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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with Luton artist Mikyla Cara to find out more…

Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I am hailing from Luton town and I have always loved to sing for as long as I can remember. My first memory of performing was singing the Titanic song in assembly in year 4. I still remember the feeling I felt during and after that performance and how much I wanted to do it again. Then as I grew up, my musical journey evolved from learning and performing other people’s songs to writing my own. And now here we are 🙂

I am a solo artist and although I work independently I also work closely with my friend and producer Scarz. A majority of my songs have been a collaboration between us two. We met in 2017 after I heard another track he’d produced and I reached out to see if he’d be up for collaborating with me and the rest’s history 🙂

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
I grew up listening to R&B soul classics and neo soul, these were in fact some of the songs I first learnt. I absolutely loved Alicia Keys and still do, she hugely inspires my music even to this day. I also loved R&B legends such as Aaliyah, Ashanti and Usher whose vocal arrangements and harmonies inspired and influenced my own sound. Alongside the evident influence of R&B music, I also loved listening to and singing ballads, I was and still are very much in awe of female vocalists with incredible range and overall powerful voices such as Aretha Franklin and Mariah Carey. Lastly, neo soul artists such as Erykah Badu and Jill Scott have inspired my more recent music, specifically the melodic choices and some of the lyrical content.

How would you describe your sound?
My sound is very much nostalgic of old skool R&B, specifically 90’s and 00’s, filled with soulful melodies and a sprinkle of pop. The lyrical content is often conversational and taken from personal experiences.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
My latest release is called ‘If u Don’t Mind’ – from the beginning I felt the song needed to radiate a feel good vibe, both melodically and lyrically and include some sort of love story. So I ended up taking inspiration from conversations with my best friend and using those stories creatively as well as referring to our friendship in the lyrics such as “messages throughout the day just to see if I’m ok” and of course by referencing our favourite coffee “almond latte with vanilla too”. Sometimes you have to get creative and make up your own love story haha.

What’s your local music scene like?
Luton is full of creatives and talented people. Both the Hat Factory and The Bear Club hold music events that showcase local artists.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I have planned to release consistently by releasing one song per month for the entire year. The next single is called ‘How I Wanna Be’ which will be released on Friday 24th May. I also intend to create some merch for a summer release, alongside continuing to perform live in various venues in and around London.

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
There’s so many people, especially within the UK. I’d love to collaborate with the songstress NAO, I love her voice and songwriting, I’d also love to create musical magic with Corinne Bailey Rae.

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
I’m sure there are loads but the only one coming to mind right now is banging my teeth on the mic incredibly loud and not to mention the impact actually being quite painful lol. The worst part is I have done this more than once.

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
I am a crazy cat lady who needs coffee to function and is obsessed with the moon and candles. There’s some clues as to what my merch might be in there 🙂

You can find out more about Mikyla Cara on her website or via Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, TikTok, X (Twitter) or YouTube.