Miya Folick was born in Santa Ana, California. She is half Japanese and half Russian and was raised as a Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist,learning to play the taiko drums in a church group. She later attended New York University to study acting and the University ofSouthern California. During a gap semester, a high school friend taught her how to play guitar. She later started her band usingTinder, where she created a profile that said, "looking for a band."