What’s your stage name and where are you from?

Thank ya’ll for having me. My name is Michail, I go by the stage name MikeTheYoungin’. I’m a US based rap artist but I’m originally from Greece

What’s the story behind your stage name?

I ain’t gon’ lie, it was kinda meant to be from the start. I was always the youngest out the group no matter who I was kickin’ it with. So yeah, it stuck with me naturally, MikeTheYoungin’ just felt right and never left.

Describe your musical journey in three sentences.

Trial and error taught me everything I know. I didn’t come in with a blueprint. Just passion.

Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.

The craziest part about my latest track “MUD BABY” is I wrote it in 15 minutes on the bus to the studio. I heard the beat and instantly felt it like I already knew what I had to say. Everything came together naturally from there.

What message do you want to convey through your music?

It’s all about the work you put in. Doesn’t matter who’s with you and who ain’t, if you got yourself and you’re willing to hustle, you gon’ get what you want. Don’t even stress about it, just keep going.

Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.

Definitely the pressure and lack of creativity. When I was working on my latest EP, “THE BIGGER PICTURE – EP,” I spent a couple of months just brainstorming and bouncing back and forth ideas. There were fully fleshed-out songs that didn’t make the cut simply because they weren’t good enough, no matter how much time and effort went into them.

Overcoming that kind of demotivation wasn’t easy. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking, “Damn, I’m working way too long on an EP that might not even get the recognition. I need to stay consistent with it.” The whole tape became a learning process. Pushing through those moments of doubt and staying focused turned the struggle into something beautiful. That’s the real story behind the music. It’s all the beauty in the struggle.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

It’s my dream to collab with J. Cole one day. Don’t even have to be on a song, just being with bro in the studio, collecting ideas, working on a track together. Just locked in. Imma make it happen one day.

Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?

I definitely see myself on a stage in a city near yall

What’s the next big step for you as an artist?

I just want to work on me, my sound, and overall my style. I believe that’s the biggest step any artist can take. Lock in with an engineer, lock yourself in the studio, and just work on your craft. Everybody keeps saying they’re putting their all into promoting and marketing, but if the music’s not good, I can promise you nobody’s listening.

Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?

You can check out my latest single “MUD BABY (feat. KingTrey)” on any streaming platform.