A musician who started gigging at 14 has said the fear of performing live drives him to be successful.
Michael Aldag, a 21 year-old from West Kirby, plucked up the courage to sing at open mic nights across Liverpool as a teenager. However, it was his hilarious TikTok sketches during lockdown which got him noticed as a creative.
He said: “During lockdown, I started to make videos on TikTok, trying to be funny. I thought this would be a good way to promote my music.”
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In his typically self-deprecating manner, the Wirral-born musician described his videos as just him “dossing about”. However, his comedy sketches ranging from dating life in the 1500s to university accommodation has garnered him 50.2m likes and over 700,000 followers.
Michael admitted that his music career wouldn’t have been possible without TikTok. Now however, his songwriting is taking centre stage, with his second performance at Sound City yesterday and a UK tour to immediately follow. He will also be singing at Anfield’s fan zone ahead of the Tottenham game on Sunday.
Some may be surprised that the face of hilarious TikToks can deliver powerful pop anthems, such as Girlfriends and Bleak, but Michael sees no contradiction.
He said: “Nobody’s just funny or just sad. I put all my emotions into music. It’s a release for me, a way to deal with emotions in my life and it always has been since I was 14.”
He added: “Even before then, singing did something for me that nothing else did. That’s why I’m so lucky to be doing what I’m doing.”
Michael is fresh from gigging with Southampton-born Caity Baser as part of her latest tour. In several concerts, he performed in front of over 2,000 people.
Michael’s first live performance came during a school Nativity play, where he performed as a shepherd. Michael joked that he knew from that moment he was “destined for great things”.
He said: “Liverpool is leading the pack for young artists if you keep your ear to the ground. There’s so much going on, and Eurovision will bring so many opportunities to artists like myself.”
Nevertheless, the whirlwind of emotions that went through his mind during his earlier years remain to this day. Michael said: “Some people are stopped by the fear. The fear was there for me, I was scared, but I wanted to be a musician that much I kept at it.”
He added: “It’s still there. Before performing live at the Caity Baser tour, I was bricking it.”
For Michael, the adrenaline of those performances is what drives him. He said: “I love performing. I don’t know what feeling I can equate it to. When a performance is over, I immediately want to do it again.”
He argued that “seeing the whites of people’s eyes” at live concerts keeps him going amidst the cut-throat nature of the industry. This weekend will serve as the start of his UK-wide tour, with gigs in Birmingham, Manchester and London to follow next month.
Ahead of a huge stage in his musical career, Michael will focus inwards to deal within the highs and lows. He said: “Validation comes from yourself. If you’re always chasing numbers, they come and go. You’ve got to have a strong sense of self to deal with the good and the bad.”
Michael’s EP, entitled, Socializing, is out now. You can find out more about his music and tour by visiting his website.
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