YA recently got a chance to chat with up and comer Mikey Wax. His career trajectory is a true example of how the Internet is shaping the music industry…but he’s still a totally down to earth, sweet guy. Recently his music has been featured all over your favorite shows – his beautiful single “In Case I Go Again” was on Pretty Little Liars and his “Counting On You” was recently on So You Think You Can Dance! Read on for his thoughts on Billy Joel, the effect Twitter has on musicians, and his thoughts on touring!

 

Young Adult: Tell YA a little bit about yourself when you were younger…where did you grow up?

Mikey Wax: I grew up on Long Island, NY in a town called Oyster Bay. Looking back, it was a pretty great place to grow up.  The trees, grass and ocean were all nearby, and the fact we got four full seasons is definitely a part of who I am.

 

YA: How did you get your start in entertainment?

Mikey Wax: I’ve been a songwriter as far back as I can remember. I wrote my first song when I was 8 years old. I got started professionally a few years ago when my song “In Case I Go Again” received a feature on the homepage of YouTube and I received over a half million views in a few days. It was pretty incredible, and I was able to start touring after that.

 

YA: You released your “The Traveler” EP for free download…That’s a pretty new model in the industry still. Can you tell us a little more about that? What prompted that decision? Were you happy with the results?

Mikey Wax: We did that when Twitter was relatively new, because of the effectiveness of fans re-tweeting the EP to their followers. It was extremely effective. I think the EP received upwards of 15,000 downloads in about a week, which was cool considering prior to that it would have been hard to just find a thousand people I could force to check out my music!

 

YA: What has been your biggest success to date?

Mikey Wax: It’s been a pretty crazy couple of years and I feel very fortunate to be a full time musician. To me, the biggest success is still having fans come up to me after a show to tell me how much they enjoyed it or to take a picture. Other than that, I’d say having my song “Counting On You” used as the elimination song on So You Think You Can Dance was pretty cool!

 

YA: Do you have a mentor? If so, tell us a little more about him/her.

Mikey Wax: That’s a great question! My brother is my manager and together we have learned a lot about the music business, faced challenges and grown as a DIY team. However in terms of general life, might seem cheesy or “un-rock star” but my parents and childhood friends are a tremendous support system to me.

 

 

 

YA: You’ve travelled with some of the biggest acts on the scene right now including Howie Day, Serena Ryder and Landon Pigg. Tell us a little bit more about those experiences?

Mikey Wax: Going on the road is always such an incredible and surreal experience. Having the chance to share the stage with such talented people is definitely a learning curve. You don’t want to embarrass yourself, so you’re forced to learn quickly and be the best performer you can be.

 

YA: Quick: Pick one adjective to describe yourself!

Mikey Wax: Dreamer.

 

YA: Who are some of your favorite artists or bands?

Mikey Wax: Man, hard to narrow down… I’m kind of all over the place. I grew up learning the Beatles catalog, and Billy Joel being from Long Island. However, I also love classical music, jazz, lots of classic rock, the 90s, a ton of singer/songwriters and today’s top-40.

 

YA: Who would you most like to work with?

Mikey Wax: Is Paul McCartney too much of a stretch? In today’s pop music scene, it would be awesome to write with someone like Bruno mars, Ryan Tedder, or maybe a DJ like Avicii!

 

YA: What do you have coming up?

Mikey Wax: I’m currently wrapping up a new album, and will be doing a few shows this October with Jon McLaughlin.

 

YA: What can you tell others pursuing the same career?

Mikey Wax: Keep writing, perfecting, and surround yourself with people who believe in what you’re doing! Can’t imagine pursuing a music career alone.

 

YA: What’s your favorite book or what book are you currently reading?

Mikey Wax: I am currently reading the NY Times app. Ha! I mainly read non-fiction, usually about inspiring people. I prefer movies for a good adventure.

 

YA: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10?

Mikey Wax: The same but different 🙂 I’m just going take it one day at a time, be the best person and musician I can be.

 

YA: What are three things you want your fans to know about you that they might not?

Mikey Wax: I’m a fan of the NY Jets and Islanders. Chipotle and Whole Foods are my favorite spots to eat on the road. I am a master Priceline negotiator when in need of a hotel on tour.