Exposed Vocals Interviews Mick Cømte
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Mick Cømte : From Twitter, we exchange a few tweets and replied to each other over a few other tweets… Well as an artist i always think that its in everyone’s best interest to sign up on as many platforms as possible…
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Mick Cømte : I was born in Switzerland and moved to the us for a sportive career at the age of thirteen, then i lived in the us for approximately 10yrs, between California (L.A) and Louisiana (N.O) while moving everywhere in the us and in the world to perform my sportive career. Becoming an artist actually just came to me by pure luck, by hanging around artists themselves, i got introduced to rapping, it of course started with basic freestyle and just playing around with beats and one day i had a proposition to come to a professional studio and i did, that’s when it all started around 2002-2003 i think…
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Mick Cømte : Well i used to have to mixtapes out under the stage Name “Shiest.D” and then i stopped music for a long time and when i came back to it my mental attitude was a lot different than when i was a teenager of course, so i figured my lyrics and vibes are a lot more genuine by then, which i though the name should be as representative as possible of that better/smarter/more mature me… That’s why i didn’t pick really a name i just made a shorten of my real name Which is “Mickael Deschenaux-Comte” and turned into Mick as everyone even my mom calls me Mick and Comte because it made sense then since that is my mother’s maiden name, and growing up with a single mom, i wasn’t gonna give any credit to the name of a father that i don’t even know… There came “Mick Cømte” and the scandinavian “Ø” was just to spice it up a little…
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Mick Cømte : It’s beautiful for any new and/or independent artists that are able to make it through a deal or a label… If you do it the right way and work hard at it and stay really present on socials, you might get money from selling your music, get gigs from it, meet a lot of new people with new possible opportunities. Of course i give music for free because i think it is very important today that you give music away for free in order to get more exposure, for instance My last mixtape “The Cømeback” April 2014 available here noiremvzeek.bandcamp.com is downloadable completely free or up for donation. All singles are for free to download on my soundcloud.com/noiremvzeek and then my debut album “From Nest To Marrow” that we worked for a year and a half on is way up on the quality level compared to any single or mixtape material i ever released before so it’s for sale on itunes From Nest to Marrow by Mick Comte on iTunes and every other platforms such as spotify, googleplay, amazon, shazam, deezer etc etc…
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From Nest to Marrow by Mick Comte on iTunes
Preview, buy and download songs from the album From Nest to Marrow, including ”Gypaetus Barbatus”, ”Takeichi Nishi”, ”Verbal Caliber (feat. Millyz)” and many m…
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Preview by Yahoo
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Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Mick Cømte : Keep working twice as hard as you think you can, believe in what you have to offer music wise and never ever give up on your dream…
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Mick Cømte : Of course i do some mistakes from time to time, if you’re a legit artist you do mistakes that’s the stage life… In general i rehearse and study my gig as much/good as possible to avoid mistakes as much as possible… How do you handle that ? just make you never run out of plan b’s if anything happens, make sure even if the music stops you continue acapella until the dj/band find a breach to get you out of that situation…
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Mick Cømte : I haven’t had the opportunity to have a tour yet, but iam looking forward to an opportunity to maybe open the whole euro tour for Caskey since we worked together this summer and got a real good connection i might be able to have that opening for me, unless that just few shows here and there, iam definitely willing to though, that’s why anyone who’s into my music and would like to see me perform live, iam open for any suggestion/possibilities… just hum 😉[email protected]
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Mick Cømte : I usual just get from a whole of different worlds and vibes, i listen oftenly to hardcore & metal core where lyrics are mostly really positive (despite the style of the music) and deeply searched into the whole equal of each track, i got some of inspiration from books and also just the regular everyday life from past and present. I don’t really have a songwriting process… I mostly just have ideas that come up so i writ them down, and once i pick which instrumental i wanna lay it on i clean the texts up, add and take out some parts and trying to make it work to instrumentals…
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Mick Cømte : I do not yet have an official website, but i will by 2016. I use mostly all platforms there is but i concentrate on soundcloud.com/noiremvzeek , noiremvzeek.bandcamp.com , itunes for the official album https://itun.es/i6SR9Wp
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Mick Cømte : Well that all depends what do you define embarrassing though lol… I have a whole lot of different things from Nirvana, Edith Piaf, Stick To Your Guns, Cocorosie, Justin Bieber, Billie Holiday, even to very old blues and rock n roll, i really have been to try an expand my musical knowledge as much as possible this past decade…
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Mick Cømte : I would directly go and invest like 300k in whatever establishment is popping’ at that moment to make sure that money brings more money hehe, and give 150k to my mom so she can have her own little place, take the 50k left and take my wife to whatever destination she wants for a good month or two and then my turn and both go to Madagascar to take a nature trip to the deep forest and go study birds and endangered animals for like 2 weeks and spend whatever will be left to go back to Japan…
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Mick Cømte : Oh yes ! We have new music videos coming on WSHH every month, starting with the video to TCTBH feat Caskey in like 3 weeks, another one 4 weeks after and another and so on each 4-5 weeks. Already recorded like 4 or 5 tracks for the second album, a single Produced by Ralphkiller with a music video coming in 3months, a single with a music video featuring Millyz coming in like 5months and if everything goes as planned which it rarely does when your 100% DIY and independent, 2nd album should drop hopefully by then with a distribution deal around July-August 2016. But until then new material will be released every month if it’s either music or videos or both…
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Mick Cømte : Hand to hand, meetings with the right people, platforms on social networks, articles, magazines, live shows on tv which we perform a track next week live on a tv show, music videos on hip hop platforms and other platforms… ANY ways to promote are good… it’s just a matter of sacrifices and handwork and dedication to what you do…
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Mick Cømte : Warped tour probably i would say, because there’s both worlds iam into, hip hop and hardcore/metalcore, Waka Flocka cuz i have seen him live in a very tiny concert hall and it was just one of the best hip hop shows of my life. Otherwise i would say Asap Mob in Harlem 😉
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Mick Cømte : As i said earlier we are already working on the 2nd album, who will have Millyz again, Caskey again, Zach Farlow, and unconfirmed so far but hopefully, Joke (French Artist), SCH (French Artist), Kevin Gates if i can afford it lol
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Mick Cømte : Nothing more than a regular job i presume, normal life stuff, and go to skate from time to time and go DH biking as hobbies…
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Mick Cømte : Yes i Remember i was probably like 11 or 12 and i bought two albums at the same time with pocket money i had put aside over a few weeks to raise enough to buy those cd’s hehe, one was a french rap group called NTM – “Paris sous le bombes” and the second cd was Fear factory – Obsolete. What was going through my head at 11-12yrs old buying my first cd’s with my own money ? “F****CK YEAH !!!” that was what went through my head lol
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Mick Cømte : Well between having my own tattoo/piercing/streetwear store, a family life and i ain’t gonna lie sometimes it’s really hard and it feels like giving up, but i went way too far to give it up !! So i have the incredible luck of having a super supportive wifey and so it keeps me going !
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Mick Cømte : singles, videos, 2nd album, maybe a mixtape as well if we record enough tracks in a certain amount of time, shows, and who knows maybe a major deal 😀
Thank you exposed vocals, Mom, Sophie, Sandy, Renaud, LA PARØISSE, and anyone that is making this possible day after day. <3
