From Sweden to the United States, Sebastian Mikael is ready to take the world by storm. The Slip-N-Slide recording artist, who describes his sound as “retro soul,” will make his formal introduction to music lovers via his debut album “Speechless,” due June 24.
Born in Sweden to a Swedish father and an Ethiopian mother, Mikael grew up in a musically inclined household. However, the “Beautiful Life” singer says R&B/soul music is pretty much nonexistent in Sweden. “It’s more pop music and rock music,” he states. “Urban culture out there don’t really get that much love. I never made music in Sweden. I was kind of young but I just knew that I wasn’t going to get a shot trying to do it out there.”
With the limited reach of urban music, Mikael made a big decision to leave Sweden to pursue music in the United States. In 2008, he enrolled at California’s Musicians Institute. Two years later, he relocated to Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied vocal production.
“It was tough because it was really necessary for me to move at that point,” he says on his transition to the United States. “I felt like I wasn’t doing too well [in Sweden] and people weren’t really trying to respect the change that I was trying to make for myself. I felt like it was a necessary move. I didn’t want to miss out on my dream. I wanted to just do it. I took the risk and applied for school. When I came over there, I just focused on making music and preparing myself to be an artist.”
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Mikael didn’t waste any time experimenting with music when he moved to America. In 2011 he released his first mixtape titled “J’Adore.” Mikael’s sound on that project is quite different from what his sound is today. “I had a lot of different elements and genres of music all in one mixtape,” he says. “I was writing EDM records, pop records, R&B records…I was just trying to do it all.” Mikael began focusing his attention on R&B/soul music after meeting with various labels and being asked who he was as an artist. “As a new artist you can’t be trying to do a bunch of different genres, you have to focus on what you want to do,” he says. “I took that into consideration and started thinking about the music that my heart is in to. That’s why I started focusing on more acoustic, more soul music.”
Mikael believes he’s grown a lot since he first got started with music and we’ll hear it on his upcoming debut album. He says fans can expect to hear about his experiences on his new album. “My childhood was definitely different and I had to go through a lot of things like racial issues,” he reveals. “Music was my escape. I kind of just want to bring people into my world and talk about things I’ve experienced and my views about it. That’s why I feel like this album is going to speak to a lot of people.”
Mikael’s ten-track offering will feature guest appearances from Wale, Teyana Taylor and Rick Ross. So far he’s released three singles off the album — “Last Night” featuring Wale, “Forever” and “4 U” featuring Rick Ross.
“I just wanted a summertime record,” Mikael says about his new single “4 U,” which samples R&B trio Jade’s hit single “Don’t Walk Away.” “I didn’t want to go with whatever was trendy or hot right now as far as style wise. I wanted to bring back a nostalgic retro feel for this summer.”
The Swedish/Ethiopian singer says the process of creating his debut album was long, but rewarding. “I’ve been working on this album for about two years,” he reveals. “ It’s definitely been a long process. I haven’t felt like the album was ready and I haven’t felt like I was ready as an artist, until now, to put the album out. I really feel like now is the time to give people my music and feel comfortable to be the artist I want to be. The process was great because I just picked songs and even producers I worked with that I felt like they was rocking with what I was already doing. They respected my vision as an artist and the music I wanted to make. They came in and helped me build my vision. I feel like the process has been beautiful. It’s been a blessing to be able to work with all the people I worked with.”
Mikael’s “Speechless” album isn’t the only thing he’s looking forward to this year. The “Forever” singer is also set to perform at the BET Experience in Los Angeles in June and the 20th anniversary Essence Festival in July.
Be sure to cop Sebastian Mikael’s debut album “Speechless” on June 24. Also, follow him on Twitter @SebastianMikael and like him on Facebook.com/SebastianMikael.
