In Conversation with... Michael Aldag

You may know Michael Aldag as a comedic Scouse TikTok star, rest assured a star is what he is, but in so many more ways than that. The producer, singer and songwriter (but not a singer-songwriter) is well on his way to total pop-stardom with his impressive debut EP 'Navel-gazing', along with a string of exciting and often jaw-dropping singles. Fresh from the release of his new single 'Tonsillitis', we sat down with Merseyside's finest talent to discuss all the highs and lows of song-writing, his accidental TikTok fame and who inspires him the most.

Hi Michael! Lovely to speak to you, we’re always proud to show off up and coming Mersey talent. How are you and what have you been up to?

Hello! Lovely to speak to you too! I’m very well, I’ve just finished rehearsing for my upcoming shows so I’m still riding the buzz of that!

You’ve just released your new single ‘Tonsillitis’, which we absolutely love. It’s easy to feel the emotions given from the song, was this a hard song to write for you?

I’m so glad you like it! ’Tonsillitis’ was actually one of the more easily written songs as I was so consumed by those emotions the song sort of came out like a stream of consciousness.

What would you say were your biggest musical inspirations for that song?

Phoebe Bridgers. 100%. I sometimes think I should give her writing credits on the song (not that she needs them!) because I was so heavily inspired by her music. I was listening to her album ‘Punisher’ at the time and I just wish I could be as talented a writer as her.

Following on from that, we have a segment on our site called Music History 101, where we allow our writers to talk about an artist or piece of music that they believe changed their life. If you had to write a Music History 101, what would it be about?

It would probably be about Phoebe and that album as it helped me through one of the lowest points in my life so it means an awful lot to me. Or Headie One and Fred Again’s joint EP ‘GANG’ - very different musically to Phoebe but I was listening to this constantly around the same low period and it motivated me to work hard and progress.

Great choices! A lot of people will recognise you from your TikTok fame, how did that come about?

That came about by accident! I downloaded the app to promote my music and then started messing about making stupid/funny videos and they took off and from there I kept promoting my music and the two went quite nicely hand in hand. Just to be clear though I was doing music long before TikTok, as that sometimes gets mistaken.

Listening to your music, I feel a real juxtaposition between the humour that has us all crying with laughter on your TikTok and songs like ‘Tonsillitis’ and ‘Divorce’ that show a more vulnerable and meaningful side. Do you feel both describe the type of person you are well?

Yeah for sure, I think no one is one dimensional. No one is just happy all the time or just sad all the time and I try to portray all different emotions in my music. I have a song called ‘Arrogance’ which is just me loving myself for about 3 minutes and then there’s ’Tonsillitis’ which is the most miserable song ever - but I like that, I don't want to get put in a box and just do one thing.

"No one is just happy all the time or just sad all the time and I try to portray all different emotions in my music." - Michael Aldag

With sold out shows back home in Liverpool and down in London, it only seems up for you from here! What is your absolute dream venue to play?

Hopefully! The shows will be amazing as long as I can remember all the words, I CANNOT wait to perform! My absolute dream is to do an arena tour, so my dream venue would probably be the M&S Bank Arena as it’s home turf and also that where I’ve seen my two favourite bands (The Killers and The 1975) play.

Are they any other Mersey acts that you are a fan of or would love to collaborate with in the future?

There’s SO many talented musicians in Merseyside! Remée is amazing, Amber Jay too and also TEE - they’re all so talented and I’ve been lucky enough to work with them and will hopefully do so more in future!

We cannot wait to see what’s next for you. What do you have planned for the rest of the year?

LOTS! My next single ‘Ghosted’ is out 10th September - I’m so excited for that as it’s one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written - I hope you love it so much, then my shows too in September of course where I can play all of the songs for you!

You can stream Michael Aldag's new single 'Tonsillitis' on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube & all other streaming sites, you can also check out the music video for 'Tonsillitis' below and find him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also catch Michael at his shows in Liverpool and London below and find tickets here.

SEPTEMBER

16 - The Lexington, London

25 - Kazimier Garden, Liverpool (Sold Out)

29 - Colours, London (Sold Out)