Mikky Ekko
| Mikky Ekko | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Stephen Sudduth |
| Born |
December 17, 1984 Shreveport, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | RCA |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | www |
Mikky Ekko (born John Stephen Sudduth; December 17, 1984) is an American recording artist and record producer from Louisiana, signed to RCA Records. He is best known for being featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay", which has charted in multiple countries worldwide, becoming Ekko's first-charting material. Ekko released his debut studio album, Time in January 2015 through RCA Records.
Born John Stephen Sudduth in Louisiana, Mikky Ekko had a restless childhood as the son of a preacher, moving around America's deep south. Having settled briefly in Tupelo, Mississippi, and absorbed as much gospel as he could, he relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, and started playing in bands. Ekko began working as a songwriter for other artists, but realized that he wanted to be a singer himself. He released his first EP, "Strange Fruit" (produced by Tim Lauer) on February 15, 2009 containing the first songs he’d written by himself, most of them a cappella. Ekko says of his location, Nashville, United States "fortunate to be in a city that’s so loving and hospitable." From September 2009, he toured with the Nashville-based collective group, Ten Out of Tenn.
In 2009 he partnered with producer Tim Lauer and engineer Dan Hansen to record an a cappella version of "Sedated". That led to his first EP Strange Fruit which released February 15, 2009. Lauer and Hansen continued to collaborate with Ekko for 2010's Reds and Blues. They worked together to develop the character and sound of Mikky Ekko which led to growing attention in the Music Business. One of the tracks from Reds, "Who Are You, Really?", caught the attention of experimental hip-hop producer Clams Casino, who has also worked with ASAP Rocky, Lil B and The Weeknd. It was also featured in no less than 6 TV series episode (Teen Wolf, Ringer, Pretty Little Liars, True Blood, The Blacklist and Reign). The single, "We Must Be Killers" was released to Clams Casino's YouTube account on July 17, 2012, accumulating over 100,000 views. The song was featured in the second season of the American supernatural drama, Teen Wolf. It was released to iTunes on August 6, 2012. The video for his second official single, "Feels Like the End", produced by Nick Ruth and Ekko, was released to YouTube on September 25, 2012, with the digital release following on September 25. Ekko's third single, "Pull Me Down", written and produced by Ekko and Clams Casino, was released digitally on October 30, 2012. The official video was uploaded to YouTube on November 16, 2012. Ryan Hemsworth released a remix of the song to iTunes on December 7, 2012.
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