Micah - Exciting (Official Video) + 10 Questions

Micah is a 25-year-old pop artist hailing from Birmingham, who started releasing music back in 2016 under the name Molly Mikes. At the time, he was making rap music and releasing freestyles on popular YouTube channels. Since last year, he has been going through a rebranding process and shifted his sound in a pop direction with the help of his cousin Corey, who produced all the music on his current catalogue, and took on the name Micah.

“Exciting” is his third release this year and incorporates catchy melodies that grow on the listener gradually throughout the song whilst still maintaining a laid-back vibe, creating a head-bopping sound infused with calm, feel-good energies.

The video for “Exciting” was directed and edited by Oliver Payne and shot in collaboration with Leon Matthews. Oliver Payne is known for his impressive work for the staple UK clothing brand Hoodrich and collaborations with the likes of Top Boy and a vast array of UK class A personalities such as Headie One, Russ Millions and Fumez the Engineer. Leon Matthews is also a highly regarded name in the industry, known for his innovative vision and with an extensive catalogue of work with top UK artists such as Tion Wayne, Nafe Smallz, Digga D, Aitch and many more.

The energy of Micah’s sound can remind of The Weekend and Harry Styles, whilst his visuals also follow a similar direction, incorporating fun scenes with catchy effects and intricate lighting techniques, complimenting his music perfectly.

Since he has started his rebranding process, Micah released two other singles entitled “No Way” and “Take Our Time”.

The former sits on 12.2K on Spotify and the video has hit over 10K views on YouTube over the span of two months. The top 3 countries his listeners come from are the UK, US and France on both platforms and the majority of his listeners are males between 25 and 34-years old.

The latter, which was his second release after “No Way”, has 167 streams on Spotify and the visualiser sits on 4.1K views on YouTube. The Spotify analytics show similar data as for “No Way”, only with a stronger appeal to a younger audience aged between 18 and 24, whilst the audience remains predominantly male.

With his latest release, “Exciting”, Micah hopes to capture a vaster audience with an interest in pop music that resonates with his distinct sound and the twist he puts on pop music, building a stronger community around him and his art.

Micah sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:

1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

Growing up around older siblings, music has always been an interest an interest for me. From as  young as 11 years old I would play around on Garage Band making music. Me and my cousins would always write raps - we never took it seriously at the time but had a genuine interest in writing music. My cousins would play a lot of rap music around me, which varied from artists such as Nipsey Hussle, Dolla, Mobb Deep. However I always had my own specific taste of music too. I enjoyed listening to the likes of Gorillaz, Coldplay, Kano and Justin Timberlake.

2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?

Artists like Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams had a big influence on me. I remember listening to    their project ‘Justified’ around the time it got released when I was younger and I definitely took away a lot of different elements that influenced my taste in music. I’d find myself analysing how the beat is, how it would drop and then how Justin would take it to another level with his voice and melodies.

I would like to work Tame Impala, Brent Faiyaz, Rema, Wiz Kid…the list could go on as I have an   open ear for music, my taste in music varies a lot.

3. Tell us about your latest single ‘Exciting’ and how it came to life?

It was just another day in the studio with cousin Corey Keay who has produced all of my music. We     recorded ‘Exciting’ in December 2019 so it had been sat waiting to be released for a while! With my music I tend to be honest with myself as much as possible as I feel it makes my music ten times better; it feels right for me. ‘Exciting’ was just myself talking about a past relationship I had been in, elaborating on the fact that the ups and downs of the relationship weren’t exciting to me anymore and that I was ready to move on and level up.

4. What is the story behind the video and how did you come up with the concept?

Our main aim for the video was to create something engaging and attention catching. We took inspiration from Lucki and Travis Scott videos which utilised special effects in an impactful way - which contradicted the style of music ‘Exciting’ falls under. We kept the narrative pretty simple as  the editing was the main factor that separated it from other videos.

5. What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?

Projects aren’t something that’s on my radar as of yet. I feel as if I need to release and give people singles with visuals. I think about future projects all the time but want to make sure the timing and  the music is right - I want it to be a special moment!

6. How would you describe your sound?

I find this such a difficult question to answer!! I feel as if my sound is quite unique and doesn’t fit   under any one category or genre. I try to create feel-good music with infectious and catchy melodies that stay in peoples head. My sound is very authentic to me though and sonically captures the vision I have in my head.

7. What’s your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?

Releasing ‘No Way’, was a proud moment for me, as this was my first release since changing my artist name to ‘Micah’. I had a pretty big catalogue of music waiting to be pushed out, so finally getting to release something felt very relieving!! The reaction we got was great and definitely inspired me to continue releasing as consistently as I can.

8. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

One thing I can advise is to just enjoy your journey. Try to be honest with yourself. Keep creating to   your standard because at the end of the day you’re an individual, you’re not supposed to be the same as everybody else.

9. What do you like to do when you’re not making music?

I’m a fairly relaxed guy so don’t get up to too much in my spare time. I love going to the gym though and taking care of myself and my body. I also like shopping, playing playstation and just chilling with friends getting creative.

10. Name 3 things you cant live without in the studio?

Weed, water and snacks. And iPhone notes!!