We connected with soulful Luton, UK based singer-songwriter Mikyla Cara for an exclusive interview to discuss her new single entitled, “Love to Love”, which was produced by her frequent collaborator Scarz. During our conversation with Miklya, we also got the opportunity to pick her brain about how the birth of her daughter has impacted her songwriting and changed her focus as an artist, what she’s most proud of with her debut EP "Grown", and what we can expect musically in 2020.

After reading our Q&A with the songstress, be sure to connect with Mikyla Cara on her social media, and vibe out to the “Grown” EP below.

Congratulations on the release of your new single "Love to Love". What would you say inspired you to write this song and what was your process in the studio during the recording?

A couple years back I was working with a different producer and during one of our studio sessions we were vibing along to him playing some chords and in the moment I came out with “I would love to love again”, which really resonated with me at the time. I then continued to write the rest of the song and record it. Afterwards, something about it just didn’t sound right; ultimately it didn’t fit my vision for the song. So I decided not to release it.

A little while later I felt that I didn’t want to give up on the song just yet so I sent a rough accapella voice note of the chorus to a new producer called Scarz. I intentionally sent it with just my voice as I wanted to see what his take would be and didn’t want him to be influenced by the original version in any way. Not long after, he sent me back a new production and then that was where the magic happened! Everything about it was so much more creative and exactly what I wanted all along. The new production was so inspiring I ended up re-writing pretty much everything and the only line I kept was the original idea “I would love to love again”. It’s incredible how the change in music really made the song and captured the emotion of the lyrics.

For “Love to Love”, I recorded at Red Room Studios in Southampton, but usually I record at home using my humble little studio set up. Although recording in a professional studio is easier, I prefer to record at home so that I can take my time and have more control over how the vocals sound. Once the recording process is complete, I arrange the vocals then send them to my producer to mix. I love working this way; it also means that I can record as I write a song which was what I did for my last single “He Can Do Better”. This give me so much more creative freedom with no time limit to hinder me.

You've released three consecutive singles this year produced by Scarz, including "Love to Love". What is it about his production that, combined with your beautiful voice and lyrics, creates such great music?

I think the main reason that we work well together is that we allow each other to be creative, we share ideas and neither one of us tries to take control. We’re like minded so naturally our music reflects that. We also have a lot of deep conversations and I guess inspiration comes from those which are then reflected in both the music and lyrics.

How has the birth of your daughter impacting you as an artist generally, and as a singer-songwriter specifically in terms of the themes and topics that you write about?

Although I’ve always written songs and performed, I didn’t focus on myself as an artist until after the birth of my daughter. She gave me a purpose and a reason to want to share my songs with the world. I wrote “Grown” (the lead single from the EP) to pay homage to her and the emotional growth I felt after becoming a mother.

Naturally the themes and topics I write about tend to come from personal experiences as writing songs is a huge outlet and healer for me, with this being said I am forever evolving as an artist meaning that the concepts for my songs are also evolving and growing with me. I guess what it all boils down to is that I hope to show my daughter that whatever she wants to accomplish in life she can even if the odds are against her, as they were me.

Tell us about your debut EP "Grown", which you released in 2017. What are you most proud of with that project, and can we expect another release in 2020?

The project was a huge part of a healing process so I was proud that I had created something that was an expression of that and of experiences that I hoped people could relate to. I originally wrote 10 songs but decided only to release 7 on the EP as those were the ones that really took you on the emotional journey that I had intended.

Admittedly, I haven’t decided yet if I will release another EP in 2020 but I am open to the idea....stay tuned!

With 2019 rapidly winding down, what are some of your goals musically in 2020?

I will continue to release music every couple of months as I have been so far this year since the release of “Impatient” in May 2019. Additionally, I have an exciting collaboration in the pipe line with a dope artist for the states. Coinciding with all that there are also some exciting performances in the diary which are certainly ones for the bucket list!

Connect with Mikyla Cara: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook