MKSM and his new single «Hold Me Down»

Looking at queer pop from different angles? Given the musical diversity the LGBTIQ+ community expresses on stages all around the world, it’s not a small claim.

All five tracks on MKSM’s debut EP successfully establish this vast and confident expanse of influences and depicts in a contemporary fashion what has made queer pop music so unique for decades.

From the fragile ballad «Collide» in which MKSM reflects on the growing connection between two
people, to the infectious string arrangements in «Sirens» and the hope-fuelled disco number «Be Alright», this EP presents an artistic vision which is thought-provoking in its musical diversity but also its disarming honesty.

«Hold Me Down», the «High On Lows» EP’s main track and latest release, expands the stylistic repertoire of a singer-songwriter and violinist who knows how to authentically approach all moods – the highs as well as the lows – both musically and lyrically.

Consequently, the confrontation with one’s self, with one’s own highs and lows, hopes and fears, is essential in «Hold Me Down» – conflicts that everyone is faced with at some point in life, but that everyone can grow from.

The fact that MKSM is not afraid to talk about painful truths, to address one’s struggles, be they with alcohol or other dark chapters of life, speaks in his favour. A track that lays bare his soul. The accompaniment of beat patterns, straight from the 80s and the intensifying, ambivalent aftertaste of the track with its rich synths and distorted violins elegantly resolves apparent contradictions.

«We tried to bring the 80s sound into the present day. Inspired by artists like The Weeknd», states MKSM to me about his creative process.

In the video of the song, he is supported by Berlin based drag performer and DJ Bambi Mercury, one of the contestants on «Queen Of Drags» (Pro 7), and together with dancers from the Berlin University of the Arts (UDK), they visually reproduce the inner life of the artist.

I’m one of the lucky one’s, MKSM let me take a listen to «Hold Me Down» and it’s a catchy tune that that has the potential to dominate the radio waves – you’ll play it over and over again. This is the perfect example for a great pop tune. «Hold Me Down» are released this Friday 26 March 2021.