We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mykyl. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mykyl below.

Mykyl, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

One of the biggest misconceptions about being a musician is that most people only consider “making it” as becoming a world-famous superstar. In any other career field, people understand that success is defined by making a comfortable living. For instance, it would be silly to think that you have to be a household icon as a plumber or electrician, yet when it comes to music we tend to have this all-or-nothing mindset.

The truth is, there is a huge demographic of working-class musicians that are paying their bills doing what they love every day. I feel very blessed to be counted among them. It was a long journey to get here; it took a long period of time and money invested before I started to see the returns, but once the proverbial boulder started rolling, I was able to secure a healthy, steady income and quit my day job to do music full-time.

My journey started in high school when I would record music on a cheap microphone I borrowed from my friend and sell CDs in the hallway. As I got into college, recording technology started becoming more and more affordable, and because of social media, kids like me could make a hit from their laptop and go viral online. I played in several bands over the next couple years trying to make a name for myself in the local scene, until out of the blue I was offered an internship to work for Imagine Dragons in Las Vegas.

The internship taught me the ins and outs of the industry, and I realized very quickly that my schooling had been completely useless–almost nobody working in the professional world had a music degree, and a majority of my college professors didn’t know the first thing about recording music. I ended up dropping out in 2020 and opening my own studio where my friends would pay me to record their songs. Word slowly spread and I started taking on bigger and bigger projects, until it just didn’t make sense anymore to keep my part-time day job as a web designer. As of today, I’ve been producing music full-time for over two years, and I couldn’t be happier.

Mykyl, 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?

First and foremost I’m a music artist. I have over 30 songs out on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. with over a quarter million monthly listeners around the world. I love telling stories and writing songs that connect with people emotionally.

I’m also a Nashville-based songwriter and music producer, and I’ve written countless songs for other artists, mostly under the pop umbrella.

I’d love to play huge arenas someday, but honestly I’m so grateful and happy to just write songs and provide for my family while doing what I love. Anything above that is just an extra bonus.

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

Something people can do to support independent artists is to share their music with friends and family, come to live shows, and buy merch. I love streaming services like Spotify since they allow my music to get in front of people who would have never had a chance to hear it otherwise, but truthfully it doesn’t pay as much as it should. Most artists struggle to pay their bills off of streaming alone, so buying a t-shirt or a concert ticket goes a lot further towards funding their career.

Concerts and merch might not be an option for some fans, so if that’s the case the best thing you can do for us is to engage with us on social media and share our music as often as possible. Word of mouth goes a long way!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

This is a lesson that I’m still actively unlearning; it’s always been a struggle for me. As a creative, it can be really easy to attach your self-worth to the things you create and especially the reception of your creations. If they don’t perform as well as you hope, sometimes it can be discouraging or you might feel inadequate. But ultimately, if it’s something you’re proud of, it shouldn’t matter what others think of it. A painting’s beauty isn’t defined by how many people look at it in a museum, and your worth isn’t defined by how many people praise you. Keep making art for art’s sake, and don’t worry about the numbers.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmykyl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsmykyl
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/mykylmusic
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heyitsmykyl

Image Credits
Israel Bonilla, Alyssa Turner