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Mk.gee

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 12 min

Mk.gee
Mk.gee performing in Dallas in 2024
Mk.gee performing in Dallas in 2024
Background information
Birth nameMichael Todd Gordon
Born (1996-09-27) September 27, 1996 (age 28)
Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • music producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar[1]
  • piano
  • synthesizer
Years active2017–present
Labels
Websitemkgee.com

Michael Todd Gordon[2][3] (born September 27, 1996), better known by his stage name Mk.gee, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist.[4][5] His career began in 2017 with the release of his debut single "I Know How You Get".[6] In 2018, he followed up with two EPs Pronounced McGee and Fool,[7][8] before releasing his debut mixtape A Museum of Contradiction in 2020.[9] In 2024, Gordon released his debut studio album Two Star & the Dream Police.[10] Aside from his own work, Gordon has collaborated as a songwriter and producer with various artists, including Dijon, Omar Apollo, Kacy Hill and Fred Again.[11]

Early life

[edit]

Michael Todd Gordon[12] was born on September 27, 1996, in Somers Point, New Jersey, to parents Maureen and Todd Gordon.[13][14] He grew up in nearby Linwood, New Jersey.[15] His interest in music began at an early age when he started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 or 7,[1][3] and by 11, he started learning to play guitar. While attending Mainland Regional High School,[14] he joined a band with some of his schoolmates. However, he preferred to play solo and began to record his own demos, playing all the instruments by himself.[1] After graduating high school, Gordon moved to Los Angeles to study at the USC Thornton School of Music, but dropped out before graduating.[1][16]

Career

[edit]
Mk.gee in 2018

Solo music career

[edit]

Gordon released his debut single "I Know How You Get" in 2017. The single was later included on his debut EP Pronounced McGee, which was released on May 18, 2018. The EP also featured the singles "Roll with the Punches," "Over Here," and "You".[17] Later that year, on November 25, he released his second EP Fool, led by the single "New Year". In 2019, Gordon served as an opening act for Omar Apollo's The Voyager Tour and Wallows' Nothing Happens Tour.[18][19] That same year, Gordon also made his music festival debut, performing at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Paris.[20][21]

On May 22, 2020, Gordon released his first mixtape A Museum of Contradiction. The mixtape was preceded by the single "cz", which was released on February 22, 2020. Rhys Buchanan, a writer from NME, praised the mixtape and gave it a four out of five stars rating, describing it as "a release that merges genres from different worlds with both maturity and ease" and noting Gordon's natural ability to balance emotional depth with musical complexity. Buchanan also called the mixtape "an important stepping stone" and predicted Gordon’s rising stardom.[22]

On February 9, 2024, Gordon released his debut album Two Star & the Dream Police to critical acclaim.[23] Praised by Pitchfork as one of the best albums of the first half of the 2020s,[24] the album was supported by five singles: "Candy", "How Many Miles", "Are You Looking Up", "You Got It", and "Dream Police".[10] To promote the album, Gordon embarked on a North American tour from April to May 2024,[25] followed by a world tour from September to December.[26] The concerts received praise from several publications.[27][28][29][30] In January 2025, Gordon was announced as one of the performers for the Governors Ball Music Festival and Way Out West Festival, scheduled to take place in June and August, respectively.[31][32]

Since the release of his debut album, Gordon has released two standalone singles: "Lonely Fight" and "Rockman".[33][34] In December 2024, "Rockman" became his first charting single, debuting at number 33 on the US Adult Alternative Airplay Chart, number 35 on the US Rock & Alternative Airplay Chart,[35] and number 37 on the US Alternative Airplay Chart.[36]

Gordon also made his debut television appearances in 2024. On April 11, he performed "Are You Looking Up" on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! and later appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live on November 9, performing "Alesis", a non-single track from Two Star & the Dream Police, alongside "Rockman".[37][38][39]

All of Gordon's releases to date have been home-produced by himself.[2][16] On May 15, 2024, he surpassed 1 million active monthly listeners on Spotify for the first time.[40]

Songwriting and producing

[edit]

As well as producing songs for himself, Gordon has also worked with other artists. He co-produced Omar Apollo's mixtape Apolonio (2020) and Dijon's debut album Absolutely (2021). In 2021, "Mountains", performed by Charlotte Day Wilson and co-written by Gordon, was sampled in the track "Fair Trade" by Drake featuring Travis Scott from the album Certified Lover Boy.[41] In 2023, he produced and co-wrote the track "Kids Are Growing Up (Part 1)" by The Kid Laroi from his debut album The First Time.[42] Most recently, in 2024, Gordon co-wrote the tracks ".One" and ".Ten" by Fred Again from his album Ten Days.

Artistry

[edit]

Gordon's musical genres have been described as indie, alternative,[3] lo-fi,[2] experimental indie,[16] R&B, and soft-psychedelia.[43] His musical influences include Eric Clapton,[1] Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Perfume Genius, Taj Mahal,[44] The Black Keys, Sly Stone, Larry Graham,[3] Grouper, Julianna Barwick, and Down to Earth.[45]

Gordon has been highly regarded for his technical ability, composition, and creative experimentation on the guitar, and being credited with developing an original style of instrumentation.[1][15] He learned the basics of guitar from somebody who played an upright bass, recalling: “I never liked the idea of getting lessons from a guitar player, and thought it would be more useful to learn from someone who didn’t play the guitar at all — someone who could give musical lessons that were more exploratory, more about trying things out.”[46][47] As of 2024, Gordon's primary instrument is a Fender Jaguar which he strings as a baritone guitar.[47][48]

In May 2024, when asked about modern guitarists who excite him, Clapton mentioned Gordon, commenting that he is "unique" and that "He has found things to do on the guitar that are like nobody else. [...] And he can do it live." Clapton also compared Gordon's "innovative style" to that of Prince "when [he] came on the scene".[49]

Tours

[edit]
Mk.gee performing on the Two Star & the Dream Police World Tour in 2024

Headlining

[edit]

Opening

[edit]

Touring band members

[edit]
  • Andrew Aged – guitar (2023–present)
  • Zack Sekoff – drums, bass, samples (2023–present)

Discography

[edit]
Mk.gee discography
Studio albums1
EPs2
Mixtapes1
Singles14

Albums

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Title Details Peak chart
positions
SCO
[50] 		UK
Indie
[50]
Two Star & the Dream Police[10]
  • Released: February 9, 2024
  • Label: R&R
  • Format: Digital download, streaming, LP
 84 29

Mixtapes

[edit]
Title Details
A Museum of Contradiction[9]

Extended plays

[edit]
Title Details
Pronounced McGee[7]
  • Released: May 18, 2018
  • Label: Orchard Ears
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Fool[8]
  • Released: November 25, 2018
  • Label: Orchard Ears
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
AAA 		US
Alt.
Air 		US
Rock
Air
"I Know How You Get" 2017 — — — Pronounced McGee
"Roll with the Punches"[51] — — —
"Over Here"[4] 2018 — — —
"You"[52] — — —
"New Year"[53] — — — Fool
"Untitled"[54][55] 2019 — — — Non-album single
"cz"[56] 2020 — — — A Museum of Contradiction
"Candy"[57] 2023 — — — Two Star & the Dream Police
"How Many Miles"[57] — — —
"Are You Looking Up"[58] — — —
"You Got It"[58] — — —
"Dream Police"[10] 2024 — — —
"Lonely Fight"[33] — — — Non-album singles
"Rockman"[34] 24
[59]		 25
[60]		 30
[61]

Songwriting and production credits

[edit]
Title Year Artist(s) Album Credit(s) Ref.
"The Climb" (Miley Cyrus cover) 2019 Role Model Non-album single Producer
[62]
"Hey Boy" 2020 Omar Apollo featuring Kali Uchis Apolonio Co-producer (with Omar Apollo and Budgie)
[63]
"Useless" Omar Apollo Co-producer (with Apollo, Oscar Santander, and Albert Hammond Jr.)
"Bi Fren" Co-producer (with Apollo, Michael Uzowuru and DJ Dahi)
"Mountains" 2021 Charlotte Day Wilson Alpha Co-writer (with Wilson, Brandon Banks, D'Mile, Babyface, Kyle Moscovitch, Marcus Reddick, Teo Halm, and Varren Wade)
[64]
"Thank You, God. For It All." Childish Major Thank You, God. For It All. Co-writer (with Childish Major and Hollywood Cole)
[65]
"Fair Trade" Drake featuring Travis Scott Certified Lover Boy Co-writer (with Marcus Reddick, Teo Halm, Kyla Moscovich, Brandon Banks, D'Mile, Babyface, Varren Wade, Charlotte Day Wilson, OZ, Patron, Jahaan Sweet, WondaGurl, Travis Scott and Drake)
[66]
"Simple, Sweet, and Smiling" Kacy Hill Simple, Sweet, and Smiling Co-producer (with John Carroll Kirby, Jim-E Stack, Kacy Hill)
[67]
"Big Mike's" Dijon Absolutely Co-producer (with Dijon)
[68]
"Many Times" Co-producer (with Dijon and Andrew Sarlo)
"Noah's Highlight Reel" Co-producer (with Dijon)
Co-writer (with Dijon and Noah Le Gros)
"Rodeo Clown" Co-writer (with Dijon and Le Gros)
"End of Record" Co-producer (with Dijon)
"Kids Are Growing Up (Part 1)" 2023 The Kid Laroi The First Time Producer
Co-writer (with The Kid Laroi)
[42]
"White Teeth" Ryan Beatty Calico Co-writer (with Ryan Beatty, Ethan Gruska, Michael Uzowuru and Carter Lang)
[69]
".One" 2024 Fred Again Ten Days Co-writer (with Fred Gibson, Henry Counsell, Berwyn Du Bois, Georgie Gibson, Minnie Gibson and Bridie Monds-Watson)
[70]
".Ten" Co-writer (with Fred Gibson)

