Interview: Mikey cleans out mental cobwebs with sticky ’80s synths

Mike Schiavo just wanted to get better. Caught in a Venus flytrap of emotional triggers and barbed-wire teeth, he “nearly lost his mind,” as he puts it with his single “Bitter,” which combs themes of mental recovery and throbbing heartache. “I’ve been wondering why / I can’t get out of my head / Life is passing by,” he sings on the second verse, confronting both strands of misery ⏤ self-infliction wrapping its talons around throaty forces from the outside. The production growls with funk-stitched electric guitar that shivers up and down the spine, icy waves crashing at the base of his skull before emitting a radiant mist into the sky. Where “Bitter” chops hard and fast, with little space to breathe, follow-up single “T-Shirt” slides into the back pocket like a shiny new iPhone, its glossy exterior reflecting back ’80s new wave and Shiavo’s more compelling vocal.

“I don’t know why I let you do this to me,” he turns his gaze to his shuffling feet, his heart torn in two and tethered together like a friendship bracelet. Both entries, two years in the making, due in large part to his unwieldy angst, underscore Mikey‘s burgeoning craftsmanship with gooey dive-bar pop and progressive genre-melding. “I’ve always been one to not wait to put new stuff out so it was a huge weight lifted when I finally got something new out there. There’s also a ton of nerves that come with sitting on new music for that long, and the only way to make them go away is to just make the move and put it out,” he writes to B-Sides & Badlands of the moment his first single hit online. “Bitter” has scooped up north of 40,000 streams on Spotify; it’s a meager number, to be sure, but it’s a clear indication his work, his stories, his whole midnight oceanic vibe is connecting.

“The reception to the first single was great, and it was an amazing feeling to see people listening, especially new people. You always hope to reach a new audience to keep expanding your fanbase as a newer artist, so to see that the song made its rounds and got to some fresh ears was especially exciting,” he says.

Concrete stats aside, allowing his voice to be heard is as empowering as it is terrifyingly vulnerable. “I’ve been taking time / Working on my mental health,” he sings on the opening stanza of “Bitter,” a palpable and raw conviction in his voice, as he situates such a statement at the core of his messaging and journey into the limelight. The stigma surrounding mental health is certainly on its way out, a seismic shift that has closed the divide and prompted long-overdue conversations on self-care, compassion and reaching out. “It’s something I feel that I’ve always known I was dealing with and trying to handle internally, but the past couple years, I really have been addressing it properly and not ignoring it as much as I used to,” Schiavo says. “It’s really important to take care of yourself, mentally and emotionally, and I’m hoping starting to gain some more control in that part of my life will lead to a much better outlook on my personal life and career.”

A New Jersey kid who once possessed dreams of playing professional baseball, an equally-lofty dream, Mikey soon turned his attention to music. “I played baseball nonstop and was just as passionate then about it as I am now about music. Once I really fell in love with music, it was game over,” he says, recalling his father’s massive Beatles collection, an influence which would later guide his own songwriting pen in unexpected ways. Both “Bitter” and “T-Shirt” shimmer with a plainspoken poetry, inhabiting a style also felt throughout the music of Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. Mikey goes one step further, often sinking into his unease with a more imposing hook, and with plenty more to say, he eyes a long string of singles (upwards of 10) this year alone.

Below, Mikey discusses heartache, blurring genres, how he pieces together melodies, friendship with Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) and writer’s block.

While initially wrangling a perspective on mental health, “Bitter” quickly cracks open a broken heart. “I wish I could forget ya,” rings out as an alarm. Did you have your own breakup in mind?

This song wasn’t written about a specific breakup so much but more about a major theme in relationships, in general. It’s a tough situation and a heartache that so many of us have been a part of or felt at some point. Recovery from that pain for me has always come in the form of songwriting. So, this one was a therapeutic way to get out these feelings.

You mentioned “T-Shirt” was inspired from writer’s block. What finally broke the creative barrier for you?

The biggest thing that helped break the barrier in this case was strangely a conversation with my friend Josh Radnor. We were chatting after one of my shows in LA, and I was picking his brain a bit about his songwriting and how I wanted to improve some aspects of my writing when he made a suggestion to start reading more books, particularly fiction writing as a new way to open up my mind. I was really struggling with writer’s block at the time, and I picked up one of his book recommendations, and in the process of reading it, I had this song idea and ran with it. It definitely made me think a little differently than I normally do because I put myself in a box, and reading a great fiction novel really lets you imagine more.

Here, you wrestle with “being dragged along by somebody who only wants you around when it’s convenient.” Was this true to life?

It has definitely been true in the past for me. I’ve been dragged along in past relationships, and I can also admit I’ve been on the other side of it too and probably dragged a relationship on too long out of the fear of being alone or not wanting to let go of somebody I cared about. That helped the song come together so well for me because it was really an honest process thinking about how it felt in both scenarios.

In developing your sonic blends, was the process an arduous one?

At first it was, mainly because I was trying too hard. I’ve always constantly written music, but as an artist, I’ve always struggled to really feel like I had found “my sound.” In the process of making all of this new music, though, something finally clicked. I think that came from a mix of opening myself up in a different way than I had before in reference to my mental health and being more honest with myself, which led to new ideas and being more open to things, as well as finding some really great collaborators who I work really well with.

Do you feel you learn things about yourself in your own songwriting?

I feel like I’m starting to more than ever. I’m at a point in my life where I’m questioning a lot, so my writing process now brings out some more honest feelings than it used to just because there’s a lot on my mind. It can be overwhelming, but it also is such a massive help with my personal life because I unknowingly begin addressing things I may not have without writing.

You also have a tight-grasp for unforgettable melodies. How do those come to you?

I’m not really sure how to explain how melodies come to me. It’s all a feeling. It’s a lot of humming a long to chords or some production and just hitting the right notes and having that “a-ha” moment where you know something feels right.

Already, this music feels very statement-making, on a very personal level. How do the two singles so far fit into the bigger picture of the rest of your music?

I think they represent the project as a whole very well. All of the songs I have for the project so far have a similar vibe of being very conversational. These two songs I felt were the best way to introduce the new sound; they give you a feel for the more pop side of it with “Bitter,” as well as the more emotional side of “T-Shirt.” I think I’ve finally hit a great balance of the two overall with the project which is what I’ve been searching for.

How did you come to befriend Josh Radnor?

Josh is in a really great folk-pop duo, Radnor & Lee, with Ben Lee who is an incredible singer songwriter. I had heard their first single online after someone I follow shared it and loved it, so I threw up a little acoustic cover of it online, and they shared it. I met them after one of their shows and chatted with them a bunch, and I have kept in touch with Josh since then. He’s such a good dude, and I really admire him not only for his talent but his outlook on life and how he carries himself.

What do you feel you’ve been able to learn from him about life, music and the LA landscape?

Well, I’ve definitely learned some news ways to expand my mind when it comes to writing, but I’ve also learned how important it is to stay in touch with reality and passion for what you do. It’s obvious when talking that he does what he loves to do because he loves to do it, and that’s a powerful thing, especially in LA where it’s so easy to get carried away with a lifestyle or lose sight of what you’re passionate about.

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