Now something completely different: Vancouver-born and Los Angeles-based Mikayla Geier is a singer, songwriter, and former ballet student of the controversial Kirov Academy of Ballet. With the support of friends and family, Mikayla left the academy behind and began writing music and posting on social media to journal her past experiences. “Dance of the Trees” is her debut EP. Mikayla also has another song commenting on the dangers of eating disorders called “i don’t feel safe in my body.” She will be donating/fundraising for Project HEAL which provides resources to those who are struggling.
Hey Indie Musicians! Some interesting facts!
- A staggering 87% of the top 100 artists on Spotify in the US are self-taught, challenging traditional paradigms of music education.
- Only 4% of them have a music degree. An additional 4% started a degree but didn’t finish it, meaning that the remaining 92% don’t have a music degree and didn’t even start one.
This trend points to the growing accessibility of music creation and the democratization of the music industry, empowering artists without formal training to achieve success. We’ve got a full report available here:
Self-taught musicians dominate US’s Spotify charts — here are a few remarkable examples