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award Year Nominee Category Result Ref.
Sound of... 2025 Himself Sound of 2025 Nominated [71][72]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Corrigan, Graham (December 5, 2018). "Meet Mk.gee, the Guitarist-Turned-Singer Charting a Dreamy Path to Independence". Complex. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Buchanan, Rhys (May 22, 2020). "Mk.gee – 'A Museum Of Contradiction' review: Playful pop from the Frank Ocean-backed bedroom producer". NME. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Gillan, Claire (July 14, 2020). "Get to Know… Mk.gee". DIY. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Multi-instrumentalist and producer Mk.Gee returns with "Over Here"". The Line of Best Fit. February 9, 2018. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Shafer, Ellise (November 4, 2019). "Get to Know Nilüfer Yanya & Mk.gee, The Rising Stars of Pitchfork Paris 2019". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Mk.gee (July 10, 2017). "Mk.gee – "I Know How You Get" (LIVE)". YouTube. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Mk.gee (May 18, 2018). "Pronounced McGee". Spotify. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Mk.gee (November 15, 2018). "Fool". Spotify. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Mk.gee (May 22, 2020). "A Museum of Contradiction". Spotify. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Kelly, Tyler Damara (January 19, 2024). "Mk.gee has announced his debut album, Two Star and the Dream Police, alongside the brand new single 'Dream police'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "Credits for Mk.gee". Tidal. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "ANABELL". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  13. ^ "Area Births". The Press of Atlantic City. November 11, 1996. p. B6. Retrieved November 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Brunetti, Michelle. "Everyone has a story: Linwood teen delves deeper into jazz", The Press of Atlantic City, April 2, 2014. Accessed November 3, 2024. "At 5 years old Michael Gordon, of Linwood, was studying piano and already composing music. After about a year, he picked up his piano teacher's guitar and started to play..... 'It felt a lot more natural than piano,' said Gordon, 17, a junior at Mainland Regional High School."
  15. ^ a b Coscarelli, Joe (September 4, 2024). "Mk.gee, an Unlikely Guitar God, Chases the Promise of Pop". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c "Mk.gee". Maison Kitsune. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  17. ^ "Mk.gee - My double EP "Pronounced McGee" is now available..." Facebook. August 21, 2023. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ Welby, Patrick 'Pwelbs' (February 7, 2019). "Omar Apollo Announces 'The Voyager Tour' 2019". These Days. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  19. ^ "Tour News: Alt rockers Wallows announce tour dates for their Nothing Happens World Tour". Music Junkie Press. February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  20. ^ Pitchfork (September 4, 2019). "Pitchfork Music Festival Paris 2019 Reveals Full Lineup". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  21. ^ Shafer, Ellise (November 4, 2019). "Get to Know Nilüfer Yanya & Mk.gee, The Rising Stars of Pitchfork Paris 2019". Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  22. ^ Buchanan, Rhys (May 22, 2020). "Mk.gee – 'A Museum Of Contradiction' review: Playful pop from the Frank Ocean-backed bedroom producer". NME. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  23. ^ "Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream Police". Metacritic. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  24. ^ "The Best Albums of 2024 So Far". Pitchfork. October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  25. ^ Pointer, Flisadam (February 16, 2024). "Mk.gee Announces 2024 North American Tour To Support His Latest Album". Uproxx. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  26. ^ "Mk.gee Announces Fall 2024 World Tour". Hypebeast. June 10, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  27. ^ Evans, Nathan (October 30, 2024). "Mk.gee review – is this the world's most exciting young guitarist?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  28. ^ Hamdi, Naz (November 1, 2024). "Mk.gee live in London: a deeply spiritual experience for alt-rock disciples". NME. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  29. ^ Ihaza, Jeff (May 17, 2024). "The Mk.gee Live Experience Is Nothing Short of Magic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  30. ^ Robinson, Kristin (April 27, 2024). "Mk.gee's L.A. Performances Spotlight Why He's a Musician's Musician". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  31. ^ Green, Walden (January 14, 2025). "Governors Ball 2025 Lineup Announced: Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  32. ^ "Mk. gee [US] confirmed for Way Out West!". Way Out West. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  33. ^ a b Bernstein, Elaina (August 26, 2024). "Mk.gee Returns With 'Lonely Fight'". Hypebeast. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  34. