Candidly honest and eloquent storytelling is what makes Canadian singer/songwriter Mikalyn and her music fiercely relatable. Following the output of her original piano-led music on Soundcloud, the Ontario raised artist gained the attention from a Brazilian record label, which led to a mix of her original sound into EDM anthems. After making these connections in the industry, she went on to collaborate with huge artists such as Ownboss and Evokings, solidifying herself as an artist to watch.
Flourishing in her career, with her music amassing over three million streams, Mikalyn steps out with her courageous new single “Ready To Love You.” Effortlessly refined and decorated with a contagious 80’s beat and soulful vocals, the new track exhales the brave realisation of not being ready to fall in love. PopWrapped caught up with Mikalyn to learn how she got into music, the inspiration behind her new track and what we can expect to see and hear from her in the months ahead.
You’ve had a strong start to the year with the release of your new single “Ready to Love You.” But before we get stuck into that, can you tell me a little bit about how you first got into music?
Music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember! I come from a musical family, so my parents put me in piano lessons at age 5. That was really the start of learning the language of music, and I had always loved singing, so naturally they also let me do singing lessons. As a kid, I had a very active imagination. I remember sitting on the school bus and to entertain myself and my friends, I would make up stories to pass the time. I discovered that songwriting was a way to combine storytelling and singing around age 7, and the rest is history! From there I kept writing, meeting new people in the music and songwriting community, doing open mics, and started releasing music.
What was the inspiration behind your new single “Ready To Love You”?
I wrote ‘Ready To Love You’ back in the summer of 2021 with Murray Daigle. We really wanted to write a song about not wanting to be in a relationship because you’re just not ready for one yet. Sometimes there doesn’t need to be a huge reason, you just simply aren’t at a point in your life where that is what you want. Emotions are complicated, and that’s really what the song is about!
You write with such wisdom, despite the fact you’re still quite early on in your career. Do you tend to write from personal experience or do you soak up inspiration from the environment around you?
Thank you! I would say it’s a pretty even mix of both. When I first started writing, I would tend to write based on books I had read, or experiences I wanted to have. As I’ve grown, I’ve started to write more about my own life or the lives of my friends and people around me. I tend to try to pick up inspiration from everywhere – the latest song I wrote was inspired by a relationship in a reality TV show I watched on Netflix!
Did you have a certain sound in mind when you wrote the new single “Ready To Love You”?
I’ve worked with my producer Murray since I was 13, so I’ve really evolved sonically since first meeting him. I was going to the studio once a week to meet with Murray and write. ‘Ready To Love You’ was the 4th song we wrote during this time, and something that really stuck out to me was the synths and 80s influences. I grew up listening to 80s music, so it was super cool to incorporate those influences into the song. It was different from all the other tracks we wrote, and it was a lot more challenging to record in the studio than any of the others. Usually I go for long phrases, smoother melodies, but we wrote ‘Ready To Love You’ as a way to break out of that box.
Is there anything you hope your listeners will take from the track?
I always just hope that listeners can take what they need from my songs – apply it to whatever they’re currently going through in life because that’s what I do when I listen to music. Whether that’s just that you want to listen and vibe along, or if you resonate with the lyrics.
You’ve already collaborated with some killer artists like Ownboss and Evokings. Are there any artists you’re dying to work with in the future?
There are so many amazing, talented artists that it’s hard to choose! I love collaborating because I feel like you open yourself up to so many new ideas and can learn from anyone. My dream collaboration is with Marina (formerly known as Marina & the Diamonds), because she is by far my biggest musical inspiration. She’s been in the game for years, and I idolize her so much.
We’re fresh into a new year full of possibilities – have you got any big goals for 2022?
I’m really hoping to release my EP in 2022! I have most of the songs ready, it’s just adding some final details. I would also really love to get back into live shows, I miss doing them a lot. In 2019 and early 2020 I was doing at least 1-2 shows a week, so I’m hoping that I can get back to that. I’m also in the process of planning a trip to L.A for May of this year, which would be huge!
Give “Ready To Love You” a listen below and for more information on Mikalyn, visit her website, give her page a like on Facebook or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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