BROOKLYN MICHELLE has just released her new single, The Girl Not To Worry About.
We caught up with Brooklyn to talk about her recent work.
Let’s talk about your new single, The Girl Not To Worry About. What does this track mean to you?
BROOKLYN MICHELLE: It means to thank God for closing doors that were meant to be closed. I hope this song helps people realize their self-worth and know that in the grand scheme of things, someone disrespecting you is not worth crying over. Sometimes you just have to be thankful the truth came out and keep going.
In the studio, do you have a fear you’d like to conquer?
Not necessarily a fear, but I want to stop being such a perfectionist. I will record something fifty times even if I liked the original take just because there’s still a chance I’ll like a different take even more. I drive myself a little crazy, but luckily, I’m my own audio engineer [Laughs]. So yeah, I guess I fear working with another recording engineer one day and them discovering I’m insane.
Where does the creation of a song begin for you?
Most of the time, I just vent to a piano. Usually, a simple chord progression and me mumbling melodies on top until the lyrics come. Sometimes I’ll release stripped-down versions of my songs so people can hear how the ideas originally came to me.
Who do you feel inspired by in the music industry?
Donald Glover. In the way that he just does whatever he wants. I enjoy making music and music videos, but I know I will eventually want to produce my own TV show and movies. That was my first dream as a kid, but I also fell in love with music and art. I’m glad to know if I ever get bored with one of my crafts, I can switch it up.
As a music artist, what are you still trying to learn?
To get better at playing the bass! I’ve realized the deciding factor for me on whether I like a song or not almost always comes down to the bassline. So it’s an instrument I’ve wanted to master for a while now. Luckily I have the greatest bass player in the world, Sean Byrd, who took multiple songs off my upcoming EP to another level with his skills. One day I’d like to be half as good as him.
How important is social media to you right now?
As far as my personal life, it doesn’t matter at all to me anymore. I realize how important it is to keep up with today’s time for music artists to be successful, and I do actually really enjoy the content I create for it. However, I don’t feel the need to update anyone anymore about what’s happening in my daily life. Unless it’s silly. I’m always down for silly.
What’s the funniest fan request you’ve received?
I can’t think of a fan request specifically, but the funniest artwork commission I’ve ever gotten was from Alex Tumay. He needed me to design a mascot logo for his Apex Legends organization, The Horkupines. His specific request was “a 90’s style hockey logo. A porcupine with two hot dogs in each hand, but he’s super cool and has sunglasses,” and that’s exactly what I drew. It came out so sick.
Ahead of a gig, do you have any pre-show rituals?
I basically just panic. I don’t know why, but every show I will dread going to all day just because I hate leaving home. Then about five minutes before my set, I get so nervous for no reason. Then once I start performing and feeling the crowd’s reaction, I think, “Wow, this is fun. I should do this more often.” Every time.
What’s the biggest realization you’ve had this past year?
It doesn’t really matter if people don’t understand what you’re going through. So you don’t have to explain or defend yourself all the time. God understands, and that’s all that really matters.
What makes you feel nostalgic?
The beach. Modern Warfare 2. Ripsticks. George Lopez.
