Michael Star’s year to ‘Tun Up’
Mikey Spice’s son follows in his footsteps
Published:Sunday | April 17, 2022 | 12:08 AMSade Gardner - Staff Reporter
When something is underproduced, the choice exists to complain or create. Atlanta-based artiste Michael Star picked the latter after experiencing a slew of parties where patrons didn’t get lost in movement. The result of his problem solving is Tun Up, a lyrical invite to embody the song’s title, luring dancers with a drum pattern that oozes the excitement of dancehall.
The track was released on April 4.
“The feedback has been amazing and people are really loving the record,” Michael Star told The Sunday Gleaner. “I’m targeting the dancers and the partygoers and people who live life in that moment when they are listening to the music, so, basically like the energetic people.”
The visuals for the Ricky Myrie production will debut next Tuesday. He will also be promoting the song through varied channnels on social media.
“My expectation for the song is to get more shows so people can see me on stage with the record,” he said. “I will still be going out on the streets to promote it, probably with a speaker and just letting people hear it and enjoy it, but mainly doing shows and going around different states so people can see who Michael Star is on the stage… I haven’t really performed it yet, so this year is really going to be the ‘tun up’ year.”
Tun Up may form part of his upcoming debut EP for which he is working with producers Rickey Myrie, Jvon on the Beat and Uncle Mikey. He said the project will serve as an introduction to his sound and style of music, following his Done Talk compilation released in 2021.
MUSIC IN HIS DNA
Michael Star is the son of reggae singer Mikey Spice, so it’s safe to say the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Yet, he said it was his mother who identified his interest in music and sent him to do training in the arts.
“I would say it came naturally, I don’t feel I was forced,” he shared. “My mother introduced me to a talent development company when I was around seven or eight. It was mainly stage plays, musicals, and teaching you how to handle the stage and things like that. With the music part, I would go to the studio with my father when he was in Atlanta at the moment or whatever state we were in. It was basically just learning from him and not speaking too much when he’s working. It was more of studying his craft and going, wow, this is what my dad does. It wasn’t really, oh, my dad does this; I just wanna go pick up music. It was more admiring that he does great at singing, he does great at playing these instruments and my mom really introduced me and said okay, you like that…go do some arts development.”
He became a mainstay in Atlanta productions and stood out with smooth vocals and dance moves mirroring his muse, Michael Jackson. In 2014, he won the award for ‘Hot New Artiste’ at Atlanta’s Clean Music Movement Awards. Michael Star is also a producer, and said he primarily maintains balance among his several hats through prayer.
“I also just sit down by myself and see what objective is important at the moment, what needs to be done first. I’ll more likely record and then give all my energy to practising and doing something else, I don’t want to give all my energy to one thing. That’s probably my balance.”
Other songs in Michael Star’s catalogue include No Behaviour, Gotta Go, Feel Me and No Love.