Getting To Know: Michael Vickers

Michael Vickers is one of our favourite artists around at the moment, having been featured on BBC Introducing mixtape 6Music, BBC Introducing in the East Midlands (10 Tracks of the Week) and BBC Radio Leicester. We caught up with him as he reflected on his music career so far.

1. You've received high praise from various sources, including Dean Jackson of BBC Introducing and Tom Robinson of 6 Music. How does it feel to have your music recognized and celebrated by such influential figures in the industry?

It’s amazing, Dean’s been great to me and made 10 of my songs track of the week!! It makes me feel I’m doing something right! And being played on 6music was an unbelievable achievement for me - I’m a grafter and it was great to be rewarded with that. Whenever I’m writing a song I’m going through the motions of “this is brilliant, actually is it just shit? Nah I think I like it, maybe people will like it, fuck it I’m gonna go with this.”

As much as it’s amazing for people loving your music, it’s important for me, in my opinion to be true to myself, so when people like Dean and Tom are praising my music, my lyrics and the rest of it, it’s hard to put into words how good that makes me feel. I must admit though, breaking into more national airplay, despite being pushed by people like Dean, is a very difficult thing.

2. Your music has been described as a wonderful combination of mundane grind and homespun wisdom. Can you share some insights into your songwriting process and how you infuse everyday experiences with profound meaning?

I tend to have an idea of a song, which often just pops into my head at a random time in the day. Sometimes it’s a lyric, sometimes it’s a chord progression, sometimes it’s just a style of music I want to write a song in. I have an eclectic taste in music from Folk to Rap to Rock to Indie to Funk and everything in between. I spend a lot of time thinking about my lyrics and working on internal rhymes. Sometimes when I’m writing a lyric I’ll think of something quite comical that I think would maybe get a laugh, even if it’s bittersweet. The lyrics, chords and melody lines seem to come together all at once, then it’s just whether I see it as a guitar song or a piano song I guess.

3. Critics have praised your honesty and the emotional depth of your lyrics. What inspires you to be so candid and vulnerable in your songwriting, and how do you hope your honesty resonates with your audience?

I think to be fair a lot of it is very natural. I’m a pretty honest guy and I wear my heart on my sleeve. Writing songs for me is often just a great way of expressing myself. I’m an over thinker, and I think often the things that I dwell on, other people do exactly the same. If I can relate to people with my lyrics they’ll like my music because it is real. I’ve wrote songs about great times - meeting my girlfriend, us having a little girl, how supportive my Mum, Dad and rest of the family have been to me, to list a few. But I also write songs about some pretty tough times, such as my relationship with alcohol, being skint, getting dumped. Then there’s songs that have good and bad in it, such as ADHD - which is about how I felt my journey of being diagnosed as a child with ADHD has been. This was well received with a lot of people messaging me saying they’d had ups and downs with ADHD also. I think ultimately because I just am that honest, people like that I’m not trying to be something I’m not.

4. Your live performances have been described as sensational, with critics noting the feeling and authenticity in your voice. How do you approach live shows, and what do you aim to convey to your audience through your performances?

I watch Queen at Live Aid before most gigs I do haha. I just try and give everything, I talk to the crowd between songs, I look people in the eye, I want them to feel what I feel when singing these songs. I want to capture them, I’m an attention seeker and I want it all to be about me.

5. Your latest project embraces a raw, heartfelt, and personal approach, recorded live in the studio. What motivated you to strip back your music to its acoustic roots, and what do you hope listeners take away from this more intimate style?

I think some songs I released (not mentioning names) were me trying to appeal to what people want, and as I’ve said above, this often felt uncomfortable and unnatural for me. I wanted to just “go in a studio and bang out some songs with me and an acoustic guitar”. That’s where it all began, so i thought take it back to basics, no shiny stuff. That being said this single Ro, came from the heart, my mum’s my best mate, it was part of previous sessions with Groove Machine (who are great) and I realised it was maybe too personal but also not the right time to release. But now I want to get it out there and inflate the fact I wear my heart on my sleeve. Plus it’s a nice gift for my amazing mum on Mother’s Day.

6. From performing at Glastonbury Festival to supporting renowned artists like Fun Lovin' Criminals and Nothing But Thieves, you've had an impressive journey in the live music scene. Can you share some memorable experiences or lessons learned from these performances and collaborations that have shaped your musical career?

Always have a spare guitar in case you snap a string!!! And stop leaving guitar stands at venues, ha. Playing Glastonbury was a dream come true. I basically got called out of a lesson at Bimm Bristol after speaking to them about festival opportunities, and got asked if I wanted to play Glastonbury, I told them “fuck off” and they said “no honestly you’re on” and I said “let’s have it, and, sorry for telling you to fuck off”. It was humbling when the next week I played western park festival in Leicester followed by a shit gig with 6 people in a pub a week later. haha. But it was a wake up call not only to stay humble but whilst being humble have the confidence to know that you deserve to be on that stage, (it’s about finding the right balance I think) and just give it all you’ve got, cos these big opportunities aren’t always there. 

I remember playing a big stage at Demontfort Hall Gardens, Leicester for BBC Introducing - I was in my element. I just want as many people to hear my stuff as possible, I just want it to get to people and I guess be remembered hopefully for being a good songwriter.

Check his music out here