Mikky Ekko | FAME

[Deleted]

Mikky Ekko has released three EPs since 2009, but he's releasing his first full-length album in 2013 on RCA. He's also featured on Rihanna's new single "Stay".

He currently has a single out titled "Pull Me Down," which is gorgeous.

[NeRD]

If Stay becomes the smash people want it to be, he'll be in a really good position on both sides of the pond.

[Live Your Life]

His new single is "Kids."



Listen here.

[BadRomance]

Love the new song!

[allow that]

Sounds like a Bruno Mars and Gotye collabo. What's next?

[Kurt]

Coming next year. Looking forward to it.

Who are some artists you’ll be setting up for 2014?
Edge: We’ve got Mikky Ekko, who had one of the biggest songs of the year with “Stay,” which he wrote and produced. And his album is outstanding -- definitely gonna be one of the big albums in 2014. There’s some great songs on there. He’s a great vocalist and a strong artist.

[Live Your Life]

Mikky Ekko, the featured vocalist on Rihanna's Grammy-nominated 2013 smash Stay, will release his debut album, Time, this fall. The singer also premiered his new single, Smile, on Friday.

No release date has been announced for Time, which will come out on RCA Records, but the album will include collaborations with Dave Sitek, Jeff Bhasker, Stargate and Dennis Herring, as well as Ekko's previous collaborators Clams Casino, Nick Ruth, Justin Parker, Ryan Tedder and Benny Blanco.

Ekko, a Louisiana native currently living in Nashville, is up for a 2014 MTV Video Music Award with David Guetta for best video with a social message for their song One Voice, recorded for the United Nations' "The World Needs More" campaign. He also co-wrote and sings on Stranger, the current single for DJ/producer Chris Malinchak.

He's also working on projects with Zedd, Gwen Stefani, Giorgio Moroder, Rihanna and others.

www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/08/15/mikky-ekko-single-album-smile/14113449/



I don't really like it, but I'm interested in hearing his album.

[Kurt]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6221974/mikky-ekko-time-debut-album-rihanna-stay

And where Ekko is now is a little left of the pop-R&B realm that Rihanna dominates and a bit further into the soul-baring, vocal-driven soul of singer-songwriters like Sia, Adele and Bruno Mars, many of whose frequent collaborators also appear on Time. Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio), Jeff Bhasker (Mars, P!nk), Stargate (Rihanna, Katy Perry), Dennis Herring (The Hives, Modest Mouse), Clams Casino (A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller), Ryan Tedder (Adele, OneRepublic) and Benny Blanco (Maroon 5, Rihanna) are among the heavyweights who contribute their production and/or songwriting talents, while lead single "Smile" was produced by "Stay" co-writer Elof Loelv (Icona Pop) and co-written by Ekko with Jim Eliot (Ellie Goulding, Kylie Minogue).

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

His debut album drops next Tuesday. Instant grat U is up now.

[Ling-Ling]

Well that's a shame, such a nice set up with Rihanna and it was never properly utilized.

"U" is so hot though.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

I dont know what the problem is with his, unless they just don't know how to market blue eyed alt R&B. First he had the Rihanna single, then he was on the second Hunger Games soundtrack, then he just sort of floundered.

[Linnethia Monique]

After the incredible "Bet" from Tinashe, I wouldn't expect anything less from Mikky and Blood Diamonds. I can't wait to hear the rest of his album. Also just found out that Benny Blanco and Stargate did the first track Watch Me Rise and Ryan Tedder and co. did Love You Crazy.

[Linnethia Monique]

Love You Crazy is a phenomenal Ryan Tedder and Zancanella production. Phenomenal! I see a hit with that one. It has that ballad to mid-tempo vibe and it's my favorite besides U. The way that man has with drums is crazy.

[SHOOTER]

Jan 17, 2015 2:55:23 GMT -5 Linnethia Monique said:

Love You Crazy is a phenomenal Ryan Tedder and Zancanella production. Phenomenal! I see a hit with that one. It has that ballad to mid-tempo vibe and it's my favorite besides U. The way that man has with drums is crazy.

