Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mecca Mitchell, MBA. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Mecca, thanks for joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

It was the night I graduated from Radford High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. One of my best friends and fellow classmate, Melissa, and her family were staying in a hotel because her dad was getting ready to be deployed to another state. My parents let me stay the night with her and we went down to the hotel karaoke bar downstairs. I ended up singing an Anita Baker song and got a round of applause and an encore request. After I sung my second song, the owner of the bar came to the stage and gave me a $10 bill. I used that money to buy a toothbrush since I forgot to pack one, but to this day I wish I had kept that bill and framed it.

Mecca, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been singing and acting all my life starting in church. My initial major when I began at Prairie View A&M University was Drama before I switched to Accounting my sophomore year. In 2015 I sung at a Father’s Day event and that began my journey to performing in multiple events with singing and poetry. I’ve met so many people over the years and am so grateful for the many opportunities I have had and still have. I have produced and headlined in 3 concerts and will soon be planning a 4th one in 2023. In 2018 I created my own interview podcast called Pinto Beanz N Cake (named for my parents) and plan to bring that back real soon.. 3 years ago in 2019 I started co-hosting a music podcast that a year later turned into an internet radio show called Brown Sugar Xpress with Raine & Meschèt on High Volume Music Radio. I also co-host a second music show on YouTube and Harvunij.com called Spicy Soul Vibez with Meschèt & LaFaye. I continue to write music and hope to record a full studio album soon. What I want people to feel when they see and hear me perform is “good vibes”. I get up on the stage and just release my stress and I want people to have a moment to just have a good time in a positive and fun environment while forgetting about their troubles. I want my music to soothe and comfort my listeners.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I get a lot of my support from family and even people I barley know or just met. And even thought I get LOTS of love from my family, the trend among artists in general seems to be that we seem to have to beg our friends and family to support us while strangers and people outside of our circle or local community are watching and supporting with no problem. These are the things I hear amongst the groups of artists I personally know. As creatives, all we want to do is share what we our gifts. It takes hours to create a song or a poem or even an entire production and once it’s complete it’s like our baby and we’re ready for the “sip and see”. In other words, we’re ready to show off what we’ve been working so hard on and hopefully the people who come will have a great time and enjoy themselves. So when you see us sharing a flyer for a performance, even if you can make it, please share and help spread the word. I’ve had people purchase tickets to giveaway to someone else as a way of sharing since they knew they wouldn’t be able to make it to that particular show. We may not be famous, but we out here with great talents. Do something different.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’ve been creative all of my life. My driving force that keeps me going is my dad. He was really big on playing music around the house and he had a deliberate way of recording tape playlists for the car. My mom has always been my biggest supporter and makes me feel I can rule the world. My brother is also very talented and we’ve performed together several times. I work hard and hope my son sees my work ethic and I pray it gives him motivation to go for whatever dreams he has.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @meschet
• Facebook: Mecca Meschet Mitchell
• Twitter: @musiknme
• Youtube: 1. meschetsworld 2. Spicy Soul Vibez
• Other: LayerByLayer.weebly.com

Image Credits
Moutin Bazile J. Varner Lenny Clicked It