Mikahl Anthony – Muse

Hailing from the West side of St. Louis, Missouri, Mikahl Anthony’s sonic roots spread far across the global Alt-Soul / Hip-Hop scene.

A highly sought-after multidisciplinary artist (who has collaborated with the likes of Mick Jenkins, Chance The Rapper, Joey Purp, Smino & more), as well as being a founding member of Chicago’s THEMpeople collective, he now prepares to unveil his masterful full-length debut ‘MUSE’ via R&S Records. Accompanied by several beautiful, self-directed film pieces, MUSE is a record with storytelling at its core.

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Interspersed with commentary from a range of sources telling their stories to Mikhal, whilst collaboratively analysing their personal experiences, it speaks a candid and honest narrative, which reinforce the heartfelt lyrics within. With the project’s name anchored around a dual meaning acronym (1. Ms. Using sensual energy & 2. Making use of seclusion every day). The record is an audio version of docu-film, that creatively interprets the idea of self-therapy, an internal/interpersonal reflection of life experiences that serendipitously connect to Mikahl’s personal romantic relationships. Mikahl explains: ‘I wanted to use a unique style of songwriting, arrangement and filming with the intention of soundtracking my self-development/maturation process’

On the project’s lasting impression on the listener, Mikahl elaborates ’The exploration of inner truth and vulnerability is key to the future of good music. I want this project to act as symbolism that highlights the mantra that honest approaches and authenticity still has the most value. I also want people to see how important the use of community is when you can connect them to your subject matter…I’d like my audience to observe and engage in their own self-reflections, approaches by way of listening or interacting with the story.’

Drifting to an elevated state of consciousness, ‘MUSE’ is a deeply intoxicating and engrossing listening experience from front to back. From the sliding, kaleidoscopic shadows of opening track ‘La Flare’, via the trepidation-laced atmosphere of ‘Polyamorous’ and the hazy, reverb drenched saxophone notes of LP closer ‘Eddie Kane’ – Mikahl channels moments of joy and pain, infused with spirit enriching instrumentation and gritty textures.

Visual stimuli play an integral role within Mikahl’s music. His songs represent transparency and openness dipped in funk. Layers of soft velvety vocals emerge from jazz harmonies, trap rhythms, and social commentary sourced from voiceovers/excerpts. His creations are the musical representation of documentary films. His art is imagery embodied. He explains: ‘Every song that I’ve made has been crafted from a film perspective more so than the traditional way of vocally performing a record. My arrangements are more like scores than typical songs and when it comes to formatting I took a classical music approach. Meaning the songs are arranged in movements/sections. Despite the avant-garde methods I take into account the science of listening and how people hear music today. There are enough consistent elements that allow the listener to catch on to the song but more effort was put into trying to get them addicted to the feeling, vocal texture, and storyline. I’ve attached an audio piece (which isnt great quality lol) but i made it as a proof of concept.. something to keep going back to that explains the feel and objective of my sound. Audio-documentation is my lane and I’d someday like to evolve into making a full-on audio-book that sounds like an audio musical. The perfect blend of dialogue and music while using my film perspective to unfold the visual aspects. I think it’s unique that I’ve created this sound from purely thinking in a film framework while in the recording studio. I brought this element to my production team THEMpeople and now in my solo effort I’m fully expounding on this approach.’