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz (October 18, 2024). "Mk.gee Shares New Song 'Rockman': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  35. ^ Billboard charts [@billboardcharts] (December 17, 2024). "Mk.gee's 'Rockman' becomes the singer/guitarist's first song on an airplay chart, as it debuts at No. 33 on this week's Adult Alternative Airplay chart, and at No. 35 on Rock & Alternative Airplay" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 5, 2025 – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. December 28, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  37. ^ Vito, Jo (April 11, 2024). "Mk.gee Performs 'Are You Looking Up' on Kimmel". Consequence Of Sound. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  38. ^ Rawls, Murjani (October 31, 2024). "Rising N.J. singer books 'SNL' musical guest spot. What to know about Mk.Gee". NJ.com. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  39. ^ Vaillancourt, William (November 10, 2024). "'SNL': Watch Mk.gee Perform 'Alesis,' 'Rockman'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  40. ^ Team, Chartmetric (September 24, 2024). "Mk.gee Music Stats". Chartmetric. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  41. ^ Mk.gee (September 3, 2021). "Mk.gee on "Fair Trade" 🌑". Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Instagram.
  42. ^ a b The Kid Laroi (February 10, 2023). "Kids Are Growing Up (Part 1)". Genius. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  43. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (January 19, 2024). "Mk.gee Announces Debut Album 'Two Star & The Dream Police'". Clash. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  44. ^ Donna-Claire (February 26, 2024). "Soundcheck: Mk.gee Captures the Sound of Longing". Passion of the Weiss. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  45. ^ Wojick, Regan (December 14, 2018). "Mk.gee Can Aid the Growing Pains". Amadeus Magazine. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  46. ^ Garel, Connor (September 9, 2024). "The miseducation of Mk.gee". Dazed. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  47. ^ a b Janelle Borg (September 10, 2024). ""I never liked the idea of getting lessons from a guitar player, and thought it would be more useful to learn from someone who didn't play the guitar at all": Lo-fi guitar hero Mk.gee on why he decided to learn guitar basics from an upright bassist". guitarworld. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  48. ^ Janelle Borg (May 24, 2024). ""He has found things to do on the guitar that are like nobody else. It was the same when I first saw Prince": Eric Clapton picks an unlikely contender as his favorite contemporary guitarist". guitarworld. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  49. ^ "Eric Clapton Raves About Mk.gee, Says He Plays Guitar "Like Nobody Else"". Stereogum. May 25, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  50. ^ a b "Mk.gee songs and albums full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  51. ^ Mk.gee (November 17, 2017). "Roll with the Punches". Spotify. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  52. ^ Mk.gee (June 8, 2018). "You". Spotify. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  53. ^ Mk.gee (November 12, 2018). "New Year". Spotify. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  54. ^ Le Roux, Rachel (December 17, 2019). "Mk.gee releases experimental feat, 'untitled'". Sniffers. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  55. ^ Mk.gee (December 6, 2019). "Untitled". Spotify. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  56. ^ Mk.gee (February 22, 2020). "cz". Spotify. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  57. ^ a b Schube, Will (August 11, 2022). "Mk.gee Returns with Two New Singles, 'Candy' and 'How many miles'". FLOOD Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  58. ^ a b Murphy, Dylan (October 20, 2023). "Mk.gee shares double sided release 'Are You Looking Up / You got it'". District Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  59. ^ "Adult Alternative Airplay". Billboard. January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  60. ^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. March 1, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  61. ^ "Rock & Alternative Airplay". Billboard. December 28, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  62. ^ "The Climb". Genius. January 1, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  63. ^ Apollo, Omar (October 16, 2020). "Apolonio". Genius. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  64. ^ Wilson, Charlotte Day (July 9, 2021). "ALPHA". Genius. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  65. ^ Childish Major (July 23, 2021). "Thank You, God. For It All". Genius. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  66. ^ Drake (September 3, 2021). "Certified Lover Boy". Genius. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  67. ^ Hill, Kacy (October 15, 2021). "Simple, Sweet, and Smiling". Genius. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  68. ^ Dijon (November 5, 2021). "Absolutely". Genius. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  69. ^ Beatty, Ryan (April 23, 2023). "Calico". Genius. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  70. ^ Fred Again (September 6, 2024). "ten days". Genius. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  71. ^ Savage, Mark (November 21, 2024). "Chappell Roan and Ezra Collective on BBC Sound of 2025 list". BBC. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  72. ^ "Chappell Roan crowned winner of BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2025". BBC. January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
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