, a longtime creative partner. Together, the pair co-produced their first album. Michael wrote most the album in quarantine with Dasilva, sharing that the studio sessions were mostly done over FaceTime. Both creators would flow and then Michael would record vocals on their iPhone with a sheet over their head in the bathtub.“I write and sing for the child in me that always had dreams,” they said. “I write and sing for the child in me that was disappointed and let down.
”Pulling a page from Toni Morrison and James Baldwin, Black artists they look up to, they use their art to fight injustices: “They always talk about making people see you,” Michael elaborated. “I'm tired of giving white supremacy the upper hand and any say in how I am living my life. They can see it and they can eat it.” Also during our conversation, Michael spoke aboutwho was the “latest in the string of police brutality” in the United States.