Written by Marilù Ciabattoni
Discovered via Musosoup
Religious music is certainly experiencing a revival right now (see artists like Ethel Cain who was included in Vevo’s Artists To Watch list), so why not talk about a more “local” Christian/gospel artist by the name of Mikey Adebayo?
Mikey very kindly answered my questions in a thorough and detailed manner, almost as if writing his own artistic testament, to promote his latest song “The Glory Of The Son.”
His story spans two continents and three countries: he was born in Italy to Nigerian parents and then moved to the United Kingdom as a child, where, a few years later, he first picked up a guitar at age 16 and never looked back since. His words, almost word-by-word.
What has the story been since? Find out for yourself in this interview for Lost in the Manor.
Introduce yourself: Who is Mikey Adebayo? How and when was the project born?
I would say Mikey Adebayo is a Nigerian-British Christian/Gospel singer-songwriter who was born in Italy and moved to Birmingham aged 7 in 2001 till his uni years which he spent in London and neighbouring Buckinghamshire. I’m a Christian who has always had a relationship with the church having grown up within its four walls and lived a life I can only say has been by grace. My faith directs and permeates everything I do and the music is no different. I have served in various capacities in church choirs evolving from the 11-year-old soprano choirboy to turns as a praise and worship leader, backing vocalist or guitarist (rhythm and lead).
I picked up a guitar at age 16 and have not looked back since.
Being from an African Pentecostal church background, it is fair to say that the style from my debut and in general isn’t what one would expect. My style, in a strange sense, brings both worlds as influences to concoct a new brand, for want of a better way to describe it. I love my CCM and Gospel on pretty much both ends of the spectrum and can be found equally enjoying soul, pop, rock and folk records. I think the melody and the vibe of a song will catch me out far quicker than any genre distinction to make me like it. I’ve been writing my own songs since around 2010 but without really doing much about it except for learning the craft and storing ideas. I think this went on for a lot longer than even I had anticipated but we are here now.
Regarding “Glory of The Son,” the song strangely came in a season when my mind started reverting to making rock-tinged melodies in my head and really going back to some of the Christian Rock music I would frankly say saved my life in the early 2010s (Switchfoot, Relient K, NEEDTOBREATHE and many others). Being sat at home with YouTube loaded up on my laptop, I could channel my angst at the world around me into my faith and plain musical ecstasy (I was developing my guitar skills at this time so perfect genre) in a different world to what I’d be naturally exposed to. I still occasionally listened back to songs like “Dare You To Move” and “Washed By The Water” and kept up with newer releases but church commitments had led to a bigger shift to my other side, the more traditional Gospel side which is still great and I have songs in line with but the nostalgia of that mid-2000s Christian Rock sound had kind of taken over.
Eventually one day in this period, March / April 2022, I woke up with the lines “All my life you have been faithful, I just can’t be anyone, I’ve been living trading stories of the glory of the Son,” which were incredibly convicting and excited me. The first line is a direct extrapolation of the chorus of Bethel Music’s “Goodness of God” - a song which is all the rage right now. I had just felt and still feel that “The Glory Of The Son” was such a declaration of man’s primary purpose to live for the Glory of God that it just HAD to be the first song out.
How has your music changed in the past few years?
This is a good question and it’s an interesting one to think of. In a sense, it has. In some senses, it really hasn’t and I’m still chasing the same stories of “The Glory of The Son,” pun intended. In regards to content, I’ve always channelled my music toward an expression of worship to the divine. I personally feel there’s no greater purpose to make sound for. Also, it’s fair to say I’ve been writing music since before I became versed enough to write about other things. Being in the church and being immersed in Christian music from the start makes it natural and also the Spirit.
Stylistically, I can say there have been phases although over time I feel these would just become palettes in different styles I release music in as I put out more music. I like my alternative rock sound with the guitars and clean vocals a la All Time Low or even The 1975 but I am also a stickler for the things done in the Christian space with Hillsong, Bethel, United Pursuit, Elevation and Co.
I think the stronger I got on the guitar, the more I leaned into writing on the acoustic which opened up the folk stuff that people will hear in later releases. There was that “folk revival” in the early 2010s with bands like Mumford and Sons, The Lumineer and the Avett Brothers - I definitely joined that bandwagon and learned a lot in that era. That influence would probably be noticeable in solo acoustic sets I do.
