Already a star across much of East Asia due to his work with numerous hitmakers in China, South Korea and Japan, Scottish singer-songwriter Mike Macdermid is now looking to continue his ascent much closer to home as he unveils his new single, ‘Daybreak’.
Blending a bright and uplifting country-inspired direction with a solid pop-rock aesthetic, this new release has a wonderfully bold and vibrant atmosphere throughout. Following in the footsteps of The Lumineers and Bright Eyes, Macdermid delivers a solid dose of sunshine that we’re all in need of right now.
Words by Chris Bound
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Chris) Hi Mike, how are you today?
Mike) I’m good, considering everything that is going on. I’ve had a busy day of writing for other artists and then a live stream on Instagram with a songwriter friend of mine – Marci Geller, from New York.
How would you best describe your sound?
It’s the hardest question in the world! Recently my songs were described as too folk to be country, too country to be folk, too pop to be rock and too alternative to be pop. So I sort of feel that I just write good songs that are easy to remember and mean something.
Which artists have influenced you the most?
There are so many. I grew up listening to David Bowie and The Beatles and then moved on to Jeff Buckley, Hall & Oates, Jason Mraz and countless others. But I also love good pop music, so my influences come from everywhere. I guess because I write K-Pop and J-Pop for other artists too, it helps that I like pop!
Can you tell us a little bit about how your latest single, ‘Daybreak’, came about?
I wrote the song the day after a very late gig! It’s not specifically about that, but more about just any situation where you are short of sleep because of life/work commitments.
Are you planning to make it part of a larger release, such as an EP or album?
Yes! I plan to release my first solo album later in the summer. It will be available physically as a CD (remember them?) and almost every song will be on Spotify. I’ve started on my second solo album too!
The lockdown has affected everyone’s plans, but what are you doing to stay productive and are you still able to work on new music?
I am really lucky that outside of my own artistic project, I write music for other artists. So I’ve been really busy working with publishers and record labels on their projects! I’ve got a really big K-Pop single coming this summer too.
And finally, what advice would you give other artists trying to stay productive during this crisis?
Be kind to yourself. If you don’t feel productive, don’t force it. It’s better to take a day off and do something else than sit and get frustrated. It’s good enough just to get through this, whatever it takes.