Artist of the Day | MIKALYN
ARTIST OF THE DAY
18.03.2021
MIKALYN
LOCATION
Guelph, ON, Canada
GENRE
Indie Pop
CURRENT MEMBERS
Mikalyn
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
When the pandemic started, I was doing live gigs pretty regularly. I was a reoccurring act at a few restaurants, and also in the process of planning a new release. I had a whole bunch of cowrites booked, but luckily with live-streaming and zoom I was able to carry on for the most part online. Nothing beats live, though!
How has that affected your plans for the coming year? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
It definitely took me by surprise, that’s for sure! The release I had planned was bumped, and I had so many songs in the works that had to be halted. A huge way I make my income and promote my music is live events, so obviously when they were all cancelled I had to take a step back, and figure out new ways to keep my career moving forward.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home? How are you supporting your mental health through all of this?
Most of my free time was spent rebranding and writing. I took the first lockdown as a chance to look at my music, and establish who I am as an artist. I took a few artist development classes, worked on a bunch of songs with my Producer/Co-writer Chris, and established a new song. I love you too much, my latest single, was one of the first songs we wrote with a new mentality! There were many ups and downs mentally throughout the first lockdown, but what helped me a lot was trying to stay distracted. Writing, planning and also doing things for myself like reading was a huge help. I also started journaling, which not only helps with my mental health but also helps me write songs! It’s interesting to look back and see where I was a month ago compared to now, and reminds me that even if things are hard for a moment in time, they will look up eventually.
How are dealing with the Covid second wave?
I’m currently in my first year of university, studying popular music culture. When I entered my second semester, we all entered the second lockdown. I’ve been really just focusing on school and music this lockdown, since I spent majority of the first one trying to rediscover my sound. Being a full time music student allows me to apply what I’m learning to real life, so I’ve really just tried to throw myself into my studies to keep the time moving this lockdown.
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
Take this time to focus on yourself and what makes you happy. I know it sucks not to be able to return to normal life right yet, and feeling isolated. So if you want to have a day where you only watch Netflix and that’s it, do it. If you want to replan your entire life, do it! If you want to write a song, sit down and start. Right now, all we can do is take everything one day at a time.
If you would like to be our next ARTIST OF THE DAY please email us at:
JEN@CONCERTWORKS.CA
