New project “Ambush” highlights her passion for western lifestyle
By Preshias Harris
Only a small handful of female Country artists – think Tanya Tucker and Taylor Swift – began their successful careers in their early teens and are still wowing audiences today. It’s time to add another name to that short but prestigious list: Mikayla Lane.
While still a ‘tween,’ Oklahoma native Mikayla recorded and released her debut EP, Rooftop Nights, and by the age of 13 she earned a spot on the talent roster of Ole Red (Blake Shelton), initially at the venue in Blake’s hometown of Tishomingo. She has now become a regular performer at all the Ole Red venues, including Nashville and Gatlinburg in Tennessee and Orlando, Florida. Quickly establishing a reputation as a must-see performer, Mikayla was soon playing notable venues including Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK, where she opened for Jon Wolfe and is that venue’s youngest opener to date.
- This is one of a series of interviews conducted during the 2022 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Nashville.
Now – and still only sixteen years old – Mikayla has compiled an impressive catalog of original tunes that she has written and co-produced. She has released seven studio recordings including “Superman” that has racked up 80,000+ streams and counting. The music video for “Superman,” filmed in Tulsa, OK, premiered on CMT.com in October 2020.
Mikayla co-wrote and co-produced “Drive” in 2021, rapidly premiering in the Top 10 on the New Music Nashville Spotify playlist.
“’Drive’ was my second single,” Mikayla told me. “I wrote it with John Conrad and somehow we got talking about cars. I was fifteen at the time, about to turn sixteen, and so that was the topic. I was getting excited about driving and the independence that comes along with it.”
In the writing session, Mikayla told John about how her mom had owned a really cool car when she was young, and they started talking about that. “Then we thought, what if we wrote a song in that direction, and it kind of grew into a whole freedom type of song and how it feels to be on the highway.”
Mikayla said that they wanted to put a different spin on it, rather than the usual truck or car song.
“The first verse starts with imagery of this old run-down car behind the barn, then it goes back in time in the chorus to when she would drive it and feel that freedom from her perspective,” she explained.
Watch the lyric video for “Drive” – and other Mikayla Lane videos – here.
Mikayla’s current project is her new single, “Ambush.” The day before we spoke, Mikayla had just wrapped up recording the track at Omnisound Studios in Nashville with Jimmy Ritchey.
“He’s amazing!” enthused Mikayla about Ritchey. “He’s really excited about the project. He spent a lot of time getting to know the kind of music I listen to and where I wanted this project to land. We spent a lot of time leading up to yesterday’s recording, getting ready and preparing for the sound we wanted, getting it spot-on.”
Mikayla wrote “Ambush” with John Conrad who was also her co-writer on “Drive” and other projects.
“It’s a really different song,” she says, describing “Ambush.” “It’s very much a ‘Southwest’ song. From ‘Drive’, my music has taken a big turn. It’s more me. I’ve really found my sound and my identity and what I want my songs to sound like. I’m from Oklahoma so ‘Ambush’ has that Southwest type of sound. It’s really different. I’ve never heard a song like it. It has almost ‘spaghetti western’ guitar parts and it’s really, really cool. I am so excited to get it out and for people to hear this new spin on my music.”
Talking about the new song, Mikayla revealed, “It’s about someone coming into your life and you’re this guarded person but their love hit you like an ambush. That’s the whole direction of the song. It’s a really upbeat, driving song and it was a lot of fun to record.
“Love is the most popular thing to write about for a song,” she noted, “So we thought, ‘How can we take this and make it really cool and different like nothing anyone has heard before?’ I see country music now changing back to where it came from, with fiddles and steel guitars and so on, and that’s what I’ve always loved and always wanted to do. Now I’ve really found my spot and what I want my music to sound like, so we focused in on that, and I think it’s really good timing for this song.”
“Ambush” is set for release in April and Mikayla is already planning on a music video that will be shot in Texas or Oklahoma to add to the authenticity. The new song follows her previous single, “Wild Like the Wind” that was also on her 2021 EP, Miles From Nowhere. Her passion for rodeo led to Mikayla being named the official spokesperson for America’s largest youth rodeo, the Vegas Tuffest Junior World Championship.
Frequently traveling from Oklahoma to Nashville, Mikayla can be seen and heard at venues across Music City, and beyond. But she has a special fondness for Ole Red.
“I started out playing in the restaurant at the Tishomingo Ole Red, doing acoustic sets when I was thirteen,” she recalled. “Then I moved to the showroom at Ole Red called the Doghouse, playing sets with a full band. I performed at the Nashville Ole Red for the first time when I was fourteen. Those are the two that I have played the most. I believe I am the only artist to play all the Ole Red locations, certainly I’m the youngest one! They are a really great company and take care of the artists.”
One of Mikala’s most memorable moments happened there. “I had my first headlining show at Ole Red Tishomingo,” she said. “That was a ticketed event and I sold that out. That was so exciting because my first ticketed show was sold out! The staff are so great and they treat me like I’m family.”
With a vocal maturity and stage presence beyond her years, Mikayla Lane continues to build her fan base wherever she plays and whenever her songs are heard. Listen to her music here. Follow Mikayla on Facebook here, on Instagram @mikaylalanemusic and Twitter @mikaylalaneband.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters.
Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available here. Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com