Full disclaimer, mike. is currently my favorite artist. The depth as to why he is my favorite is packed in many layers, but I will only touch on a few to be as concise as possible. mike. (formerly known as Mike Stud) has been releasing music for over a decade now. By chance, as a high schooler, I caught wind of his very first song, and have been following his journey and musical evolution ever since. However, his fanbase (who mike. refers to as “steves”), have seen a massive shift in vibrational energy from mike. both as an artist and individual when he rebranded and dropped the “stud” from his name in 2021. With this rebrand came the debut of a newly progressed sound – laced in tones of spirituality, motivation, and individuality, with even stronger songwriting and one-liners than before that simply hit different. mike. has become not only my most listened to artist, but has also become somewhat of a role model as a mid 20 year old focused on self-improvement and learning to enjoy life to the fullest.

After teasing “woosah” on his OnlySteves (which is essentially a hybrid of OnlyFans and Patreon where you can pay for premium exclusive content), “woosah” has been on repeat ever since he dropped the full song on there. After first hearing the snippet on TikTok behind a beautiful nature landscape where you see mike. trotting around the current mansion he spends a few months at before bouncing to the next location while singing "I be changing up the crib every quarter" – “woosah” is a combination of everything I enjoy about mike.’s sound: vocal melodies, motivational lyricism, and catchy production.

As an independent artist, mike. has created an incredibly impressive roadmap on how to build an elite fanbase, and how to leverage his supporters into sustainable businesses, that all revolve around mike. and his music. If you want to find a "steve," just look for a Stevenson Ranch “SR” hat (one of mike.s’ brands), where maybe you’ve seen mike.’s friends such as Travis Kelce, Johnny Manziel, and countless other known figures repping the brand, many of whom he taps in with on his podcast to dive deep into real conversation and often struggles and hardships that have been overcome to reach success. All of this combined with his light, easy listening-sound has kept my undivided attention and support. Excited to see what else he has in store. Listen to “woosah” below:

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