Mikky Ekko made a strong impression from his collaboration with Rihanna on the track “Stay” in 2012 but took time to find the right songs and sound for his debut album, Time that was released in 2015. During the time, Ekko was very cautious in using every opportunity to climb up the ladder, stating, “A lot of people expected me to hit the road with Rih or do more collaborations with other pop people. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should…and I spent a lot of time trying to balance who I should be vs. who I am.” The album was recorded in numerous places including Stockholm to Hawaii and was highlighted by the infectious tracks “Smile” and “Pull Me Down”. Ekko has spent the last few years working on the follow-up, again varying locations that included London, Stockholm, and Los Angeles. His sophomore album, Fame, is slated for release late 2018 and Ekko describes the album as: “the truest representation of my sound and my perspective. It’s the sound of me not compromising. Never, not once.” Ekko has already played numerous marquee festivals this year including Shaky Knees, Governor’s Ball, Bonnaroo, Firefly, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands and will hit up Life Is Beautiful and Austin City Limits before joining BØRNS once again for a series of European shows.
B-Sides met up with Mikky Ekko at Outside Lands 2018 to talk about his festival appearance, the upcoming album and more. Check out the interview:
