Digital Cover Story 14: Audrey Mika
"I stuck with my gut and thought this is really going to be worth it. I love music videos and putting projects together, because a lot of people are involved and I love how it brings people together.”
Originally hailing from the Bay Area, singer-songwriter Audrey Mika initially started out by releasing covers on YouTube and to this date, she has amassed over 1.55 Million subscribers. As with other YouTube stars, Audrey’s popularity on the video platform grew rapidly thanks to impeccable talent and her unique raw and heartfelt voice which makes her stand out from so many other artists out there. Experimenting with GarageBand a few years ago, her original projects ‘Are We There Yet’, and ‘Level Up’ have received wide acclaim, and her latest EP ‘5 AM’ further cemented her into the scene - ever since, her career skyrocketed. Audrey Mika is undoubtedly a pop star in the making and a force to be reckoned with, with an ever-growing fanbase supporting her along the way.
“I am in downtown LA right now, I just moved to a new place and living on my own right now.”, she tells me as our Zoom interview kicks off. I can’t help but notice the iCarly poster in the background and as someone who grew up watching the show, I just have to mention it. “I didn’t grow up watching it! I didn’t grow up watching TV, so I started watching it and was obsessed.”, she chuckles, cheerfully confessing that she was thinking of removing it for the interview - but I love me a little bit of a throwback!
Words by Antonia Kuenzel
As we start conversing about all things music and life (and iCarly!), I felt intrigued about how her journey started, and why she decided to release covers in the first place. “I didn’t actually try to do covers. It was solely because I thought it was fun, and I think that helped as well because I didn’t try so hard. It just happened super naturally and I had fun with it. I still enjoy making covers a lot. It was all my life and I put so much thought into it, like what my next covers would be or what the idea is. It really started to gain traction in February 2019”.
What really caught her fans’ attraction next to her talent, was her pink microphone with which she performed her covers online. “They were really latching on to that little prop that I had. So I just like rolled with it, and made sure the pink mic is in every cover”. Now, that asset has undoubtedly reached legendary status as it played a big role in her journey so far. “I think I had that mic since I was eight, it was just lying around the house. I used to use it all the time to sing in my backyard. Even as an eighteen year old, I would be in my backyard singing with my dogs, pretending I’m at a concert or I’m on tour. And that’s when I kind of realised that I’m dying to do this and hope to be able to make it as a career”, she tells me when I enquire about where she even got it from.
But Audrey’s path almost went into a different direction. Growing up, she was an aspiring dancer for 14 years, and practiced the sport for hours every day. “I actually danced, almost professionally. It was all I knew, and singing was something on the side. Music was always a part of the family, a part of me.” Soon, she discovered that music was indeed her true passion and something she wanted to pursue a career in. Curiously, I ask her whether she had a moment of clarity that told her to switch from dancing to singing. “I knew I needed to quit dancing when I was crying while I was dancing. And I just knew that wasn’t helping. Before, I would dance all day and come home and dance some more. That switched very drastically when I danced all day, came home and just started singing.”, Audrey admits. “I kept thinking that I really love this and want to do this forever. I always had unconditional love for music and always will. I think this is something I’ve always wanted, it’s always been in the back of my head. It was a dream I didn’t know I had. It’s crazy because I didn’t expect any of this to happen. So for it to happen the way that it did I’m just in awe. I’m over-grateful.”
“I always had unconditional love for music and always will. I think this is something I’ve always wanted, it’s always been in the back of my head. It was a dream I didn’t know I had. It’s crazy because I didn’t expect any of this to happen. So for it to happen the way that it did I’m just in awe.”
- Audrey Mika
As we discussed earlier, Audrey started out with singing covers on YouTube at first. From The Weeknd’s ‘Earned It’ to Rihanna’s ‘Stay’ to Madison Beer’s ‘Dear Society’ - the songstress has covered a multitude of songs on her channel, all which have found a huge audience. Putting out original music can feel daunting I assume, so I was wondering whether she felt nervous to release her own material eventually. Audrey reminisces that “It was definitely scary. Every time I put out a song, I was scared. You want the fans to like it. The songs I put out are so me and I want people to connect with it. I was actually releasing music on SoundCloud since I was 16, and I had gained like an audience. I had a couple of projects on there, and actually released an album on there in 2019, just like super independently through Distrokid. It actually gained traction, apparently people really loved it. I was doing it all by myself and people liked it. Music is music, you can’t really force that. But I was scared for sure. I’m always excited to put music out but was really excited to out that album out.”
