Toronto’s own R&B sensation Mighloe chats her new single, her team in Public Records, and bringing other artists up
Emerging Canadian singer-songwriter Mighloe releases her Desperate Times EP entirely produced by Dean Vision and LateNightDrive. The EP is also accompanied by a beautiful ‘Cruel’ music video. Mighloe uses her sonic ability to speak to how both sorrow and triumph make up our existence.
Mighloe is a graduate of The Remix Project and a SOCAN incubator, increasing her musical reach. She has also been featured on platforms such as R&B Radar, and EscapeTracks. Despite the lockdown in 2020, Mighloe’s magnetic live show led her to be commissioned to perform online for Flare Magazine’s Lilith Flare concert series, as well as streamed shows for Greater Toronto Area arts platforms Artscape TO, The Remix Project and Brampton’s The Rose Theatre.
Mighloe is truly a one of a kind talent that is poised to continue her climb in the global R&B/Soul scene. Her new project, entitled Desperate Times, will mark her 3rd independent EP release – the first that will be licensed and supported by Toronto based record label Public Records Inc.
Deviate: Mighloe! Great to have you on board at Deviate. How’ve you been?
Mighloe: I have been so well as of late; with the release of my latest project “Desperate Times” and my feature on the Largest Billboard in Toronto, I must say, things are looking up! I am very excited about all that is to come.
Deviate: We’ve had “Rainy Days” in heavy rotation as it’s been quite the rainy introduction to Summer here in Chicago. I assume Toronto is no different!
Mighloe: Toronto loves to play tricks on us when it comes to weather, it’s super hot one day and snowing the next, so the timing for the release of “Rainy Days” I think, was perfect. People are just coming out of their shells, and especially with the ongoing Covid 19 dilemma, I feel that “Rainy Days” has been a great way to find love again; in someone, something or in yourself. All I ever want for my music is to provide my listeners with some solace, and in these difficult times I am ecstatic that “Rainy Days” has been that for some.
Deviate: You have a brand new EP called “Desperate Times”.. what is the premise behind the name? What life experiences directed you towards this motif?
Mighloe: During the creation of this album, I was going through a bit of a life crisis. I was very much struggling with the idea of Home, and what that meant to me. I had felt for a very long time that I was watching my body live day to day without me attached. And so this album was therapy for me. It helped me discover my feelings towards this longing for a safe space which I did not previously understand. When I say home, I mean both physical and spiritual, in the sense that I was longing to call myself home again. I was weaving through these emotions and understanding that I both know who I want to be, and am not being her yet. And so comes the title “Desperate Times” which is also the name of the 4th track on the Album. If you listen to it, you can hear me crying out for something but not quite saying anything at all, or knowing what it is I’m crying out for. When I created this song, I hated it at first, because my voice was doing things that it hadn’t before, and I wasn’t coming up with words and it was all over the place but, when I went back to listen after some time away, I saw the beauty in it. The beauty of my struggle to know myself. And I just kept saying Desperate times, as I was so desperate to find myself. The entirety of the project is based on these desperate moments in my life which have led me to where I am today.
Deviate: “Desperate Times” is your now third independent EP release. Describe to us how making this EP and the process that went into it differs from the rest.
Mighloe: I wanted this project to represent my most authentic self. I wanted it to be severely honest and vulnerable, and I think I did that. With a lot of my previous works, I was being honest, yes, but hiding the depth of my true feelings; so that I would not hurt the people whom they were about, and also so that I was providing an experience that everyone could relate to. However, that is not my experience. Coming out as a Queer Womxn was important to me in this work, and I had been hiding it for some time. I decided to not change myself so that others would be comfortable with the music. I was able to use She/her pronouns in my songs about falling in love with my partner, I was raw and unrelatable to some, and I think that being so truthful allowed me to discover these pent up feelings that I had about being lost within myself. And so “Desperate Times” became everything that I am, and that is what makes it different. It’s music that is not just a part of me, but all of me.
Deviate: You’ve opened for some extremely talented artists like Ari Lennox and PJ Morton. I’d imagine it won’t be long before you’re at the top of the playbill. Who are a few rising artists you would love to have open for you?
Mighloe: There are so many incredibly talented artists in my city alone, and I think being someone that came from the outskirts, and was so well perceived in Toronto, I would want to share the wealth with upcoming artists from here. To name a few, my partner “Lillian Blue Makin”, “Danie (aka PorcelainClown)”, “Eadie”, “Adria Kane” etc… I love supporting female/ Lgbtq+ artists, so some others that are not from Toronto include ” Martha Da’ro ” and “Aniya Teno”
Deviate: We read that you’ve now partnered with Public Records label… why do you think this is such a seamless fit between you two?
Mighloe: Man! This team has been so incredible to work with. They truly believe in my music and in me as a person, and so that genuine appreciation for each other has made for a magical experience releasing this project. A couple years ago, I was in Toronto’s famous “Remix Project” where I met one of the founders, Gavin, who I had made a point to say hello to every time he was in the building. I think from there he had kept an eye on me, watching what I was releasing and how I was doing so; the efforts I was putting in on all fronts from visual representation to the lyrics behind the music. From there he had taken an interest and started helping me push things a little further than my own reach. After some time working like that, I had mentioned that I had a full project in the works and wanted to take it to a much bigger platform, and so Gavin introduced me to his team of super amazingly talented and passionate people, and we all clicked. It just made sense, because they believed in me and my work more than I could even fathom at the time. And look how far I’ve come. They’ve always allowed me to continue to be myself and come up with my own creative ideas and direction. I always get the final say and they always provide such perfect opportunities. I am ever grateful for their behind the scenes efforts and pure support.
Deviate: 3 words to describe your new EP… go!
Mighloe: Authentic, Grand and Pure
Mighloe screams Deviate.
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