British Musician Michael Hamilton has been enjoying quite a great deal of success recently. Whether through the viral success of his breakout record ‘1 By 1’, or his appearance in Footasylum’s 2024 ‘Locked In’ hit series, it’s clear that Hamilton has found his way to a large audience. Delivering charming afro-swing anthems, Michael has recently unveiled ‘Love Me’, a vibrant, feel-good track that blends smooth melodies with an infectious summer energy.
Supported by some of the biggest names in the UK’s Afrobeats/Urban scene, including Beta Squad, Chunkz, Max Khadar, Harry Pinero, and GK Barry, Hamilton complements his music career with a striking presence in the digital media and podcast space. In that regard, he’s the host of the ‘Good Enough Podcast’, grown to 11.6K subscribers in just 6 months.
Intrigued by the project and the human behind such a flourishing career, we caught up with Michael Hamilton to learn more about his artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey Michael, thanks for chatting with us! After exploring your digital presence, I am very impressed with both your musical efforts and your YouTube channel. Do you see yourself more as a musical artist or more as a sort of ‘holistic’ creative across social media?
I don’t really see them as separate anymore. For me, making music and content are the same language: one feeds the other. That’s why I think people connect with me in both spaces. If I had to pick, I’d say music has my heart. But I’ve had some of the most fun making videos with all my mates, so I’ve grown to love the two combined.
Before diving into your latest release, I’d love to know what first motivated you to pursue music; were there any musicians in your family? Any other public figures that inspired you?
To be fair, it was my friend Chunkz who inspired me. He was always good at singing, but I was always good at writing. I thought surely if I could combine my powers with his, I could do some damage here… So I went on YouTube and searched “how to sing” – I taught myself and that was that lol!
While people might know you for last year’s viral hit ‘1 by 1’, they might not have yet clocked your latest release, ‘Love Me’. Incredibly vibrant, groovy and energetic, it also carries relatable and romantic lyricism. Was the song inspired by a real-life event?
This song was a weird one. I had a lot of people in my house that night, and I caught the main melody whilst recording vocals. It instantly felt good. The song was then written in about 20 minutes! It’s not inspired by any real-life event whatsoever, I was just having fun – but that’s the best way to do it, in my opinion.
Take us behind your creative process when writing music. Do you prefer working with others or just writing by yourself? Do you also produce?
Every song I’ve released is built around the scope of a love interest. Most of the time, they’re based on real life, so I tend to want to be alone when writing them. If the song is upbeat and less intimate, I’ll have others around to boost the mood!
Michael Hamilton is also a podcast host… what’s the Good Enough Podcast about?
A podcast with me and my long-time friend Johnny Carey. We’re usually just chatting about everything and anything. Mostly about trying to understand women, growing up, family life and just relatable experiences. We wanted to make a podcast where we could be unfiltered, like the conversations you’d have at 2 AM with your best mates. It’s about honesty, jokes, and just making people feel like they’re sitting in the room with us. It’s called ‘Good Enough’ because we know it’s not the best podcast in the world, it’s also not the worst, but it’s Good Enough.
How did you end up in Footasylum’s ‘Locked In’ freestyle series?
Honestly, I still don’t know to this day. I’ve had many friends go on it: Johnny Carey, Max Khadar, Sharky, GK Barry, etc, so I think they were working their way down to me. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I really wish I could do it again!
As a London-based artist, are there any spots/venues/studios you often work at? Are you tuned into the city’s hip-hop and trap scene?
I’ll be real, I’m so out of the scene. I have a small camp of people I work with, and that’s it. They’re mostly my friends, and we keep the circle tight, but I think it might be time to try to get my face in the mix a little more…
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
I really want to smash the content route as much as music. I think I’ve hit milestones with my songs that I’m proud of, but haven’t made the same amount of headway with content – so look out for that!
