Going Swimming With [@Mikemusst].

I got the chance to meet up with the very wavey artist, Mike Musst, to talk swimming pools, ukuleles and S Club 7. Read the interview below:

When did you start playing the Ukulele?

5 days ago literally, I’m shit though.

What made you start playing?

Some guy called Zak or something. He always plays a Ukulele for like all his production and that; it’s mad. So i was just like, I wanna start doing it.

And you had to get pink one?

Yeah [laughs].

That’s jokes… is pink your favourite colour?

I think right now. I don’t really have a favourite colour, I feel like it’s more “okay I fuck with pink right now”.

Yeah. I’m usually always in black, like proper.

Yeah it’s either usually black or red.

Good job they sent a red pool then… (they were actually supposed send a pink one)

[laughs]

So what’s the reception been like for ‘The Swimming Pool’?

It’s alright, I need to try and push it out more. I wanna do like more videos and more animated shit.

Yeah I hear you.

[plays ukulele]

What made you call it ‘The Swimming Pool?’

I feel like it’s where I’m at right now. I feel like it’s where my music is going. Because like with my album, when I do it, it’s gonna be called ‘The Deep End’. And I wanna have like a storyline with my animations, if I have time to. It will follow it to the point where I’m actually going into the swimming pool…

Sick, so then it will be like your at the pool, and now you’re going into the deep end?

Yeah

Okay I hear that; sounds cool. How long have you been doing music for?

I think taking it seriously since I was 16, that’s when I started producing, but I’ve been rapping since young. I think music’s always been in my life. I made a hole inside the pool with ash.

Ahh shit

But don’t judge me… back in the day I used to like S Club.

I think everyone liked S Club. I was the biggest fan ever. You know they used to do the magazine subscriptions and that? Yeah, that was me. 

[laughs] yeah they were lit.

How old are you now, I don’t even know?

23

Ohh you seem mad young. Oooh the sun’s out, let me take a pic…

So when did you start modelling?

I was literally at a train station and then this guy I used to know, Malik, took a shot of me and he was like “yo I fuck with this”. And then he brought me into the whole fashion thing.

Do you still model a lot?

Like 2015 and 2016 bare, but nowadays I’m introverted as fuck, so I’m staying away from that scene. I just wanna have fun with this shit, I gotta earn money but I hate being like “ah I gotta earn money so I gotta do this”. I wanna enjoy it.

It’s good to keep that mind set though, otherwise you’ll end up like [insert well known grime artist name]. You can do a song with a pop group.

[laughs] I do not want that. I feel like if I find myself in a position where I’m just doing shit cos I have to… I could never be like that.

Where do you see yourself as a rapper?

I think I’m shit at promoting my own music cos I never wanna be like that rapper that’s like “yeah check out this”, ‘cos when I look at it it bores me. But at the same time I understand why you have to do it. I don’t even think i wanna be a rapper, I wanna be an artist.

Yeahh I think you when you say “I’m a rapper” you confine yourself to just that. If you’re an artist you can do anything.

Literally. But I don’t wanna be undermining rap as well. And I don’t wanna be another “I’m not a rapper, I’m a rockstar”.

Lil Uzi vibes.

Lil Uzi makes me laugh.

He’s mad creative… I feel like you’re like that as well though. Have you thought about styling or creative directing? ‘Cos you came up with the idea for this shoot.

I might try it you know.

Not saying you’re abnormal lol, but most normal people wouldn’t come up with an idea like that.

I think it’s just being comfortable with your own style. But I hate when people are like “i gotta do this, ‘cos it’s different”.

Yeah, because then everyone looks the same, kind of like in Shoreditch.

Fuck Shoreditch. I hate Shoreditch. Especially where I was raised…Hackney. I went there the other day to perform. Everything’s changed. It’s just gentrified as fuck. These creatives with their dyed hair just wanting to be “different”.

“My cousin is Skeppy’s manager bro”.

[laughs] Yeah, and they were all raised in the suburbs, but then they move in and try to tell you about the place you were raised.

‘The Swimming Pool’ is out on SoundCloud now. Listen here.