We were lucky to catch up with Mike Larry Draw recently and have shared our conversation below.
Mike Larry, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on in my music career has to be a project I literally just finished one 3 weeks ago from Feb7 2024. Ive been working on this project for the last 4 years. Originally the project was started and finalized in 2020 but was scratched do to conflict of interest with another artist who was attached to it. in 2020 I was working with a label and had my biggest opportunity to work with a multiple grammy nominated artist who agree to do a collaboration project with me. Once the project was finished the artist had to pull out of the project do to record label conflict which really deflated my passion and energy for the project. The project wasn’t allowed to be released which void my contract with the label. So that year I couldn’t release my dream project. The next step was to recompose all the music I originally wrote which was the more difficult part due to getting back into a specific creative mind-state for that project. I didn’t listen nor touch the project for a year. One day opened up the project fold to this body of work I took off a year from I begin deconstructing, then reconstruction and re-organizing the music. I had a great draft complete the following year and had planned to release the project 2023. At this point I looked for another label to assist me on the release as well a better deal for the project. This Project lead me to moving to Japan where I begin shopping the project to both American and Japanese labels. while in Japan i became inspired to add another song to the project to complete the project in a way I would have never been able to if I stayed in New York. I am still shopping around the project yet to no luck. For those who have heard my previous projects would agree that this project tops them all. This project is an emotional charge and once the world finally gets a chance to hear it, I will be so relieved and pleased.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Mike Larry Draw, I am a Bronx Born, Grammy Nominated American, “Polymath” super record producer, experiential designer, and Preforming visionary. Ive had an opportunity to perform with Grammy nominated artists. I graduated from the High School of Art and Design where I studied animation and film, yet I always was connected to music. I LOVE music, it calls me in a way unexplainable. My favorite way of making my music is using this one program called Logic Pro. I create all my music in that program. Originally I started off using another program called FL Studio which is formally known as “Fruity Loops.” My favorite thing to watch is Anime and I really like playing video games. Although I told myself I will not play any games till I can buy a house with my music. Everyday I wake I create music, whether its full songs, just instrumentals or writing lyrics. I love to read, and I really dislike social media. at this moment Im looking to find a way to push my music out to the world without being on the major social media Platforms most artist use now a days.
What do I want people to know about me? hmmm….Im very confident in what I am doing. I am somewhat being pulled to my goals but also dictation how I think it will turn out. My music and art is my expression an although Ive been doing this art for as long as I can remember, its not the easiest honest living. I do what feels right to me everyday even when I don’t get paid. As many times as I’ve blindly followed my intuition, it hasn’t failed me or place in a position i should not be in. Following my inner artist has lead me to the right place at the right time even when It seems to be where I should not be. I would tell those who are listening, or reading, with an open heart, open mind, and open ears. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO DO. I’ve been told since I can remember that I wasn’t going to amount to anything with my art. I was going to fail.. blah blah blah…..If I fail so what. I did what was right to me. My next goal is to release this new project I am working on. Its a Jazz hip hop influenced fusion album.
What do I think sets me apart from others? Well I only know whats it like to be me in my mind. Im not quite sure how to answer that question at THIS very moment due to the specific mind-state that Im in. My answer now can completely change and I want to make sure when I read this back in the near future, my answer hasn’t change drastically
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
when I was a young impressionable 13 year old, I was told that I wasn’t talented by an adult. Instead of wanting to quit, their words set a fire inside of me to prove them wrong. It angered me to know what they couldn’t see who I really was.
I remember being homeless and couch surfing for about close to 3 years, really going for my goals, not caring about what others said to me. I saw it as a game in sense. The closer I got to my goals the more difficult the game had gotten. People around me begin telling me to turn around from my dreams. The phrase, “any type of job” begin to surface alot more as things got more difficult. There were time I didn’t know if I would be able to feed myself or have a place to sleep. I stuck with the plan no matter what happened.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
When you look at creative you have to understand that this being you are talking to or witnessing is not average. Some artist are more eccentric than others. You may meet someone who you may think is extremely hard to talk to, or don’t understand the simple things because to them it may not be simple. They maybe thinking about variables and things to account for while either answering a question or trying to trouble shoot a moment. They’re thinking, how they use their brain or even how they view theirselves will be different. They way we see the world maybe completely poetic or confusing to some. Some of us has ADHD or other traits most people my seem as abnormal. But these traits can be contributes to our art. The way we use our senses are big then convey it back in a way of art is an important part of who we are. I personally know that I am not able to function in certain settings do to my artist mind. My artist mind takes me on this journeys where I maybe in front of you physically but Im literally not with you. I have these visions of what is supposed to happen next for my next art piece or I will hear something that Inspires me to create a song in my head in mid sentence of what you are saying. Is that ADHD? maybe, but that is the gift I have been blessed with. These same gifts and happenings lead me to the final art piece you are able to enjoy and gain some sort of experience from.
Contact Info:
- Website: mikelarrydraw.me
- Instagram: @mikelarrydraw
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialMikelarrydraw
- Other: https://mikelarrydraw.wixsite.com/mld24
Image Credits
Zoe Map, Lena Egorova Chris Ramos Anthony Cubbage Greene