way than what you just said. And that is why it touches my soul so deeply and rings so true to me that you would say that. Bless you, Randy.

MW: Seriously? That was okay? Okay.

MEHRO: Loved it.

MW: Good. Because I feel, as a journalist, I’m bombing here.

MEHRO: The opposite. The opposite.

MW: Well, that’s a relief. Okay, let’s get into the music. Let’s start with the new album, Weirdthrob. What’s interesting is, and you can correct me if I’m wrong in my assessment here, but a lot of the older music seems gentle and tender in a way. It isn’t until this album that you introduce a rawness — it has a muscular quality to it. It erupts at times when you don’t expect it to. It’s really invigorating to hear. It feels like a deliberate, “I’m going to turn up the volume on my musical persona with this album.” Is this approach more about the real you, musically speaking?

MEHRO: Throughout my songwriting process journey that I’ve experienced thus far, I let songs reveal themselves to me. And this collection of songs did just that. I love your interpretation of this, and I wish I was smart enough to say that I had these ideas consciously, because I didn’t. The only thing I knew was that the live show, when I played it with my original music, felt flat. That was the only conscious feeling where I was like, “Okay, this feels flat.” So I was basically planting the seed into the universe of “Show me something.” Show me how we can make this live experience, as you said, erupt or be visceral.

So tapping into intuition and experiences, and also just getting out of the way. I was very scared. This album scares me, which probably is a good thing. It scares me because I think there’s times when I listen to it and it rings very true, and there’s times when I listen to it and it revolts me because I think it’s sort of a reflection of me. I’m showing you who I am. And I think that you picked up on that. So there’s times where I love it and there’s times where it disgusts me.

MW: What in particular disgusts you about it?

MEHRO: The rawness at times. I think it’s like looking at a naked photograph — a naked photograph that changes based on the lighting. Like the lighting can change in the photograph depending on when you’re seeing it. So there’s times where it’s dark and mysterious, and then there are other times where it’s like all the light is in the photograph and you’re like, “Whoa!” And that’s how I sort of experience music, that depending on the circumstances that you’re listening to it reveals either everything that’s in the photograph or keeps it mysterious. God, I’m so fucking bizarre.

MW: Not at all. I like the fact that you say that the earlier songs live came off as flat. There’s nothing boring about them, but I could feel there’s sort of a tentativeness to the approach. It’s like you’re confronted with a lake and you’re just sort of dipping your toe in the water to see how it feels, and you’re now realizing it’s okay. With this album, you’re diving in all the way. And it comes through — it’s like a giant splash, this album. Sorry, that’s not really a question.

MEHRO: It’s making me smile from ear to ear. I wish that outside opinions didn’t affect me as much as they do, but I don’t have my soul armor on with you right now, so this is just me, and it means the world. It means a lot that you like it.

MW: What exactly is soul armor?

MEHRO: It’s something that you have to do to protect yourself when you’re meeting people. You have to keep parts of yourself protected and safe. Because you meet so many different energies and so many souls that if you don’t keep a certain part of yourself protected, it might become affected, tainted.

Basically — how do I describe it? — it’s keeping an adult-like awareness protecting the inner child within you. It’s being your own parent.

MW: You should always keep your soul armor on with a journalist.

MEHRO: Well, in the future I will. And I think you have proven that I don’t need it, but I can do that. I can start slowly putting it on. I’ll start slowly putting it on.

MW: Wait, no! I didn’t mean right now! Just in the future.

Let’s talk about your amazing vocal range. I don’t have the musical vocabulary to describe it, so I want to say falsetto, but it’s not, it’s almost like soprano. It’s almost operatic at points. On the song “Sewer,” for instance, you leap into high notes. Have you always had this ability or did you train to develop it?

MEHRO: I grew up in choir, but I was in choir essentially by accident. My teachers never thought I was much of a singer. They never did. And I made the top choir in high school by accident. It was literally a mistake made by the front office that put me in the top choir. So much so that when I walked into the room that day, the choir teacher said, “What are you doing here?” I love him, I love him. But that was his reaction when I walked in.

