ARTIST TO ARTIST A Conversation between Dé Mikylah & Paris Unltd
Dé Mikylah (3rd year) and Paris Unltd (2nd year) are both Woodsworth students, who also happen to be up and coming artists in the music scene in Toronto. We had them sit down in conversation and talk about finding balance, their inspirations, and what the future holds for them both. Paris: I’m Paris Unltd and I’m here talking with…
music “alternative queer pop”, and it was kind of hard to figure out...
Dé: Dé Mikylah.
D: The more you go through different experiences and put yourself out there, the more it will come easily to you. You got to keep going, there will be flaws along the way but you will continuously learn. Going back to what you said about fitting into the pop scene, the Black creative scene, there have been times when I had to just say “I don’t care!”. If they like me, they like me, if they don’t, then they don’t!
P: We have so much to talk about! You’ve had a busy week, with lots of ups and downs. How would you describe your schedule, and how you manage to find the time to be an artist but also exist outside of that sphere? D: It is very hard, and it took a lot of getting used to. I think I was prepared because I went to an art high school for vocal [music]. My schedule was literally 4 courses, then staying at school till 9 o’clock to do a rehearsal for performances. The biggest thing I’ve learned doing this now is to prioritize your time.
P: Listening to “Good Luck”, which was my favourite song of yours… felt like I was listening to someone’s journal and their thoughts. What were … you ... going through? ...this song seemed like it was about focusing on friends that had betrayed you at some time. I thought it was a really interesting angle to take in one of your first songs.
P: Meeting other people who are also either writing music, making visual art, photographers, etc. Do you think you fit in the general Toronto creative space?
D: I’m so happy you caught that because most people think like “what guy hurt you?” You’re actually really spot on.
D: I’ve always been into music. It’s always been the way that I express myself, so it’s not fake for me. As a result, I resonate with any creative... However, I feel like I don’t fit in because most of the creatives I know have completely emerged themselves in their work and are only an artist. At some point, they tend to get more respect just because that’s their sole mission. However, we’re both here from U of T, and it can feel like we are doing 45 different things at the same time. How do you feel about this?
P: Oh, rock ‘n’ roll! D: Basically I was going through a really hard time with relationships, but also breaking ties with friendships as well. I was still hurt, but I was also realizing that I needed to be the bigger person and move on. It was the realization that I’m holding in all this emotion and it felt so good to let it out, but at the same time, I couldn’t be bitter and negative about it. I just want to be out of the picture.
P: The [creative] space is very new to me. I felt like I had to find a way to fit in, especially amongst fellow black artists, coming from an alternative standpoint, trying to break into pop music. Me and my producer always label my
P: I love that came through so well in your song. D: Thank you! So, I wanted to know what made you start doing music? 10
