Young MC Spotlight: Mia-Nichole
It’s rare when you come across a young talent that makes you want to tell as many people that you know about this new artist. Oddly enough, I listen to YouTube. Where most people probably watch the platform, I listen. It was in one of those late night listening sessions where I heard Mia-Nichole’s music being played on a show by her father that I listen to often. Check out his show when you get a chance, “Let’s talk about it“. That’s the name of the show.
The track was Mia-Nichole ripping a beat with the melody of the theme song, “Transformers”. Yes. Transformers, the cartoon. When I heard Mia-Nichole’s voice, I was reminded of a young version of MC Lyte. The lyrics were punchline filled, and littered with alliterations. I reached out to her father, asked for an interview, and we made it happen. Check out the interview below.
What drew you to the music industry?
Mia-Nichole: Before I ever imagined myself actually wanting a career in music, it was always apart of me. Writing was my escape and it was just really fun for me to do but as I got older and really had to start thinking about my future, I just thought “why not try and turn my passion into my profession.” I was about 14 at that time and it’s been my dream ever since.
Who are you inspired by?
Mia-Nichole: The person that inspires me most is definitely my best friend Akira. She is one of the most selfless people that I know. We both make it our business to keep each other motivated and in a positive mindset. She’s super supportive and involved in my music-making process.
Please explain your creative process?
Mia-Nichole: I always ask myself, “Is this something that I would listen to if I didn’t create it ?” I make music that I like and I’m always searching to find MY new thing, what I haven’t done yet. After that, the vibe of the music takes over from there.
How do you put your lyrics together?
Mia-Nichole: It varies a lot, sometimes I just think of a random bar or a rhythm and record it on my phone for later. Other times I actually try to figure out new rhyme schemes for my lyrics. Usually my lyrics are never written in its official order, I later decide the placement for the lyrics in the song.
You’re from the South, yet you have a flow that is versatile. At such a young age, how did you develop so quickly?
Mia-Nichole: I’ve been writing songs since I was about 8 years old so I’ve constantly pushed myself to evolve into what I’m becoming but aside from that , I just listen to a wide variety of music that may reflect a bit in my own music.
Do you write your own music?
Mia-Nichole: Yes indeed! I’m not completely opposed to getting ideas from others or even doing a hook written by someone else. But as of now I have yet to do either.
Do you collaborate with others? What is that process?
Mia-Nichole: Yes, I have close friends who are also artists and we collaborate a lot, sometimes just for fun but I’ve collaborated with a lot of different artists that I’ve met on the platform Bandlab . Usually they will DM me saying that they would like to collab or vise versa, then the song or beat gets sent and we just do our thing.
Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans
Mia-Nichole: I reply back letting them know that I appreciate them taking the time to listen to my music and if the interaction is on Bandlab, I ask them to send me a link to their music and I show their page some love!
What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? Why?
Mia-Nichole: My favorite part is that I can just be myself. I’m a pretty reserved person but I can comfortably go in on the track. My least favorite part is that the really good artists are the underdogs in today’s music and I feel like the hard work that goes into our music is constantly overlooked.
What was your first performance like?
Mia-Nichole: I have yet to have my first official performance musically. I’ve acted in plays in front of big crowds but l my biggest performance musically was in an audition which I was surprisingly very comfortable.
Have you ever dealt with performance anxiety?
Absolutely, but I think the one time that I should of really been nervous, I wasn’t at all. I rapped in an audition that took place in front of a lot of my peers who had no clue that I rapped until that moment.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps? Where do you see your career in the next 5 years?
Mia-Nichole: I would tell anyone wanting to follow in my footsteps to stay true to their passion and just remind them that no one is going to see the vision like they do, so even if it feels like no one believes in their dreams that doesn’t mean that they can’t achieve it. I’m still trying to achieve mines and even 5 years from now I will still be grinding to make sure I grow as an artist and just as a person.