But singing was something that I just worked on constantly. And I’m working with a vocal teacher now named Melissa Cross, who has sort of unlocked something in me as a singer that I never had before, which is probably that eruption that you were talking about. And she’s phenomenal. And I also like doing impressions. I like impersonating people. I grew up watching Saturday Night Live and I would re-perform the scenes that I loved most for my mother. So I would play all the characters and I would re-enact them and do these impersonations and impressions of people for her. I’ve always been able to hear things and replicate the voices of them, which leads into acting and all that. Just a theater kid, just a dork, just somebody who likes attention. That’s what this is.

MW: While I was listening to your music, I kept coming back in my head thinking, “This guy should write a musical.” I could see a Broadway musical in your future.

MEHRO: I would absolutely love it. I would love to write a musical. I know it takes basically a lifetime to do it, but I believe that I could do it and I would love to do that at some point. Do you have a favorite musical?

MW: Yes.

MEHRO: What’s your favorite?

MW: I don’t know if I want to say. That’s my soul armor.

MEHRO: That’s fair.

MW: Oh, no, come on. You can’t twist my arm better than that?

MEHRO: Randy, I need to know.

MW: There you go.

MEHRO: The world needs to know.

MW: Because I can cut this out of the interview, so I have ultimate control there.

MEHRO: That’s right. That’s right.

MW: I would say Into the Woods.

MEHRO: I’ve never seen it.

MW: Put it on your list. The close second is Phantom of the Opera, which I know is really bad for a former theater critic to say. But there you go. People don’t want to hear from me. They want to hear from you. Do you enjoy listening back to your own music?

MEHRO: I try to avoid it as much as possible. There are times where it hits me really hard, and there’s times where I’m just disgusted by it, and there’s times where I feel nothing.

MW: The only place I can think to go from here is the fact that I’m impressed that you are posting every night on X until you sell out your tour. That’s been fun to watch. Have you noticed a difference in ticket sales since you started doing this very interesting marketing move?

MEHRO: There’s certainly new people that are finding me every day, and you can’t ask for anything more than that. And so many people that would want to go to the show that are still just finding out about it. I am also not really paying attention to the number of ticket sales. Whether we’re playing for 20 people, whether we’re playing for 2,000 people, I’m going to give you the same show. I’m going to give you my entire heart. We’re going to give you our heart and our soul, regardless of how many people are in that crowd. So, I’m doing everything I can to let as many people know about it as possible without focusing on direct effects.

MW: It’s fun to watch them. There are a few where you do a bit of “Sepia Tones” and hit the high note in real time. So, I’m not surprised to hear that you are working with a vocal coach, but that’s really impressive, Mehro. Wait, can I call you… Do I call you Mehro? I don’t know what to call you.

MEHRO: So, I legally changed my name to Mehro Armato-Sturges in 2021. And this is part of the conversation we were having earlier about choosing a path for myself — not necessarily one given to me, if that makes sense, but giving myself my own definition. Literally having a name that, by American standards, isn’t an actual name, doesn’t actually have a meaning. That word has meanings in other languages — but, yes, Mehro is the name that I like to be called.

MW: What’s the full name again?

MEHRO: Mehro Armato-Sturges is my full name.

MW: Sturges, like Preston Sturges?

MEHRO: Yes.

MW: Is it taken from Preston Sturges?

MEHRO: Yes.

MW: So, can we assume that you like Preston Sturges movies?

MEHRO: He’s my grandfather.

MW: What?! Holy fuck. I’m sorry, what? What? Okay, so this is where some of the mystery… We probably don’t… What? You are related to Preston Sturges?

MEHRO: Yes.

MW: I am absolutely flabbergasted. I love Preston Sturges. Who doesn’t love Preston Sturges? Holy shit. Sorry. I don’t mean to swear.