It's screaming for radio play! RCA will probably F this entire era up regardless but I'm praying they get this right for Mikky's sake.

[Linnethia Monique]

Jan 17, 2015 22:31:55 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

Jan 17, 2015 2:55:23 GMT -5 Linnethia Monique said:

Love You Crazy is a phenomenal Ryan Tedder and Zancanella production. Phenomenal! I see a hit with that one. It has that ballad to mid-tempo vibe and it's my favorite besides U. The way that man has with drums is crazy.

It's screaming for radio play! RCA will probably F this entire era up regardless but I'm praying they get this right for Mikky's sake.

I agree! Also considering that the song has been on the tracklisting for about 6 months I'm wondering why in the hell did they not go for that as a 1st single. That and U as the 2nd single would've put him in a totally different playing field right now.

[SHOOTER]

Jan 17, 2015 22:50:58 GMT -5 Linnethia Monique said:

Jan 17, 2015 22:31:55 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

It's screaming for radio play! RCA will probably F this entire era up regardless but I'm praying they get this right for Mikky's sake.

I agree! Also considering that the song has been on the tracklisting for about 6 months I'm wondering why in the hell did they not go for that as a 1st single. That and U as the 2nd single would've put him in a totally different playing field right now.

I think they were trying to ride the faux-folk lite/pop wave with Smile, which is a great song but would work a lot better as backing music in a commercial vs. as a radio single (but I'm not even sure they released it to radio?).

At this point, the best he can hope for is a tweet/RT from Rihanna next week reminding the world that he exists and has an album of his own.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

The album isn't bad, and I'm glad he finally got it released, although with half the tracks already having been out for a year or more, it's sort of a meh listening experience. I think what he's going to need is to be featured on a track with somebody (possibly EDM) to get his profile back up again. If this album had dropped when Stay was big, he could have had a real go at it. Right now, his album is hanging out around #50 on iTunes.

[SHOOTER]

AllMusic gave the album 3.5 stars.

Mikky Ekko has always been an eclectic artist, blending pop, folk, R&B, and hip-hop influences with a dramatic, romantic flair. However, his breakthrough single, the Grammy-nominated Rihanna duet "Stay," set expectations for and perceptions about his music that he clarifies on his debut album, Time. As on the collaborations with David Guetta and Chris Malinchak that arrived before the album, Ekko spends a fair amount of Time expanding his sound and downplaying anything that comes too close to "Stay"'s piano balladry: the album begins with the ingratiatingly fizzy single "Smile" and doesn't delve into slower, moodier territory until its second half with brooding tracks like "Mourning Doves" and "Comatose." In between, Ekko works with a who's who of producers from many styles of music, including TV on the Radio's David Sitek, pop hitmakers Benny Blanco, Stargate, and Ryan Tedder, and left-field hip-hop sound-shaper Clams Casino. While these collaborations give Time versatility and polish, the way the album touches on so many trends sometimes feels scattered. The title track nods to folk-rock's popularity with its brisk acoustic guitars and strings; "Riot" feels like a kissing cousin to OneRepublic's anthemic sound; and "Love You Crazy" and "U" deliver slightly different variations on lush, slick R&B-tinged pop. It all sounds very chart-friendly in a kitchen sink kind of way that doesn't necessarily give a clear idea of what kind of artist Ekko is. While Time's second half isn't quite as hooky, it does feel more genuine, with songs like "Burning Doves" and "Loner" delivering a more distinctive sound that's catchy without feeling Ekko was asked to fit into another artist's mold. Time reaffirms that there's more to Ekko's music than ballads, but a little more consistency would have made this a confident debut instead of a promising one.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

That sounds about right. But considering some of the album was recorded as far back as 2012, I don't think its surprising that it isn't a cohesive work.

[Live Your Life]

The album is solid. It reminds me a lot of OneRepublic. It should have been out about two years ago though.

[SHOOTER]

Spotify has two exclusive tracks:

13. Pressure Pills
14. Pretend You Care

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

OneRepublic tweeted a link for him. I guess that's about all the promo he's going to get.

