Exposed Vocals Interviews Mikey Shyne

Despite having traveled through the pits of hell and struggling with the horrors of addiction,  Mikey Shyne considers himself grateful to be alive today and to have another shot at life.  He has been ripped up and torn apart by life, lost relationships with family members he was closest with, did a three and a half month stint in rehab, battled depression his whole life and lost his own identity numerous times.  But he continues to be a source of hope for others because no matter how broken, battered or stressed out at times he may be, he ALWAYS puts one foot in front of the other.

With music as his lifeline and at the core of his soul, he uses it as his guiding light to keep him balanced.  He says that there is nothing in the world, not drug, no woman, no amount of sex, that could fill his void like music can.  

What lit the spark for the charge of pursuing a musical career was his run in with Village People Biker Eric Anzalone.  Unbeknownst to Mikey,  he sang a solo for a documentary Eric and his team were filming about addiction and recovery.  Pitch Perfect.  Eric later approached Mikey and gave him some valuable advice, mentoring him on how he started off in his early days against the approval of his own family, just like Mikey.  After a few in depths chats, something snapped in Mikey and he made a decision that he was going to pursue this for real.  

Even though it took him almost a year and a half to finally hit the studio, Mikey met Ray Balconis, a #1 Billboard Charting Producer and Engineer. Together they worked on his debut Single “Set Me Free” and what came out was a gem.  “Set Me Free” was soon all over the internet.  Friends and acquaintances who never even knew he could sing were astonished. The song caught ahold of the ears of two Hip Hop Legends, Grammy Nominated Artist DJ Tomekk and Kurtis Blow.  They were both astonished by the song.  This was the first baby step of his career.  He finally felt home.

As the success of “Set Me Free” continued, it was time for Mikey to hit the stage.  There seems to be such as calm yet overly energetic vibe that he puts out when performing that keeps any type of audience in it.

In the summer of 2015 Mikey Released his follow up “Put It Down,” a bilingual English-German Pop/Rap song featuring DJ Tomekk. To date it has over 250,000 plays on Pandora Radio and countless other downloads and streams on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and other major platforms.

All of the sleepless nights of self promoting has landed Mikey some remarkable marketing and promo skills.  Along with his newly hired team,Mikey is ready to make the push to go mainstream.  Taking the lead is his new Single “I Really Want,” a Pop/Hip Hop song that is unbearably catchy.  He is applying a professional promo and marketing strategy to push the single and this may very well be the turning point of his career.

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

Mikey Shyne:  I was born and raised in Queens, NY and still reside there today.  I’ve seen 12 countries and 26 states but NOTHING compares to New York City.

What made me DECIDE to become an artist and pursue this professionally was this nagging feeling that I felt on a constant and daily basis.  I knew I was talented.  I was told I was talented.  Despite major family disapproval, I made the decision that I was going to give this my all.  I was going to give it one shot.  And every since then, things have only been looking up.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

Mikey Shyne: My nickname was always ‘Mikey B’ and I wanted to go with that, but a quick Google search came back with dozens of Mikey B’s.  I always said my vocals and presence shined, so I came up with Mikey Shine but added the Y to be unique.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

Mikey Shyne:  I think online music sharing is a valuable tool to make potential fans aware of your music.  Not everyone has $.99 to buy a single.  Buy a bunch and that price tag adds up!  It allows me to spread my music globally and acquire new fans.

I give music away for free to generate a buzz.  Just like the radio is free to listen to, free sharing sites offer promotion for artists to build their fan base and sell tickets to shows.

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?

Mikey Shyne: Yes.  There are tons of sites out there for Indie artists that have master lists of venues, lists of upcoming gigs, availability, etc.  Or theres always the pay-to-play route in which you can  pay a promotion company putting on a showcase  a fee for a time slot on stage.  Many showcases offer prizes and are a great opportunity for exposure.

With airplay, start small.  When I was broke and fresh on the scene, I started contacting underground radio stations on Twitter and sending them my music.  Fortunately for me I make great music that is professionally mixed and mastered so a lot of these small internet stations picked them up.  Some even called me on for live interviews which is great practice for the next level!