I could say I am doing the same thing I started off doing in 2010 but I guess at any given time I can switch between different various styles and add new strings to my bow.
I have a lot of tastes but am also wary of how audience-wise there are a lot of different people from different backgrounds by default who have come across / will come across my sound which makes catering to but yet not pandering to anyone an interesting thing to navigate in the future.
Who inspired your music? Who are your biggest influences?
I know what it’s like to be sat down for hours noodling with a guitar to write a brand new song and come up with nothing so I can never take credit for this. It’s most certainly the Holy Spirit that inspires my music as I have found the older I get and the more I grow spiritually, the better the flow of the songs has become. There are songs that have prophetically spoken to situations in my own life that I look back at their lyrics and say it could have only been the breath of God which put this in my mouth when coming up with it.
I am definitely one who is inspired to be sensitive to the sounds and words God is giving in the moment. I feel that once I am getting that right, it is not a worry about how the song does or whether it could affect others as I am sure God would speak through it to whom it needs to speak to.
As far as my sound, there are of course too many influences to count but I’ve mentioned Christian rock bands and Christian worship bands above. I would also like to add the singer-songwriter influence of Ed Sheeran and contemporaries of his like Ben Howard and further back to John Mayer. Those guys make it possible for me to really mainly live and pursue existing with a guitar, Ed in particular. I think I would have switched to being a pianist if it wasn’t for Ed’s emergence when that occurred. Given I’m from the “black church” that’s a very real temptation and still under consideration for me to expand my musical vocabulary.
Songwriter-wise, most certainly Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman. His ability to write about life and about God so emotively in the same breath is awe-inspiring. He is also such a well-thought-out gentleman who cleverly weaves scripture effortlessly into his songs. His band's songs definitely fed hope to a generation of Christian Rock fans and continue to be two decades after “The Beautiful Letdown.”
Could you introduce your favourite singles you've released so far?
The Glory Of The Son is my debut single and I am happy to say in several weeks or months' time, I will be releasing the follow-up single which is called “Overcome The World / Overcome” - the title is still an ongoing decision to make.
How did you develop this style? Will you experiment with other genres in the future?
I think the style of the song might have been stumbled upon when it came to the final outcome. The electric and acoustic guitars were always going to be there but I don’t know, the initial plan was to do two versions of “The Glory Of The Son:” an original version with full instruments (this) and an acoustic version which we do intend to get back to doing and release. The acoustic version was actually worked on during my first session for the song and was completely different in style and vibe. Same lyrics but a different chord progression and rhythm. I think it could have still made an impact but most certainly didn’t have the same level jumpy, feel-good nature this gives.
It was an abrupt decision a week after that first session that I went back and scrapped what we had done, raised the key by one semitone (or half step the Americans would call it) and played THAT chord progression on my electric guitar. My own intention was to give a slight Jackson 5 “I Want You Back” soul feel. The rest, as they say, is history.
Who produces your tracks? How do you choose which producers to work with? Do you have some dream producers you'd like to work with?
I work with Stuart Green, the producer at 3 Chronicles Studio, Wembley. He is primarily a reggae producer, which will come as no surprise to listeners of the song as the groove adds a reggae feel to the range of influences it bears. I was connected to Stuart by a mutual friend whom I had met at the annual ASTEPFWD awards called John Connolly.
Is music your main occupation at the moment? If not, how are you conciliating your day job with your music career?
For my day-to-day job, I work as a doctor for the NHS. Juggling the passion and the career can get difficult at times however, it has been a blessing to have both worlds in my life. I am 29 and it is probably fair to say the emergence of my solo career comes after I completed my studies (I graduated in 2021) for a strong reason. I intend to juggle, somehow, the two lives going forward although I do understand and envision the path ahead can have its obstacles.
Have you ever been on tour? If not, would you like to embark on one? If yes, tell us about it.
I’ve never been on tour but that is something I would be very interested in doing when that opportunity arises.
Who's your dream feature?
As a solo artist, it’s definitely not the first thing I think of. It’s hard because it depends on the sound I am aiming for and the manner of the song. Gospel-wise, probably Marvin Winans but in the rock-space probably Jon Foreman or Bear Rinehart of NEEDTOBREATHE. I just love the sheer personality in all three voices. All three are Christians which makes subject-matter-wise
Where do you see yourself in one year as a musician?
A year from now, I can see myself having several more singles out and sort of being active on the gigging circuit - both indie and Christian (Christian events and churches).
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