The Australian Nightingale : Michaela Cook aka Micks

The Australian Nightingale: Michaela Cook aka Micks

“The amazing thing about music is, there’s a song for every emotion!”

Songs have always been a part of our lives. Ever wondered how much a singer has to put into a song so that the audience can connect to it. Becoming a singer requires a lot of effort. And when you don’t come from a family that has its root in music? It’s pretty tough now! The guest we have today made her way through all these odds, she took her passion seriously and worked hard towards it! She is someone who lives by music! Descending all the way from Brisbane, Australia the guest of honor today is ‘‘Michaela Cook aka Micks!’

Admired by millions and known as Micks, 25, is the gorgeous lady who hails from the capital of Queensland. Micks is currently majoring in Mass Media and Culture after finishing her bachelor’s in communication. Micks has also completed a minor degree in popular music which encompasses Audio Engineering. The singing journey of hers commenced right in the basement of her house. Added with the passion for music and consistency in efforts, Micks has become a voice that soothes millions of souls!

Meet our inspiration for today – Michaela Cook

This otherworldly creation, when you witness it, you can just be grateful for it. The honoree in the conversation here is someone who lives by music! Someone who puts the soul in the song! Descending all the way from Brisbane, Australia the guest of honour today is ‘‘Michaela Cook aka Micks!’ Admired by millions and known as Micks, 25, is the prettiest lady who hails from the capital of Queensland, the fastest growing city of Queensland. Micks is currently majoring in Mass Media and Culture after finishing her bachelors in communication. Micks has also completed a minor degree in popular music which encompasses Audio Engineering. The singing journey of hers commenced right in the basement of her house. Added with the passion for music and consistency in efforts, Micks has become a voice that soothes millions of souls!

Weighing the Anchor!

It would be a pleasure to know how your journey began!

Music has been a part of her life from the very beginning, even before she could remember. Growing up as a kid, she used to sing her favourite songs all the time. That is how she came in contact with music. Eventually, she started learning guitar while watching the tutorials on YouTube and as she was getting good at it she started complimenting it with her singing. The most persistent goal of her journey has been ‘growth’, and so when she was getting a knack for it she started jotting down her own songs, and that is how micks came into being. In the year 2014, Micks officially started releasing her original songs at the young age of 18! Composing songs has been just like penning down her thoughts for her, it’s easier for her to journal her emotions, ‘it helps me process them better’ says Micks.

How social media worked in favour of Michaela Cook

She came across different strategies and theories during her undergraduate degree, and she used these techniques to market her music and brand on social media. Some of those were literally old-school so trying to implement them on her social platform was a trial and error as she was releasing her original music. During the initial stages of her journey, while she released her music on YouTube, she wasn’t much into Folk/country music. But people started commenting and asking if she was a folk/country singer on my videos. So after reading all those comments, she eventually stepped into the folk/country genre!

The Roadblocks!

What are the challenges that you’ve come across during this journey?

To Micks, the COVID-19 situation has been the biggest hurdle. It has been a very uncertain time for everyone across the world and her heart was breaking for everyone who was suffering. It was also a huge roadblock to her professional life as well. Since she had planned to release an album in mid-2020, but due to the lockdown that was imposed, all the international as well as domestic travels were restricted, and thus the tours for promotions the way she had planned and dreamt for long were cancelled. She had to quickly pivot and decided to just release a few singles with her fingers crossed! But even though this pandemic she was able to connect with her listeners despite the fact that they were unable to promote it the way she wanted to. Having such a huge audience even online feels like a blessing to her!

Live music hasn’t returned to Australia ever since the pandemic has hit them. Micks find it very ironic to see that art has to struggle a lot here as, while everyone was stuck indoors during the lockdown phase, art is what everyone reverted to. Art is what kept people sane during these crazy times! Yet when it comes to helping the art scene, so the artists could also earn, sadly no one can be seen coming forward.

How it feels to be Michaela Cook!

Being a lyricist along with a singer, what it takes for you to write a song!