But the numbers speak for themselves: After having a quick look at her Spotify, I’m impressed when I see the monthly listeners exceeding 3 millions each month - and that’s only the amount on that particular streaming platform. Audrey blushed for a second, feeling truly grateful. “I started out with 50 monthly listeners and never ever, genuinely ever”, she recollects. “When I’ve released music through Distrokid I had below 1000 listeners for my songs but I didn’t care because I was so happy that I was confident enough to put my music out there for anybody to find. It was really just about that and not about millions of monthly listeners. Reflecting on how it started and where it’s now is just.. wow.”
With a loyal fanbase who cheer her on at all times, whether it’s on Instagram, Tik Tok or another platform, I can’t help but think whether Audrey has established a nickname for her fans already - just like Lady Gaga has her Monsters, Taylor Swift her Swifties and Justin Bieber his Beliebers. “I kind of started wearing paperclips and I also have a tattoo of it. That was kind of my thing. I call my fans the Paperclip Club.”, she discloses, and I need to admit that this has got to be the cutest and most creative name for a fanbase so I just have to know more about it. “On tour I made paperclip bracelets for all the fans I met at the meet and greet and they still send me pictures of the bracelets”, she continues. “It makes me really happy. I used to have this pink tape of duct tape that said ‘The Paperclip Club’ in my old apartment, I don’t have the space for it in my new place but it will always be in my heart!”
Only recently, Audrey has dropped a new single. Titled ‘Alive’, the track follows up on her previous hit ‘Chivalry’ and has received huge critical acclaim already. It effortlessly showcases the artist’s raw powerhouse vocals and purely highlights her artistic capabilities. But most importantly, it contains a message which is relatable for many out there - especially in these chaotic times that we’re living in. “Alive was a different song for me to put out, it was very slow and the completely the opposite of what I had been putting out. The song is really just about being grateful that you’re alive and that you have people around you, and not letting any negative energy around you, taking accountability for your own life.” Audrey explains when I ask her further about the inspiration for the lyrics. Next to gifting fans a video of a stunning live performance, ‘Alive’ also came with its official Mara Whitehead-directed visuals for which she returned to her dancing roots - for the first time since she stopped. Thinking about what she had told me about quitting dancing earlier, I question her how it felt to be her old dancing self and if she had any hesitations at all. “Not a lot of people know that I danced, so it was a bit nerve-wrecking to put myself out there but I knew it would connect with people”, she reveals. “It was a bit up and down for me because the first rehearsal that I had I was feeling very insecure and I also didn’t like seeing my body that much. I learned a lot in the process, I almost pulled the dance video just because I felt super insecure about my dancing. I didn’t think it looked good, I didn’t think it was good enough and I felt very frazzled. But I stuck with my gut and thought this is really going to be worth it. I love music videos and putting projects together, because a lot of people are involved and I love how it brings people together.”
As more restrictions are lifted, music concerts are finally no longer a myth, although many events are still being held virtually. Just recently, Audrey was part of the line-up for renowned 88 Rising’s Asia Rising Together Festival, an annual online benefit festival in honour of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The hip hop and pop collective, which is shedding light on artists with an Asian background, has gained huge popularity over the past years. “It was perfect.”, Audrey acknowledges when I ask her about her experience of performing on there. “Everybody was so nice and welcoming and I was so honoured to be asked to be on that showcase. My mum and my sister were able to be in it, and they were so excited and were like ‘thank you for doing that’. It was weird to hear that from my family, haha, but they were so excited and happy to be on there. The performance was really fun too, and also the location was beautiful.”
I’m sure I can speak for all of Audrey’s fans when I say that I hope we will get to experience her performances live in the flesh again soon. So naturally, as our conversation draws to a close, I ask her whether she’s got any plans for the remaining months of the year and she’s teasing something which will fill her Paperclip Club with excitement - although they will need to be a teeny bit more patient. “I’m working on a song at the moment and we’re sort of in the decision-making of the next single. Nothing too big will happen this year but next year you can possibly be on the lookout for possibly an album. A real, full debut album. I’m in the works for everything and excited to see what happens.”
Watch the visuals for ‘Alive’ below!
Youtube/ Audrey Mika
Stream ‘Alive’ HERE
Follow Audrey Mika on socials:
Instagram: @audreymikaa
Twitter: @audreymikarm
Tik Tok: @audreymika00