World, meet Mikky Ekko: the singer from Nashville, whose soulful vocal tones and cascades of copper curls you might just recognise from Rihanna's<span class="apple-converted-space"> Stay. While the collaboration was Ekko's big time musical debut, it isn't entirely reflective of his own musical sensibilities, which range from melancholy, alternative soul (see<span class="apple-converted-space"> Pull Me Down) to indie-edged Pop'n'B (a genre of which I totally just made up). At the moment, he's polishing up his debut album, on which he's worked with some of the biggest named producers of the moment (Greg Kurstin, Paul Epworth and John Hill, among others), and is set to cause a serious industry stir when it finally hits the shelves early in 2014 via Columbia Records. He's just released his new single, Kids, which you can download on iTunes here. Catch him on tour with Jessie Ware<span class="apple-converted-space"> in October and headlining St Pancras Old Church in London on 16 September. Until then? Let him introduce himself…
Mikky Ekko: "My parents sang us to sleep when we were kids. We weren't the Von Trapp family, but I'm pretty sure Momma wished we were sometimes. She was always using music to teach us random facts, or geography. It got a little crazy sometimes as a kid, but looking back, I love it. Thanks, Mom."
"One day when my parents left the house I set up their VHS camcorder and made my own music video (of ninja moves) to Kriss Kross's (RIP) I Missed The Bus. When it was over, I moonwalked (attempted, mind you) off stage (my living room) and stopped the tape… Then turned it over and did it again."
"Sometimes life is wonderful. Sometimes things get complicated. This is what life sounds like inside my head."
"Bjork, Radiohead and Gorillaz, to name some of the biggest. A few others who've made a dent are Marnie Stern, Actress, Animal Collective and Blonde Redhead."
"Human innovation. It's a beautiful, scary time for the world and unprecedented breakthroughs are occurring almost daily. I'm proud to be part of a generation creating waves in a new technological age."
"Flying Lotus, Actress and Clams Casino."
"Anyone who speaks more than six languages. I can't even imagine..."
"Four giant trampolines, one massive ball pit, 10 local rescue dogs, three chefs cooking filet mignon for the pups and seabass for me, two people juggling water balloons and four packs of fresh socks."
"Melody's Echo Chamber."
"I'm a sucker for some old-school Michael Bolton."
"On tour this fall (US East Coast then UK)!!!!"
Be twitter family here: @MikkyEkko
And go here for more info: www.MikkyEkko.com