Next I started to contact college radio station Program Directors one by one.  Luckily I was able to obtain a master list of all the college stations in the country with made it a lot easier for me.  Not all college stations play singles, but some do have specific mix shows for different genres that  your act can fit into.  No matter what, just keep calling and following up.  Make that Program Director your best buddy.  Eventually the hard work will land you something!

Lastly, as I am currently going mainstream, I’ve hired a Radio Promoter.  Having a budget in the thousands is necessary in order to make it worth your while.  My promoter is one of the best in the business and is getting me approved on a ton of BDS monitored stations.  My ultimate goal is to chart and hopefully crack the Billboard Charts!

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

Mikey Shyne:  All the time.  No matter how well I envision it, the performance will never go as planned, whether good or bad.  If I make a mistake I’ve learned and trained myself to completely ignore it, not get nervous and continue with the song or set as if it never happened.  Chances are the fans didn’t even realize what happened, so if I have a mishap, I continue as if nothing ever happened!

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

Mikey Shyne:  My publicist, promoter, manager and I are currently planning a college campus tour in various states.  I can’t tell you how excited I am about that!

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

Mikey Shyne:  My inspiration comes from past life experiences buried deep inside.  Sometimes I feel like an onion and the more I peel away at it the deeper and more meaningful my lyrics get.  “Set Me Free” my phenomenal Debut Single was written out of desperation after a bad break up.  All I did was put pen to paper and wrote exactly how I felt.  The situation, events that took place and the emotions I felt during that breakup are what made the lyrics so captivating.

I HAVE to be alone when I’m writing with the mood just right.  Sometimes lights on, sometimes lights off.  Sometimes in bed, sometimes at the park.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

Mikey Shyne: www.mikeyshyne.com

Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/mikeyshyne

Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/mikeyshyne

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mikeyshyneofficial

Twitter/IG: @mikeyshynemusic

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

Mikey Shyne: LOL. No comment.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

Mikey Shyne: I would spend a majority of my time in the studio working on a Debut Album.

I would definitely have to ball out and get  a new sports car and budget some money for promo, but the rest would go to my baby daughter Scarlett.

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

Mikey Shyne: No I have been with my producer and engineer Ray Balconis from day one. He in my opinion is extremely smart, meticulous and talented, and he has the best sound.  He’s a #1 Billboard  charting producer and engineer, and I hope to one day get him another plaque for his walls.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

Mikey Shyne: I use ANYTHING at my disposal.  Whether it be Facebook groups, Instagram & Twitter posts, email blasts, word of mouth.  When I’m at shows I am sure to bring HUNDREDS of business cards with me to hand out with all of my contact information on it, including social media.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

Mikey Shyne:  Michael Jackson and Billy Joel.  The electricity that MJ delivered on stage is indescribable and even bone chilling.  You could see the rhythm just flowing through his soul from head to toe.  I would also love to sit next to Billy at the Baby Grand and sing some of his classics.  He is my all time favorite and such a great song writer and performer.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

Mikey Shyne: For the next 2 months I will be pushing this Single to its limits while performing little gigs here and there.  After that its time to start getting ready for the college tour, in which I just hired a promoter for which takes a ton of pressure off of me.

I am still working on my Debut Album “The Dream Runners LP” but am in no rush to release it yet.  I want to see the success of my Singles first before I start thinking Album

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

Mikey Shyne: Probably be out at sea wishing I was doing music.  I love working on the water, and I did for years as a Merchant Marine and Commercial Fisherman, but nothing compares to being able to pursue a dream.   Especially one that I’m getting closer towards by the day.

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?

Mikey Shyne:  Yes is was the Marshal Mathers LP by Eminem, UNCENSORED!!!  I was so thrilled it was like I found the holy grail.

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

Mikey Shyne:  Balance is something I’ve always struggled with.  I have a 2 week old daughter, am part owner at a financial lending company, work as a session singer part time, mix and master part time and also do music marketing part time.

When I tell you I sleep 3 hours a night, I mean it.  I sleep 3 hours a night, 4 if I’m lucky.

But as I got older, I began to crack the code and figure out different formulas.  T–There’s a time and place for everything.  Stay organized.  Write things down. When you say you’re going to do something, do it@

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?

Mikey Shyne:  Mikey Shyne to be mainstream.