Interview: Mihali Talks New Record

Mihali released a new live acoustic record named ‘Mihali – (Live at Sugarshack Sessions Vol. 2). It is 5 acoustic songs off his newest album, Effection. Famously known as the co-founder, lead singer and guitarist for Twiddle, Mihali kicked off his solo project with the release of Breath and Let Go in 2020. We were fortunate enough to talk to Mihali about the new album and EP. Check it out:

Recently you just released ‘Mihali – (Live at Sugarshack Sessions)’ tell us about the recording process at the famous studio.

I love recording with those guys! They are such professionals and really bring a great vibe to the recording session. From start to finish they make you feel like family, it’s never rushed and that makes it easy for an artist to give their best performance.

I have had the privilege of doing two sessions with them, one was a pop up in Miami before Jam Cruise, and the second was the one I just recorded at the HQ, I had an amazing time at both!!

We noticed that the songs on the Live session are from your summer release “Effection” how did that album come about? How does this project compare to your others?

I would say the main difference between my two albums are the two guys that produced them. My first one ‘Breathe and Let Go’ was produced by Eric Krasno and has his vibe and production style throughout the album. ‘Effection’ was produced by Nathan Aurora of Iya Terra, so the whole album has a variety of reggae feels, with every song rooted in that genre. Lyrically, I think they share similar sentiments though.

What is the story and inspiration behind the title “Effection”?

The word was initially just the title for the song “Effection” featuring Jacob Hemphill from SOJA, but when I looked at the definition of the word and it said “creation; a doing” I realized it was the perfect title for the record. I also like the play on ‘affection,’ which there is lots of throughout the record.

On the new live release, there are 5 songs from “Effection,” given how powerful that album is, how did you choose those 5 songs for the Live recording?

They were the songs that I felt would be the strongest in the stripped down acoustic format. I would have played every song from the record, but they like to keep it to four or five originals and a cover or two.

What’s next for Mihali?

I definitely have plans to tour in the future and to release more music asap. You can expect both from me in the next year and I’m very excited to get out there and play these songs for new and old listeners alike!