MEHRO: No, you can swear as much as you like. You can swear as much as you like. It’s an honor.

MW: This is really bad for a journalist to offer but if you don’t want this on the record, that’s up to you.

MEHRO: If you feel that it enriches the piece in some sort of way, but I made it my full name because when I do make films, I want to carry what he has done, for those that care, which is very few. But for the people that do care, they care very, very deeply, just as you said. So, yeah.

MW: What a remarkable heritage to have. And I thought when you said you changed your name, “Well, you’re honoring…” Like if I changed my name to Hitchcock. But to actually find out that you are related to this legend — well, that’s pretty impressive. Do you have a favorite of his movies?

MEHRO: So, recently I got to go to watch The Lady Eve sitting next to Jane Fonda. I was sitting next to Jane Fonda watching The Lady Eve with her father, Henry Fonda, in the film alongside Barbara Stanwyck. So, literally while we’re watching the movie, while I’m sitting next to this beautiful woman, she’s like, “Oh, Dad, come on. Dad…” Which was just a surreal experience to be there, experiencing that. It was fantastic. So, Lady Eve is my personal favorite. I love Sullivan’s Travels. I love The Great McGinty. I love all of them. The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek. Do you have a favorite?

MW: Sullivan’s Travels, which I watched again recently. I watched that so many times. I love that film. I love the sentiment of that film, the construction of the film, and just the writing of that film. He was such a good writer. They just don’t write them like that anymore. They don’t. They can’t.

MEHRO: They can’t. They can’t. They can’t.

MW: You have LGBTQ fans. What message as someone in solidarity with the movement do you have for them?

MEHRO: There’s so many things to say right now. First of all, in speaking about the people specifically that listen to my music that are LGBTQ, to anybody that’s reading this, to anybody that’s seeing this, that’s hearing this, that’s part of the LGBT community, just know how deeply you’ve touched my heart with sharing your stories with me, with feeling that the music resonates with you in any sort of way, and the people that have shared their stories with me, the people who I’ve gotten to meet after my shows. It’s fulfilling that people who are going through so much can find solace in something that I have to do with, because finding solace in something is very powerful.

I’ve been going through some things myself recently, and it’s the music, it’s the food, it’s the little comforts that just keep you going every day that are so powerful. And to every person that is there in that state, what I would say — again, with my very little knowledge, and without me being a political person or somebody who has very little knowledge on any of these subjects — be patient and truly, deeply believe that love will persevere. And that is really what this is about. The difference is between love and hate. Perhaps the fight is between love and disdain, I can’t necessarily say.

MW: Okay, final question, because I know you have to get back to rehearsal. I’m going to ask about the hair because your hair is crazy mad. I know I sound like a cranky old man, but what is it with you kids and your mountains of hair? When I was growing up in the ’70s, we had long hair, but you guys have it down in front of your eyes. Who can drive like that? I watched the video for “You’re So Pretty” and your hair is literally covering your face at points. So I have to know, since I’m a person who’s never had hair in front of their eyes, can you actually see out of that? I have to know.

MEHRO: [Laughs.] It’s like a veil. It just makes things a little more mysterious, a little more difficult to see. [Covers his face with his hair.] And yeah, I can still see you.

MW: It’s like a sheepdog.

MEHRO: It is a little bit like a sheepdog, but I can still see you. The Champagne Delbeck sign is up there, and the Jacquard sign is up there. I’m at SIR in Los Angeles — it pays homage to ’40s L.A., back when my grandfather was running this town.

Weirdthrob is available on all major music platforms for streaming and for purchase.

The Weirdthrob World Tour hits Washington’s DC9 Nightclub on Saturday, Sept. 27. Other dates include Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The international leg of the tour begins in November. For a full list of dates and to purchase tickets, visit www.mehromusic.com.

Follow mehro on X at @iammehro.

Subscribe to Metro Weekly’s free magazine for more exclusive artist interviews and reviews.