[Nick]

I am liking this. It's all new to me since I never listened to the older tracks over the last year or so.

[SHOOTER]

Smile
Love You Crazy
U
Mourning Doves
Burning Doves
Pull Me Down
Made of Light
Loner

My favorite album of 2014 thus far. Just like Banks, I love how he filters Pop, Rock and R&B elements through such an "alternative" (overused only for lack of a better term) perspective and makes it come out so fresh and engaging. Although he worked with some popular producers, he doesn't quite sound like a mimic of anyone else out and that would work to his advantage if RCA gave a damn about trying to break his album out. At this point, his best bet would probably be aiming for another high profile songwriter's credit (or collaboration).


Also, the CD sticker singled out Watch Me Rise, Smile, Time and Riot but RCA would be crazy to release any of those over Love You Crazy (no pun intended).

[Hurricane Lee]

I will have to listen to this because I love Banks. All I know of him is Stay.

[Live Your Life]

Rolling Stone gives the album 2.5/5 stars:

Louisiana-born pop savant Mikky Ekko, a.k.a. John Stephen Sudduth, had a hell of a breakout with Rihanna's "Stay," the 2012 megahit he co-wrote and co-sang. Ekko's debut solo LP similarly informs grand pop drama with indie idiosyncrasy – but never quite enough to distinguish it, his stirring tenor notwithstanding. The best moments are with "Stay" collaborator Elof Loelv: the fatalistically chipper single "Smile" and the necromantic "Mourning Doves," which suggests a Sam Smith/Trent Reznor co-write. Elsewhere, the scale feels off: The gigantic melody of "Watch Me Rise," for instance, deserves a voice more like Beyoncé's. Then again, given Ekko's track record, it may well end up getting one.

[Linnethia Monique]

I hate that the label has done nothing for this considering he has Jeff Bhasker ("Burning Doves"), Ryan Tedder & Zancanella ("Love You Crazy" and "Loner"), Fraser T. Smith ("Time"), Greg Kurstin ("Smile") and the Benny Blanco/StarGate duo ("Watch Me Rise") all on here. It's a shame because I adore this album.

[Linnethia Monique]

Full Credits
“Watch Me Rise”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Steven Weston / Tor Erik Hermansen / Mikkel Storleer Eriksen / Benjamin Levin).
Produced By: (Stargate / Benny Blanco).

“Smile”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Dennis Herring / Jim Eliot / Greg Kurstin).
Produced By: (Elof Loelv / Mikky Ekko).

“Love You Crazy”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Ryan Tedder / Noel Zancanella).
Produced By: (Ryan Tedder / Noel Zancanella).

“U”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Michael Tucker).
Produced By: (Blood Diamonds).

“Time”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Fraser T. Smith).
Produced By: (Fraser T. Smith).

“Riot”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Boots Ottestad).
Produced By: (David Andrew Sitek).

“Mourning Doves”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Elof Loelv).
Produced By: (Elof Loelv / Mikky Ekko).

“Burning Doves”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Jeff Bhasker).
Produced By: (Jeff Bhasker).

“Comatose”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Justin Parker / Michael Volpe).
Produced By: (Justin Parker / Clams Casino / Mikky Ekko).

“Pull Me Down”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Michael Volpe).
Produced By: (Clams Casino / Mikky Ekko).

“Made of Light”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Nick Ruth / Alexander Castillo Vasquez).
Produced By: (Alexander Castillo Vasquez / Nick Ruth).

“Loner”
Written By: (Mikky Ekko / Ryan Tedder / Noel Zancanella).
Produced By: (Ryan Tedder / Noel Zancanella).

[SHOOTER]

Pressure Pills is another "Sam Smith/Trent Reznor"-type jam (although Mikky is clearly the superior lyricist)! Damn Spotify for having the exclusive. Someone point me to a good ripper!

[Linnethia Monique]

Jan 21, 2015 21:12:52 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

Pressure Pills is another "Sam Smith/Trent Reznor"-type jam (although Mikky is clearly the superior lyricist)! Damn Spotify for having the exclusive. Someone point me to a good ripper!

I love how it oddly just stops at the end.