Midnight Mights has consistently challenged the status quo by drawing from various genres and utilizing their elements to establish his own unique sound. By blending together the sounds of hip-hop, R&B and house, Midnight Mights produces unexpectedly smooth synths and undeniably catchy hooks. Inspired in part by the flavours of alternative R&B, underground hip-hop, and contemporary party-rap, Midnight Mights’ sound has been curated and crafted with the sole intention of making happy and inspirational music. He just released a new album titled Smile For The Cam.
Hey Midnight Mights! How are you doing lately? Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey guys, I’m doing very well, thanks for asking! I am a 21 year old artist from Toronto, Canada who has been recording and releasing music for the past year and a half, but who has been making music since I was 17. I recently began my career in the industry only about a year ago but have already been able to successfully release two mixtapes and four singles. I would say that the majority of my work is rap/hip hop songs, but that my sound is not necessarily restrained to those two categories, as I am a huge fan of exploring and sampling different sounds and genres. Having parents who were born in the 60’s and who were always playing music from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, I grew up listening to a lot of different music. I think being surrounded by so many stylistic eras – from Rock ‘n Roll to synth-pop House – and from being immersed in a family life that was very pro-music, has had an influence and a lasting impact on my sound. That being said, one of my favourite genres is rap, and so I usually stick to writing and producing hip-hop and rap.
How were you doing during the lockdown? How did the global pandemic influence your music?
You know, it was pretty tough, as I’m aware it was for everybody. But, considering I was able to make music all day while being cooped up in quarantine made it much more productive and, quite frankly, a little more enjoyable. During the lockdown, I would wake up and do the same thing everyday: create beats, play guitar, and write down as many lyrics, songs, and raps as I could. While the pandemic didn’t necessarily affect my ability to make music, it did have a significant impact on the ability to market and grow my brand. Almost from the beginning of the pandemic in Toronto, everything has been shut down; aside from a few months last summer, 90% of establishments have been closed while we’ve been unable to gather in groups of more than 3-5 people. This has made it extremely difficult to put boots on the ground to market my brand, hustle merch, and put on live shows which has made it difficult to grow a fan base, even in my own city! Overall, I did okay during the lockdown for the most part – I just wanted to get back outside!
Are you planning on any collaborations? What are some artists you would love to work with?
In recent projects and works, I’ve collaborated a couple times with my good friend and fellow artist Zee Row. It’s been really rewarding getting to work with someone as talented as Zach because I find that it drives me to be better. Moving forward, I am planning on collaborating with several local artists and producers in the next coming months. Based on initial conversations and ideas, I can’t wait to start recording with these guys! I’m always open to work with anyone and I’ve found that social media makes it easy to connect with other artists as you are now able to simply DM someone you’re interested in working with to gauge their interest. One artist I would absolutely love to work with is Thundercat. It would be super cool to collab with Thundercat because he produces awesome music and I’m really into the way he incorporates and mixes bass into his stuff. Personally, I don’t play the bass but I really love a good, funky bassline – especially when it creates an identity for a track – and that’s what Thundercat is all about. A dream would obviously be getting to work with Drake. A lofty goal for sure, but it would be absolutely crazy because he put Toronto on the map as the 6 God and, as a kid from Toronto trying to make it big, I respect that grind. It doesn’t hurt that he also makes straight bangers – I mean, does he ever miss?? Lastly, the album “Funk Wav Bounces Vol 1” by Calvin Harris was pretty much all I listened to for a whole year and I’m a massive fan of his production and beats. I appreciate the sheer reach that Harris’ music has with audiences and I think that’s due to his blend of genres which, as I mentioned earlier, is something I try to incorporate into my own music. There are so many others but those are 3 that come to mind whom I’d love to work with someday.
We love your LP Smile For The Cam! What inspired you to write it?
Thanks for the love. I worked really hard on this project, writing the whole LP in just a couple months. The bulk of the project was created during the Winter months when night comes super early and during the pandemic when everything was still closed. Because of the cold and the pandemic, the vibe of the city was a little depressing so I was trying to make music that was happy and inspirational, kind of like I was spreading a message to “stay positive”. This inspired the LP’s name Smile For The Cambecause we all needed to smile more and stay upbeat. The first song Jack Frostis an upbeat song about being young, single, and full of energy. I wrote this for all the young people out there who were desperate for bars, clubs, and society more generally to open up again, just as I was. I think it was important to remind everyone of the good times ahead as we collectively waited to be able to socialize in person again. Most of the songs maintain this upbeat and positive vibe which is what I was aiming for and what I tried to adopt into my writing style throughout the LP. The songs Can’t Waitand Family were a little more sentimental as the former is about not sitting around and letting life come to you, you have to go out there and get it. A lot of people were sitting around and not doing much during the pandemic, which is difficult to blame them for, but I was hoping to make a song that may inspire some people to find a passion, a hobby, or something to get them excited about life. Family, on the other hand,is a shoutout to my family for always supporting me throughout my ups and downs and for holding it down during the pandemic too.
What have you worked on recently? Any new music rolling out?
I’ve been working on a bunch of stuff lately. I’ve been working on a new single that I plan to drop in June, just in time for those hot summer months! It is titled One Million Timesand is another very upbeat song that centres around the trials and tribulations of trying to hang out with a love interest. I think it has a really good Summer vibe to it, in terms of the lyrical content and overall electro-funk beat, and that’s the reason why I want to release it in time for summer. Additionally, I’ve started the early work on a couple other projects, and I’m hoping to release two mixtapes before 2021 is over, as well as a few feature singles. I’m also planning to start filming accompanying music videos for these songs and should have a few out soon. Thank you so much for your interest in my work, and I hope everyone reading this goes to check it out!
Good luck with your projects!
