As the Covid-19 pandemic swept through our country, thousands of musical artists had to adjust to the abrupt change in the way they produced, crafted and developed their music. Many individuals found it uncomfortable to adjust to these new processes, as lockdowns and quarantines minimized the contact between artists truly engaging, collaborating and working together. For today, 10 at 10 has reached out to Shea Michael, a Calgary-native songwriter, engineer and artist currently residing in Vancouver, for his take on how he handled adapting and creating music through the epidemic. Michael has managed to stay busy releasing a plethora of singles throughout the pandemic including “Unravel”, “When The Credits Roll“ and “Better When It’s Us“. This talented artist has also released serval features including 150 Fahrenheit ft. Kuzi Cee, Plateau ft. Isaac Zale, Eye of a Needle ft. Eddy I. and “Boomin’ Like Metro” ft. Dazz and Zombic. Check out what Michael had to say.
As an artist working through the pandemic, how did you end up adapting your creation process to adjust during the lockdowns? And, what would you say was the biggest change for you to overcome?
The biggest adaptation I faced with my creative process during the lockdown was the lack of in-person collaboration. This was a challenge for me as an artist but even more challenging as a mixing engineer and songwriter. All of my mixing and songwriting work slowed down a lot but I was still able to work remotely with artists via Facetime and Zoom.
A Lot of individuals found themselves trying out new ways of developing their sound or picking up an instrument for the first time amongst all the free time they had attained. Did you find yourself feeling overly creative during the lockdowns?
This gave me a lot of time to write by myself and I definitely created more of my own music than ever before.
How did you deal with the lack of live performances?
Social media made it easy for everyone to stay connected and everyone had more time to listen to music. With that said, the personal connection between an artist and an audience during a live performance can’t be replicated by any type of online concert.
Having to experience a pandemic of this caliber can definitely have an effect on mental health and motivations. What tips could you possibly give another individual for dealing with isolation struggles?
I don’t feel like I’m in a position to give anyone advice on how to deal with big complications that come with this type of isolation. I was very fortunate to have stability in my life through all of this. Living with my incredible girlfriend and being able to work from home was a huge privilege that I’m grateful for.
With the duration of lockdowns finally closing and several major Canadian cities stepping forward into semi-normal living again, what would you like to see changed about the live music and entertainment industry?
I’m excited about the return of live music and entertainment! I went to a live show last night for the first time in almost 2 years and it was amazing to feel the energy of genuine human interaction. For most of my life I’ve had a lot of anxiety about getting sick, so I’m glad that people are now much more aware of respecting personal space and hopefully they’ll be staying home when they don’t feel well.
Is there anything fans can keep their eyes peeled for in the near future?
I have a bunch of singles and exciting collaborations scheduled for release over the next few months. Also, I’ll be visiting Calgary before the end of summer, so I’ll have to see about future events.
