An Inspired Chat with Mikhaila Smith of Manhattan

We recently had the chance to connect with Mikhaila Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mikhaila, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
My fitness routine is a big part of my lifestyle and it never ceases to boost my mood and give me the energy I need for all of my creative pursuits! Nothing makes me happier than running the Central Park loop in the mornings and grabbing a matcha right after. In addition to running, I am also at New York Pilates three times a week and it’s been an absolute game changer for me.

One of the most important things I’ve ever been told was, “when you take care of your body, you take care of your music.” Moving my body every day feeds directly into my creativity and everything that I do.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a South African composer and pianist based in New York City. My work spans film, the concert hall, and interdisciplinary art where I create sonic worlds that are a unique culmination of my deep roots in classical music and cinematic storytelling.

I recently signed with Platoon and through them, I’ll be sharing my debut piano album “NOIR” with the world on September 19th. This project is my most personal to date and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share my heart through music written and performed by me, on the instrument that is the extension of everything I am. “New York City,” “Somewhere I Have Never Travelled,” and “La Belle Époque” are three singles that offer a glimpse into its world and they can be found on all streaming platforms.

Recent highlights also include scoring the feature film “Carissa,” which premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, and being the featured composer at the renowned Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival where my orchestral piece “Lighting Our Stories” had its world premiere.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I started writing music from a very young age and a moment I always go back to is the moment I shared my very first composition with my music teacher at the time. I sat down at the piano and played the first ever piece I wrote. What will always be embedded in my mind is when he turned to me and said, “you have the gift of melody.”

I look back at that as a moment of power. It was a moment I felt completely seen for everything I was.

I’ve always believed in the undeniable beauty of melody. It was the very reason I fell in love with music in the first place. To hear those words meant the world to me. I felt like a superhero having my powers revealed.

When I think back on all the works I’ve written, it always starts with a melody and it’s the one part of my process I never quite know how to explain because after all this time, it still feels very mystical to me. That’s what I love most about writing music.

Before I left the music room that day, my teacher told me that my music is the one thing that no one can take from me, and I’ll hold onto that always.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
There is a resilience that walks hand in hand with suffering. Overcoming hardship, especially within this field, shows a profound strength, and it is always a strength you perhaps thought you weren’t capable of.

The pursuit of any dream comes with challenges and the path is never linear. There is insurmountable beauty, thrill, and adventure, but there is also an inevitable amount of difficulty that takes you to critical moments in which you have no other choice but to persevere. I believe those are the most defining moments in life – choosing not to give up when the odds are stacked against you,

Those moments have revealed a strength I didn’t know I had. The experience has moved me, changed me, and altered my entire perspective on life and what it means to chase a dream. It has taught me what it means to be resilient, it has shown me that I am capable of far more than what I am able to comprehend, and it has made the seemingly impossible possible.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
When I first knew I wanted to compose music for the rest of my life, I was a young girl stepping out of a movie theatre, moved by music in ways I hadn’t been before. My first thought as I stepped out of that darkened room was that I wanted to be the person to make people feel the way I was feeling. In anything and everything I do, that is what I chase. I do it all for the younger version of myself who dared to dream and who dared to feel.

I will always be committed to creating a body of work that moves me, and in turn, moves others – one that speaks to emotion in its rawest, most beautiful, and most romantic form, and one that invites people to feel EVERYTHING.

My debut album, “NOIR,” is just the beginning.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
I will never forget the moment I woke up in London the morning of my album’s first recording session. Stepping into studio, about to record music I had written, gave me all the butterflies.

The most gorgeous grand piano was being positioned just for me. Everyone was there just for me. It was a dreamy week filled with recording sessions, video shoots, photo shoots, and an incredible team of creatives who helped make my project possible. I was in absolute heaven and I remember thinking that this is how I’d like every day of my life to be.

I feel I am in an incredibly exciting time of my career. For the very first time, I am releasing my music into the world and I swear there is nothing that feels more beautiful and more freeing.

I’ve entered a new era as a solo artist and it’s been such a profound experience sharing my heart in this way. That excites me enormously, and it’s a feeling I want to feel forever.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Jules Miranda
Matthew Johnson
Lindsey Appolis

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