Interview with Lil Michy
Updated: Jan 2, 2021
“Don’t ever doubt yourself… keep making music that you’ll [always] wanna listen to.”
On a determined path to success quite accurately describes upcoming rapper/singer and songwriter Lil Michy’s approach to music. I had the pleasure of discussing the development of his sound, working with his close knit group of friends and his plans for the future.
Tell me a bit about yourself;
M: My name is Michael Omaruaye, I’m from Lagos, Nigeria. I’m 16 years old and just about to graduate from High School. I love making music and playing video games. My music journey started in 2018 with a group of friends, it wasn’t something we really took seriously until this year.
How did you come up with your stage name?
M: So it was in 10th grade and a friend of mine was writing our names on lockers; he asked me: “What name do you want?” Someone suggested quite literally the obvious, Michael- as he was writing ‘Mich’ another friend of mine was like: “he should write Mikey” because he had already started, he just added a ‘y’ to ‘Mich’ and the name Michy was born. Everyone already knows the footballer Michy Batshuayi so that helped the name to stick.
I coined the ‘Lil’ considering I’m one of the youngest amongst my friends even though if you saw me that’s not what you’d think cause I’m quite tall. Also, my favourite rapper is Lil Yachty who also has the ‘Lil’ so I decided to use it on my own name as well.
You’ve stated Lil Yachty is your favourite artist, who are 3 artists you take inspiration from and why?
M: Lil Yachty’s variety in sound is probably why he’s at the top of my list, [he’s so genre fluid]; he can make anything from Hip/Hop and Rap to Country to Sad songs to Love songs with exceptional lyricism in all genres he taps into. He’s really underrated in the game but that’s my personal opinion.
Takeoff from the Migos is also another rapper who I look up to- I aspire to rap like him because his bars are really out of this world, like to the point when you listen to him, you step back and you’re like “this is so hard.”
Travis Scott was a musician I was never really a fan of until recently when I was able to fully appreciate his sound and talent and how unique it is- that’s what I want when people listen to me, they’re like: “wow that’s a line, that’s Lil Michy.”
I get that from not only Travis, but all these artists, that’s why I take inspiration from them.
You’ve discussed making music with your friends, could you delve into that further?
M: My friend ‘AJ 69’ kickstarted the journey for us after his drop on Soundcloud; “My Gang.” All of us wanted to hop on it after that cause it was fire! We were like “we like what’s going on here.” Before music was a casual pastime for us, an activity during class where we’d make beats on the table with our pens, yet after his release it became something [tangible] for all of us.
After that, we formed a group Juvenile Records which consists of myself (Lil Michy), AJ 69, Big RD, Demixx, ‘Mars, Ben$on, Rickstar, MKA, H Skills and RCN. We’re 10 of us, and the [pioneers] of making music in our school. We didn’t drop anything until early 2019, our first song ‘Starkiss’ which is out on all platforms. After that, the dream began to actualise for all of us, what we did on that track was simply beautiful and all we knew is that we needed to stay on that momentum.
We already set the bar, it's our work to keep to that standard.
How has maintaining the balance between your solo career and being a part of Juvenile Records been for you?
M: It really hasn’t been difficult for me considering we all have the same ambition to build individually, perfect our sound as soloists, so that when we come together we “pop off.” As of now, we come together if we want, but there’s no pressure to make music together that has impacted my personal focus on my craft.
What do you think the current pandemic has offered you as an artist? Is there pressure to create?
M: The lockdown has definitely been a time for my music, for me to develop my sound. Honestly, the difference between last year and this year is too much and that’s all because of the increased time provided to focus on getting better all the time. Obviously there’s the pressure to consistently drop, but it hasn’t gotten to anyone in Juvenile Records or myself, we still drop when we feel we’ve created our best.
What does your music say about you?
M: I’m open, vibrant and enthusiastic. I could rap aggressively if I wanted to, but I much prefer happy and cheerful vibes as it represents the kind of person I am; bad energy stay far far away.
On that note, what would you define music as?
M: Music is truly an extension of happiness, a joy bringer, makes you wanna dance, changes your mood for the better- it has an overall feel good essence to it that makes it incredible.
What’s your favourite song of yours and why?
M: My song ‘Rocket’ ft Big RD and ‘Mars is definitely my favourite. The beat is atypical that made it quite difficult to write to, but when we were all able to bring our verses together and pull it off it was such a exhilarating feeling because of how well we were able to execute it- definitely my favourite song of mine as of now.
Envisioning your first live performance, what’s the kind of experience you aim to create?
M: It has to be energetic, no dull vibes- I want the fans to not stop saying how lit it was, “we turned up” you know what I’m saying? I want everyone who comes through to never forget how hype the show was, I’ll give them 150% to make certain that it’s unforgettable.
What’s been your biggest musical achievement so far?
M: I think it was getting my first 1000 streams on Spotify, that was a big moment for me, I was ecstatic when it happened. I’d also say, the joint EP with Big RD and AJ 69 was a great achievement due to the reception from that collaboration, people were really vibing to it which is such an incredible feeling for an artists so it’s definitely a tie between those two.
Where do you see your music 5 years from now?
M: By God’s grace, at the very top- which is still something I’m trying to navigate, like I’m not sure what that exactly looks like yet but definitely at the top of my personal game. I’ll still have to go through University but I’ll still focus on making my music sound more professional and evolve my personal sound further.
What would you say to those who are on the fence about starting music?
M: To be honest, just go for it! Hard work will always get you to the top, make sure you get your music on as many platforms as possible, invest in proper equipment and never ever doubt yourself. That’s the first step towards failure.. believing you’re not capable of doing it, so don’t
doubt that you can’t make it. Lastly, keep making music you wanna listen to, that’s the most important thing.
Interview done and written by Wanjiku Mucai.
* This interview has been edited for clarity.
Stream ‘Lil Michy’ on all platforms and click here to hear his latest song ‘R!ngtone’ on Apple Music.
Keep updated on his journey by following him and his group on Instagram - @lilmichy13 and @juvenilerecords.
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