‘Does this make sense?’ Is the first thought that comes to her mind whenever she writes a song. The whole process of songwriting, for her, is about journaling my feelings. Whatever she feels, she thinks and she observes and her experiences go into her songs. Whenever she is writing a song, the music, melody, and lyrics everything goes simultaneously in her mind. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming for her when she has so much to say. At such times when things like these happen, she tends to sit back and go through the lyrics, to make sure that the picture or the story she wishes to deliver is clear. Sometimes it just takes 2-3 days while sometimes it can go from weeks to months. There is a lot more to this process such as re-readings, drafts, etc. Since recording and releasing music is expensive. She puts in a lot of thought before she chooses the songs that she wants to put her money and time on to develop!

Michaela Cook Secret Recipe!

What are the qualities one should possess to be a good singer?

Passion! This is the only thing that one should possess, not only to become a singer but to achieve success or get ahead in any aspect of life! ‘If passion is the fuel in your journey then I give you my word, you will succeed for sure!’ says Micks.

To speak about singing, specifically, she feels that one should acquire ‘the ability to feel and understand music.’ To technically understand music is great! But to understand how your piece of work, your song feels as a whole. It will be of huge help during this musical journey of yours!

Most Delightful Fan Moment!

Most memorable fan moment of yours!

When asked about her fan following, Micks said, ”To think that I have ‘millions’ of people who follow me and love my work, it’s just crazy! I’m grateful to each and every one of my fans.’ Her favourite moment resides in the year 2015, she recollects that it was just a normal day and she logged onto Instagram and she received a notification and found that she was tagged by a fan page! The very next day, there was another and then another, and it kept coming! To know that people were taking time out of their day to make fan edits to show their love and support, it’s just overwhelmingly good! She still has many screenshots of the edits saved. To Micks, these moments are just unforgettable!

Team Micks!

What is #teammicks? How did it start?

‘Team MICKS are what I call my wonderful followers’. Team MICKS came into being as she wanted to create a community that would be a safe place where everyone would celebrate art and popular culture together and come together from across the world. They have quite a few people from India as well! It was started back in 2015. For Michaela, Team MICKS is not just a fan army, they are a team! Celebs are nothing without their fans, they make us with their love and support! Micks states, ‘If it weren’t for team MICKS, my musical journey would have been incomplete!’

By definition, team MICKS is ‘a community who spreads love and kindness, and accepts everyone.’ Everyone is welcome here and can join any time!

Michaela Cook’s inspiration!

Who has been an inspiration to the one who inspires millions!

Even though it might sound cliché, her parents have always been her inspiration. Growing up, she has witnessed the hardships of her parents and everything they had to go through. They had to give up a lot of things in their life for her and her sister. They immigrated to Australia 24 years ago, and her parents had to leave everything behind. The struggle was massive for them both emotionally as well as financially back in the early days, but their parents always kept going no matter what and never backed down.

‘They proved to me, time to time, that if you are consistent with your efforts, success is yours! So whenever life gets hard, things don’t end up the way I wanted them to, ‘I just remember that if my mom and dad were able to do it, so can I!’ This striking statement by Micks clearly emphasizes how inspiring her parents’ struggle has been for her!

Behind the lyrics!

Your songs always have a positive outlook towards life! But is there a painful lesson behind those that developed this perspective of yours?

Though she never really speaks about it, during her high school days, things weren’t that great for her. Micks have experienced being on the receiving end of people being unkind. Her songs reflect all those stories and the pain from back then. It was hard to look for something positive in those situations during those difficult times, but she gave it her all, and she finds it delightful that she has grown a lot since then. One of her songs, ‘Taking back my Crown’, is an excellent example that depicts this perspective of hers and affirms that she’s back with her full strength again!

The best closest to Michaela Cook’s Heart!

From all those wonderful creations of yours, which is that one song that is close to your heart?

‘The latest single of mine, ‘Let’s Go Now!’ is my personal favourite!’ says Micks. The reason behind it is her dad. To make the vocal synth, her dad has sung the backing vocals. Her dad has been her musical hero! He was a drummer in an 80’s Rock Band and music during his early years and this has always been their ‘thing’ that they enjoy together.

