Pop duo MakeYouKnowLove want to spread love in all forms
"It’s the most powerful feeling we have and we can change the world with just that."
Up-and-coming pop duo MakeYouKnowLove, aka MYKL, are set to shake up 2019. Their name might sound familiar—you might recognize them as part of the team behind former One Direction member Zayn Malik‘s last two albums ‘Mind of Mine’ and ‘Icarus Falls.’ As producers and writers, brothers Anthony and Michael Hannides have paved the way for a promising start in the music industry.
They took the time to chat about their debut single ‘Vitamin,’ what they hope for in the new year, their favorite collaborations, and what issues they stand up for.
How does it feel to have your debut single ‘Vitamin’ out in the world right now?
It always feels great to be able to share the art with the world. You create from your own experiences but hope people can connect with them.
When did you realize you wanted to be in music? Was it your dream to work behind the scenes as a producer or be a singer? Or did you want to do a little bit of everything?
From about eight-years-old, we knew we wanted to make music. We wrote our first song at nine and then haven’t stopped since—we thought we were in love back then. Being a producer, singer, or writer didn’t really matter which of those paths we were going to go down as long as we could make music and write about what we were feeling—we were happy.
What and who were your biggest influences for ‘Vitamin?’
Nobody inspired this really, we don’t listen to the radio too much because it can influence your creation and it’s harder to be original. Think it’s better when emotions and real life make the song, then it’s genuine.
When creating ‘Vitamin,’ did you have a tough time figuring out how you wanted it to sound or did it come naturally?
Definitely. All of our music whether for us or others comes naturally. We don’t force anything. The way it ends up sounding is more inspiration then it is scientific.
You’ve worked with a number of different artists as producers and writers on some of their work. Was there a different approach this time since it was your own music?
Not really. If the song is being pitched, we write as if it’s our own, whoever the artist is. The hardest thing to do is write with an artist already in mind because if they’ve already done it chances are they won’t want to do the same thing again and then you’ve gotta predict what they would want to say. When we’re writing with the artist, it’s really about talking through how they’re feeling and what they want to say.
Most notably you’ve worked with Zayn on both his albums. Compared to working on his first album ‘Mind of Mine,’ was there any difference with working on his sophomore album ‘Icarus Falls?’ Was there a noticeable creative growth or any conflicts that you overcame?
The process was similar for us. Zayn was clearer on what he wanted to do on this album. There’s always creative discussions and ideas that come from that. I wouldn’t say conflicts—in a creative environment, everyone needs to be open and honest to get the best result. There was definitely more focus to get this album finished.
‘Mind of Mine’ was probably one of the most highly-anticipated debuts from an artist in a while especially after Zayn’s sudden departure from One Direction. Was there a lot of pressure in making that album? What did you learn from that experience?
Not really pressure. It was more excitement. He was part of something huge so maybe he was feeling more of that pressure but he never showed it. He was motivated to make it a great album and release music that he loved.
Who is your favorite artist that you’ve collaborated with and why?
Hard question. We’ve worked with great artists. It has to be Zayn because he took a chance on our music and our songs when nobody else did.
The music video for ‘Vitamin’ is quite funny. Is there a special meaning behind it?
Haha! It still makes us laugh. It means that sometimes the thing right in front of you is what you’ve been looking for. We didn’t want the characters to be classed as female or male, we wanted the feeling and fantasy of the song to be the driving force.
We see a lot of famous artists become vocal about many issues going on in the world that it’s almost justifiably become required for them to use their platform to make a difference. What issues do you stand up for?
I think that’s right. People with profile should be trying to do good and help spread a positive message or bring awareness to issues going on in the world they feel passionate about. We want our music to connect with anybody who has ever felt lost and know that we’ve all felt that way, for people to understand what love is, to know and feel it through the music. We want anybody who has ever stopped to start loving themselves again. Our message is love and that comes in all different forms. It’s the most powerful feeling we have and we can change the world with just that.
What’s been the best part about achieving success as producers/writers/musicians?
When can we expect more music from you? Any other artists you’re working with right now?
We have a planned release of eight to ten singles this year then the album at the end of the year, possibly beginning of next. Zayn’s album is wrapped so we’re focusing on our album and a few others we can’t really talk about until everything is ready to go.
What do you hope 2019 brings for you in your career?
We just want to make a great album and for as many people as possible to hear it. After that, it’s not really down to us too much. All we can do is create the art we believe in and maybe now or in ten to twenty years have people all around the world listen to it.
Listen to MYKL’s debut single ‘Vitamin’ here.
Follow MYKL on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.