The opening track of Young Miko’s debut album, -att., is aptly titled “Rookie of the Year,” which is coincidentally the award Young Miko received at Billboard’s Women In Music event in March. However, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill, bragaddoccio rap opus intro.
Opening with a man’s voice – Miko’s father speaking to her when she was a child — “Rookie” is reflective and poignant as much as it is defiantly assertive: “To live the dream you have to be awake,” she says in one breath, then adds: “I don’t understand how the hell this happened. You ask, how do I do it? Better than you.”
The flow between vulnerable and sexy to assertive and sheer party girl permeate an album that sounds and feels deeply personal, but doesn’t wallow in self-importance. It’s a fun set and it’s also an unapologetically queer set, of a woman talking to and about other women, veering from playfully flirtatious to heartbroken.
“I started recording the album two years ago, so I speak about many heartbreaks and many experiences I had for the first time,” Miko tells Billboard over the phone during a break from rehearsing her upcoming Coachella debut performance. “I condensed in 45 minutes everything that’s happened to me in the past two years and things that happened to me as a kid too. It was pretty challenging.”
The album was also very intentional from the very beginning of the creative process, which explains why -att. sounds like a cohesive oeuvre rather than a pastiche of songs. “I always have an intention,” says Miko matter-of-factly.
Here, in her words, are five essential and intentional songs from her debut project. Watch the video for focus track “Princess Peach” here.
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The track that goes back to childhood: “Rookie of the Year”
The first thing you hear is my father’s voice from an old recording where I was maybe 8 or 9, and it’s a video of me drawing some hats I liked to draw, and papi talking to me. It’s more me reminiscing and nostalgic and remembering things that I went through and where I come from and where we’re at now, and what’s going to keep on happening. “Pinot Grigio” is also similar. I talk about making money with my people from forever. The people that are next to me now have been with me always in every stage of my life. They bring me that feeling that’s it’s kind of impossible to forget where I’m from.
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The defining track: “Fuck TMZ”
I think it’s my favorite in the album. It’s very personal. I’m singing –and I love to sing—and there are many harmonies in the chorus, and it’s a really big chorus. I like that I rap in the verse, I don’t simply rhyme. Although I never just rhyme; I always have an intention. “Fuck TMZ” It’s very blunt and very self explanatory (“We want nothing in front of the cameras; between lights and flashes nothing happens. If we’re on TV, turn it off. They no nothing; only the sheets do.”) The production is very TLC, “No Scrubs.” That 90s bop is what I was raised listening to and I feel the song has personality, intention, my influences, the way I was brought up. It’s a very compelte track and one of the ones I most enjoyed doing.
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The Queer Banger: “MADRE” featuring Villano Antillano
I couldn’t release this album without a queer anthem. Villana was the name we had from the very moment we started the album We had a vision board with different columns and different intentions and her name was there. She was the first person we invited to the project. She was my first feature ever, before anyone knew who I was (on 2021’s “Vendetta”), and “Vendetta is one for the books. Villana means the world to me. She’s more than an artist; she’s a friend.
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The focus track: “Princess Peach”
It’s such a fun track that shows that side of me that likes fun melodies. But it’s also a little toxic; it’s like romanticizing this toxic love. And, I hate when people get jealous, but it romanticizes and makes it funny. When you’re so in love and you understand these phrases like ‘Love is blind.” That was the idea behind Princess Peach but we wanted to make it fun.
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The Features
-att. features Villano Antillano, Feid and Jowell y Randy, a very short list considering Young Miko is the hot new thing and has already collaborated with superstar acts. “There were definitely huge names that were brough up in the process and artists who reached out and said, count on me,” says Miko. “And shout out to all of them. Theyr’e all insane artists that in the future I want to work with. But it was much more than that to me. This album was so much about my people. I said, I want to be very true to myself, true to the project, beyond an “Oh my God, I can’t believe I got this big artist.” Rather, it was, “I’m excited this person is going to be part of it, and understands the project.”
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