Few could have predicted just how good the Ohio singer-songwriter would be michael markaziThe first four months as a solo artist may have flown by. He released his debut single, “The Other Side,” in December, a month notorious for releasing his new music as publishers put together their year-end lists. On January 12, after 13 million streams, he announced that he had signed with Warner Records and released his follow-up single, “Scared to Start.” The single quickly took on a life of its own on TikTok, nearly doubling its revenue. Number of streams on Spotify alone. Needless to say, Makkaji is savoring everything.
“The last few weeks have been really fun,” he explained while speaking to GoldenPlec from his home in Ohio. , is going well. It was my first show where people were singing along, so I had to take some time on stage to take it all in. ”
“To say I was surprised is an understatement,” he said, laughing at his meteoric rise. He said, “I never expected to get a million streams for a song in the first year, and to get that in a week or something like that is really amazing.” It’s so grateful and humbling to see people connect with your music and what I’ve been trying to do for so long, and to see it come to fruition so quickly. That’s wonderful. ”
There is something unique and gentle about Markazi’s work compared to the works of his contemporaries. It’s as if he’s slowly starting to understand what it means to be an artist and at the same time opening up a Pandora’s box of his soul. He’s in a sweet spot with his work that isn’t overly staged, while also feeling like Markazi knows exactly what he wants from his work. “When it comes to my music, I feel like I tend to worry a lot, have anxiety, and over-analyze when I put out music, so when I write songs, I don’t change things or edit things. “I tend to want to, but with these new batches of songs, I’m happy with what the studio got out of us,” he explains of the creative process behind his work, “I don’t know if it’s just because it’s a little more simple or because I try not to do too much and try to be a little more pared-back, but I tried not to over-dramatize anything, but I don’t know.”
We’re talking on the eve of the release of his debut five-song EP. american romance, named after one of the most heartening tracks on the entire project. “For me, I write a lot about relationships and growing up in a part of this country where getting married young is encouraged, but so many relationships around me failed and For me, this is an EP about the failure of relationships at times, as I’ve seen many people succeed at it.” The project’s notes include, “A number of songs I’ve been trying to complete over the last few years. However, the other songs were written in the past few months, so it’s a mixed bag.”
Markazi’s interest in music began when he was given a guitar for Christmas in seventh grade. From there he fell in love with folklore. He wanted to write his own song, but he was just too scared to perform. He came out of his shell when he went to college and his friends encouraged him to start a show. In college, I joined The Heavy Hours, a band that focused on a more alternative and indie tone. “I always knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to write more acoustic singer-songwriter songs,” Markazi says of when he started writing music outside of the band. Because I knew I wanted to do this in the future and they were more folky and I wanted to use them for things like this outside of the band. After the band made the decision to leave, I just spent time focusing on them and honing them. ”
“I had a lot of friends with music ties to the band, so I had to do a little bit of convincing to get them involved,” he laughs about the change in genre. “But people were really supportive and kind. It was great.”
Looking to the future, his calendar already looks busy. The day after we chatted, he announced a brand new EU/UK tour, including a show at The Grand Social on April 17th. “I’m looking forward to getting busy,” smiles Markazi, once again excited about his future prospects. It’s very exciting. I can’t wait to travel and visit new countries and cities and see how people react to the live show. ”
Tickets for Michael Marcagi at The Grand Social go on sale from Ticketmaster.ie this Friday at 10am.