Apart from that the other reason for which, ‘Let’s Go Now’ is her favourite is because it has been her first single that was reviewed and featured in The Rolling Stone Magazine in India. Since it was a lockdown, the feature photos for the article were shot by her mom at her residence! The original plan was to shoot in a big studio but sadly, just a day before the city of Brisbane was put under lockdown. So they had to work it out together at home since there was a time frame deadline to submit the photos. Almost every picture on her social media about her day to day life is clicked by her mother, so it wasn’t really that tough. It occurred pretty naturally. Micks says, ‘I don’t think I would’ve been able to pull this off without my family, to me, they are love!’ This whole incident and the combined efforts make this song really special for her.

Significance of Music!

What does music mean to you?

When asked what music means to her, Micks said, ‘Everything! And beyond! The M in the Micks represents Music!’ May it be the highs or lows, may it be the professional work or whether she’s taking her own sweet time relaxing, the existence of music is a part of everything that happens in her life. ‘There is no Micks without Music.’

Grateful to Music!

This musical journey of yours has given you many things, what are the things you are most grateful for?

The opportunity that she got to fulfill and live her dream is the first and foremost thing Micks is grateful about. She had dreamt of becoming a ‘Rockstar’ ever since she was 14. Though she is not a rockstar now, she gets to create art every day and share it with the world, and this opportunity is exactly like her dream.

‘How can I forget my lovely audience!’ Says Micks. To her, her fanbase is the most beautiful thing that has happened to her.

Last but not least, this journey provided her with a platform where she could work for worthy causes and charity organizations, so she’s grateful for this platform.

Accomplishments!

Awards and Achievements.

Michaela Cook has been fortunate that she has won a few awards and over the years, I’ve received #1 charting for my singles! I am gratified for all these opportunities, however, I still don’t consider it as my biggest achievement. To me, the biggest achievement of mine is the online community I have. A community I can connect with and be a vehicle to spread kindness and happiness to every part of the world.

Support System!

Who is your support system?

Micks has won a number of awards and over the years, she has received #1 charting for her singles! She feels delighted for all these opportunities, however, the awards still don’t count as her biggest achievement. To Micks, the biggest achievement of hers is the online community she has. A community she can connect with and be a vehicle to spread kindness and happiness to every part of the world.

An insider on Michaela Cook’s life!

Any other hobbies that you have apart from singing?

Content creation is something Michaela likes to do. She takes pictures and videos, creates art and merchandise. Being creative in any way possible is what makes her happy! Apart from that, she also loves using her online platform to support worthy causes and promote them. Micks feels proud that she is an ambassador of RSPCA, an organization that focuses on the prevention of cruelty to animals and promotes animal welfare. She has also partnered with various charities over the years.

Experience Speaks!

The experience that you’ve gained through this journey, what difference has it made in your life?

‘Having an audience all over the world and conversing with them is a blessing!’ This brought an opportunity to her to know about diverse cultures and this experience was extraordinary! This experience taught her to open her eyes and see how marvellous the world is!

Sneak Peek to the Future!

Would you like to tell us about your future plans?

‘Something special will be up real soon, and I am certain that it will be received well by everyone,’ said Micks. She also states that there’s a lot of music coming up and also there is an album that she has been wanting for quite some time now.

Words of Wisdom from Michaela Cook!

‘To anyone reading this, the concept that you simply are coming up within your head to forge your dream, perhaps for many days or even for years, simply begin it! Believe in yourself and take the leap. I used to be intimidated to release my 1st ever single online, so I simply closed my eyes and hit the upload button. And you’ll be able to see wherever my leap took Pine Tree State. I do know several thoughts come across your mind, ‘what if it doesn’t come through? What if people do not like it?’ these what-ifs will always make you doubt yourself, don’t get your head stuck there, you’ve got this!’

Passion is a vehicle that would drive you to the highest altitudes of success, only if you are willing enough to fuel it with belief and hit the accelerator. And what’s better than having a song to play as you ride!

Our Storyteller – Kaustubh Tupe

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