Feature Spotlight | Exclusive | Music
Mikey Everything is done anticipating the better parts of himself, and his latest project "Revenge" allowed him to access those parts. "It's not personal. It's revenge", reads the tagline of the Chicago native's sophomore album. While this may be true for Mikey's audience, the new project seems to be both personal and revengeful for the artist.
"There is a song on my album called 'Revenge', and when I recorded it in the studio, my manager was like, 'damn, who made you mad? Like where did all of this come from?' Cause it's very - it's explicit, it's very straightforward, and it's very aggressive," he said.
"It's revenge because this is me making the music that I know I'm supposed to make. I feel like it's the best version of Mikey Everything the artist."
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The Chicago native is very fashion-esque, often sporting vibrant, pattern-filled garments and a multitude of headpieces on his Instagram. Mikey is intentional when it comes to his style, seemingly due diligence to those who have a similar physique as him. Homage to his late father, Mikey says he saw him do it the best.
"This is where I get the hat shit from. I get that from my daddy," Mikey said.
"My father was a big dude, a plus-size gentleman, but he was so stylish, so into cologne, into hats...when I was younger, he used to be like, 'You know, if you gon' be a big dude, it's okay to be a big dude, but you gotta do three things: You gotta be able to dress, you gotta smell good, and you gotta be able to move."
Finding confidence in his image is an ongoing process for Mikey, engaging in daily practices to stay motivated and loving himself outside and in.
"While I have struggled with my body image, I am learning to love the body that I am in. It's a daily love thing," he shared.
"It's a daily thing I do in the mirror, telling myself that I love myself, looking at myself with no clothes on, no hat on, no shirt on, no blazer on, no fashion on, and telling myself that I love myself - believing that and treating myself that way."
Toxic behavior, drug addiction, and lack of creative confidence are a few things Mikey struggled with in prior years. As he grew within his artistry, he also felt his individual morals blossom alongside. While referring to his earlier albums Haus of Everything and The Reason, he tells us:
"So I guess that the biggest difference is that those projects I was so caught up with, 'nobody supports me', I'm a queer artist and no one's listening to me," he said sincerely.
"I felt like I had so much to prove and so much to say and so many people to get back at, then I realized that I do have support...and when I let go of trying to be seen by people, and stop being a 'pick me' ass person, I discovered a new way to make music and a new purpose to make music."
A newly found purpose is evident as Mikey has had an ambitious start since the new year leading up to the announcement of his latest album's release. He recently acquired a new partnership with Frow Media Group and acquired management by Blake Martin.
Mikey has also released new singles and collaborative works ahead of Revenge's debut, featuring upcoming artists like himself as well as veteran hip-hop lyricists. His most recent track "Dance All 'Round" features Def Jam's first female signee Shawnna.
Working with the Chicago rap legend was a considerable moment for Mikey. Noting Shawnna as his favorite rapper, he detailed his experience while in the studio with her, calling her a "big sis", and thankful for her joining him on his project.
"Normally, you know, I come to the table and I'm like, you know, I'm a decent lyricist...I'm pretty freaking good, you know? But coming to the studio with somebody like Shawnna, who is so tenured and has so much respect in the game as a female rapper, but not even as a female rapper, just as a lyricist period," he exclaimed.
"To work with someone like Shawnna, I felt like I finally had gotten a mentor, someone to give me some guidance, someone to help me, help elevate my pen game."
Working alongside Shawnna also brought Mikey some new challenges, like writing forthwith in the studio. He started out nervous, hands crossed, yet to write any words.
"She wanted to write these songs in the studio together and that's not normally my process...I come to the studio ready to record," he told us.
"Coming in the studio and with a blank pad and having to create on the spot was different. I was nervous and it took me a little while to get into the groove."
Despite this, Mikey was ultimately proud of the finished recordings. Both "Dance All Around" and "Drip" featuring Shawnna will appear on the new album.
As aforementioned, Mikey does everything. In addition to being a recording artist, he enjoys publishing various content from photoshoots, his live performances, and fashion show appearances. Back in February Mikey teamed up with Jensen Atwood aka "Wade" from the groundbreaking black queer-led television series Noah's Arc.
In the heartfelt and motivational video, Atwood stars as Mikey's boxing trainer.
"So this is another Blake Martin connection, my wonderful manager, him and Jensen are friends," Mikey explained.
"We were traveling to LA for some promo stuff and he had this idea for my song, "Get Your Life" to kind of like, you know, be fighting for my life".
The video shoot took an ironic turn as it was filmed on the same day as Mikey's parent's wedding anniversary. With both of them deceased years prior, Mikey felt an added purpose to the production.
"Both of my parents are now in heaven and I don't know- it was such a symbolic thing to do," he said. "I left that set feeling accomplished and feeling stronger and sharper for some reason."
2023 continues to be productive for Mikey Everything along with the release of "Revenge". On May 6, he will perform at the Black Queer AF festival in Houston, Texas. The following month on June 17, he will hit the stage alongside Shawnna during Chicago's Hyde Park festival.
We can also expect future development for the 'Haus of Everything'. The title of his 2021 compilation album, Haus of Everything also represents a literal house, similar to that of transgender communities popularized during the 70s onward. Mikey wants to assist those closest to him as well as those in his external community.
"I call them my kids and they call me father. And I take that very, very, very seriously. I'm definitely Blanca, " Mikey asserted.
Mikey is referring to house mother Blanca from the award-winning FX series Pose. "
"When it comes to my kids, I take care of them. I take their big head asses out to eat. They need to borrow $50. I send them $50."
"The Haus of Everything is also an LLC", he added. "So I'm actually in the process of trying to find a space to house The Haus of Everything and make it where you can come and you can record your music, and we'll do outreach work... an all-encompassing type of space.
We all know how many queer people are displaced," he exclaimed.
He continued, "Especially during adolescence and your early 20s. It can be really, really difficult to be out here and to be queer, to be trans, and I want to help those people, you know. I try my best in my everyday work to help people and to be a light and a source of inspiration, financial help to whoever I can be when I can do it. So that's very important to me. That's the premise of the Haus of Everything. So it's something that I really and truly look forward to exploring more."