Sebastian Mikael On A New Funky Wave
Interview with Sebastian Mikael on his latest music video “Exit,” collaboration with TELFAR and “From Scratch” series.
“Exit” is one of Sebastian Mikael’s latest songs and music videos. The video filmed Uptown in Washington Heights, Mikael — dressed in all white on a white plush couch looking out the window, rolling a spliff in the kitchen, taking a stroll on the block — with a mask, walking in his neighborhood; local street deli and laundromat.
The song syncs with his scene in quarantine. “I go outside everyday, link up with positive people, keep my mind going, not let myself become too isolated,” Mikael said in an interview over Zoom.
The soundtracks live in a moment of heartbreak, he vents about a temporary eight-month separation from his girl. Boston songwriter and performer Najee Janey (Co-writer) of “Exit,” also a frequent collaborator, who Mikael appreciates for their creative work ethic. Working together, Mikael says, “We always have deep conversations, it was like just being honest about my feelings, and my emotions.” The key in uplifting his spirit is his circle of fellow musicians and friends like Gabo Lugo, Marco Marcel, and Frankie Leroux he misses working with. Following social distancing guidelines, their working relationship is not as frequent. It’s difficult working indoors with a mask, “with the whole quarantine thing and everybody kind of being on that edge, but not knowing if you can get together and, you know, the mask on and we’d take it off. Like, what are we doing?” he laughs.
Mikael’s “From Scratch” series is an intimate and exclusive look at his creative process in the studio. Following his contract with Atlantic and Slip N Slide Records. He’s collaborated with both labels, and Atlantic studio to introduce his first and second volume of the series spring and summer of last year, the third and last volume this past spring. The partnership was made on his behalf, makes a note to himself to have creative freedom and control. “Frankie LeRoux is the producer that came up with the idea for “From Scratch,” Mikael says. “We just wanted to get in, and film us jamming, making music, that’s what we do whenever we get the chance to.” While things have slowed down during the pandemic, Mikael hopes they can kick things back up soon.
He talks about his creative process in and outside the studio, having a balance between collaboration and independence. Mikael has always recorded by himself to enhance quality when creating with people. “If there isn’t a connection in the process of making music, other people can inspire you,” he says. “You need a balance between yourself and the people who can surround you when recording, to feed yourself, with that energy.” He says, “whenever you get by yourself, you can, for the sake of efficiency, you can, record yourself and just get things done and execute.”
Mikael’s 2019 album, “I C U U C ME Pt. II,” and Part I, and EP from 2018, on Spotify. Both are “dedicated to my best friend, my brother Drew,” he says. “It was our clothing brand. So when he passed away, I used that name for the EP.” His brother was shot and killed shortly after Drew dropped off Mikael at a studio for a recording session. Reflecting on transitions in his journey, he implies the same narrative with “Exit,” contemplating on the challenges he’s emotionally overcome for his comeback, he says, “certain songs make me realize how much I changed, how much I grew from that, you know, just mentally and spiritually.”
Sebastian Mikael’s breakthrough moment was discovering the artist he is, “If the music is undeniably good, it’s going to get in the hands of the right people,” he says. After a self-imposed hiatus from his music career. Mikael had to overcome self-doubt, “I realized there’s not a right or wrong,” he said. “It is not only a certain type of artist that can breakthrough. It’s all about being yourself and embracing who you are, embracing yourself and being; it’s organic.” The industry can be challenging when it tries to impose these beliefs. “People can sometimes put doubt in yourself or make you feel like what you’ve done is not good enough, or it’s not going to work,” he says.
Mikael came up as a singer and songwriter from Sweden and went to school in Boston. His mother is Ethiopian and his father is Swedish. Mikael grew up listening to music playing in a house with two parents who are music lovers. His mother would play Gospel music every morning and was also a big Lenny Kravitz fan. His dad would play Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Bob Marley. Mikael was intrigued and musically curious to hear Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu (in particular “Mama’s Gun” cover), and Sade. Creating his genre of Afrofuturistic soul-funk, Mikael’s music has been influenced by the sound of funk. In his Instagram bio (@sebastianmikael) he calls himself “thelonious fXnk,” referring to the famous jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, the high priest of the bebop era in the mid-1940s.
“My goal with creating music is to inspire people,” Mikael says. “It’s to stimulate people, making music for the people; it comes in waves, I keep following my heart and my intuition, and accept the industry for what it is.”
In late November, both record labels announced an R&B Christmas album, “Still Home for The Holidays,” featuring holiday originals by Trey Songz, Ty Dolla $ign, Ayanis, Raiche, and Pink Sweats, with Mikael’s new Christmas song “Chimney.”
Sebastian has since collaborated with fashion sensation and prodigy designer, Telfar Clemens for @telfarglobal. “I fuck with them heavy. They show me support because I rock their shit a lot.”
