| Mk.gee | |
| Birth Name: | Michael Todd Gordon |
| Birth Date: | 1997 9, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Linwood, New Jersey |
| Years Active: | 2017–present |
Michael Todd Gordon,[1] [2] [3] better known by his stage name Mk.gee, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist.[4] [5] His career began in 2017 with the release of his debut single "I Know How You Get".[6] In 2018, he released two EPs, Pronounced McGee and Fool,[7] [8] followed by his debut mixtape A Museum of Contradiction in 2020.[9] In 2024, Gordon released his debut studio album Two Star & the Dream Police. Aside from his own work, Gordon has worked as songwriter and producer with various artists, including Dijon, Omar Apollo, and Kacy Hill.[10]
Gordon is originally from southern New Jersey. His interest in music began when he was around 6 or 7 when he took piano lessons.[11] When he was 11, he started learning to play guitar. In high school, Gordon joined a band with some of his schoolmates. However, he preferred to play alone and began to record his own demos, playing all the instruments by himself. After graduating high school, Gordon moved to Los Angeles to attend the USC Thornton School of Music, but dropped out before graduating.[12]
Gordon released his debut single "I Know How You Get" in 2017. The single was then included on his debut EP Pronounced McGee, released on May 18, 2018, along with three other singles "Roll with the Punches", "Over Here", and "You".[13] In the same year, Gordon released his second EP Fool on November 25, preceded by the single "New Year".
On May 22, 2020, Gordon released his first mixtape A Museum of Contradiction. The mixtape was promoted by the single "cz", which was released on February 22, 2020. Rhys Buchanan, a writer from NME, praised the mixtape, giving a four out of five stars rating, and wrote: "As acknowledged with the mixtape title, this release merges genres from different worlds with both maturity and ease. Mk.gee is an artist with a natural ability to pair his emotional palette with vast musicality. A release that feels like an important stepping stone – you sense stardom is looming large here."[14]
On February 9, 2024, Gordon released his debut album Two Star & the Dream Police to critical acclaim.[15] The album was supported by five singles: "Candy", "How Many Miles", "Are You Looking Up", "You Got It", and "Dream Police". Gordon also embarked on an 18-show tour in North America to promote the album.[16] On April 11, 2024, Gordon made his debut television performance on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing "Are You Looking Up".[17] All four releases of Gordon have been home-produced by himself.
Apart from producing songs for himself, Gordon has also produced for other artists, such as Omar Apollo and Dijon, for which he co-produced the former's mixtape Apolonio (2020) and the latter's debut album Absolutely (2021). In 2021, "Mountains", performed by Charlotte Day Wilson and co-written by Gordon was sampled in the track "Fair Trade" by Drake featuring Travis Scott from the album Certified Lover Boy.[18] In 2023, Gordon produced and co-wrote the track "Kids Are Growing Up (Part 1)" by The Kid Laroi from his debut album The First Time.
Gordon's musical genres have been described as indie, alternative, lo-fi, experimental indie, R&B, and soft-psychedelia.[19] His musical influences include Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Perfume Genius, Taj Mahal,[20] The Black Keys, Sly Stone, Larry Graham, Grouper, Julianna Barwick, and Down to Earth. [21] In May 2024, when asked about modern guitarists who excite him, Clapton mentioned Gordon, commenting that he is "unique" and that "He has found things to do on the guitar that are like nobody else. [...] And he can do it live." Clapton also compared Gordon's "innovative style" to that of Prince "when [he] came on the scene".[22]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Pronounced McGee |
|
| Fool |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "I Know How You Get" | 2017 | Pronounced McGee |
| "Roll with the Punches"[24] | ||
| "Over Here" | 2018 | |
| "You"[25] | ||
| "New Year"[26] | Fool | |
| "Untitled"[27] [28] | 2019 | |
| "cz"[29] | 2020 | A Museum of Contradiction |
| "Candy"[30] | 2023 | Two Star & the Dream Police |
| "How Many Miles" | ||
| "Are You Looking Up"[31] | ||
| "You Got It" | ||
| "Dream Police" | 2024 | |
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Credit(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Climb" (Miley Cyrus cover) | 2019 | Role Model | Producer | ||
| "Hey Boy" | 2020 | Omar Apollo featuring Kali Uchis | Apolonio | Co-producer (with Omar Apollo and Budgie) | |
| "Useless" | Omar Apollo | Co-producer (with Apollo, Oscar Santander, and Albert Hammond Jr.) | |||
| "Bi Fren" | Co-producer (with Apollo, Michael Uzowuru and DJ Dahi) | ||||
| "Mountains" | 2021 | Charlotte Day Wilson | Alpha | Co-writer (with Wilson, Brandon Banks, D'Mile, Babyface, Kyle Moscovitch, Marcus Reddick, Teo Halm, and Varren Wade) | |
| "Thank You, God. For It All." | Childish Major | Thank You, God. For It All. | Co-writer (with Childish Major and Hollywood Cole) | ||
| "Fair Trade" | Drake featuring Travis Scott | Certified Lover Boy | Co-writer (with Marcus Reddick, Teo Halm, Kyla Moscovich, Brandon Banks, D'Mile, Babyface, Varren Wade, Charlotte Day Wilson, OZ, Patron, Jahaan Sweet, WondaGurl, Travis Scott and Drake) | ||
| "Simple, Sweet, and Smiling" | Kacy Hill | Simple, Sweet, and Smiling | Co-producer (with John Carroll Kirby, Jim-E Stack, Kacy Hill) | ||
| "Big Mike's" | Dijon | Absolutely | Co-producer (with Dijon) | ||
| "Many Times" | Co-producer (with Dijon and Andrew Sarlo) | ||||
| "Noah's Highlight Reel" | Co-producer (with Dijon) Co-writer (with Dijon and Noah Le Gros) | ||||
| "Rodeo Clown" | Co-writer (with Dijon and Le Gros) | ||||
| "End of Record" | Co-producer (with Dijon) | ||||
| "Kids Are Growing Up (Part 1)" | 2023 | The Kid Laroi | The First Time | Producer Co-writer (with The Kid Laroi) | |