Michael Todd Gordon[2][3] (born September 27, 1996), 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 mixtapeA Museum of Contradiction in 2020.[9] In 2024, Gordon released his debut studio album Two Star & the Dream Police.[10] Aside from his own work, Gordon has worked as songwriter and producer with various artists, including Dijon, Omar Apollo, Kacy Hill and Fred Again.[11]
Early life
Michael Todd Gordon[12] was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, on September 27, 1996, to parents Maureen and Todd Gordon.[13][14] He grew up in nearby Linwood, New Jersey.[15] His interest in music began when he was around 6 or 7 when he took piano lessons.[1][3] When he was 11, he started learning to play guitar. He attended Mainland Regional High School,[14] where 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.[1] After graduating high school, Gordon moved to Los Angeles to attend the USC Thornton School of Music, but dropped out before graduating.[1][16]
Career
Mk.gee in 2018
Solo music career
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".[17] 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."[18]
On February 9, 2024, Gordon released his debut album Two Star & the Dream Police to critical acclaim.[19]Pitchfork named it one of the best albums of the first half of the 2020s.[20] The album was supported by five singles: "Candy", "How Many Miles", "Are You Looking Up", "You Got It", and "Dream Police".[10] To promote the album, Gordon embarked on a North American tour from April to May 2024,[21] followed by a world tour that began in September and is set to conclude in December.[22] Since the release of Two Star & the Dream Police, Gordon has released two standalone singles, "Lonely Fight" and "Rockman".[23][24] On April 11, 2024, Gordon made his debut television performance on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing "Are You Looking Up".[25] On November 9, 2024, he appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "Alesis" and "Rockman".[26][27]
All four album releases of Gordon have been home-produced by himself.[2][16] On May 15, 2024, Gordon surpassed 1 million active monthly listeners on Spotify for the first time.[28]
Songwriting and producing
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.[29] 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.[30] In 2024, Gordon co-wrote the tracks ".One" and ".Ten" by Fred Again from his album Ten Days.
Gordon has been highly regarded for his technical ability, composition, and creative experimentation on the guitar, and being credited with developing an original style of instrumentation.[1][15] He learned the basics of guitar from somebody who played an upright bass, recalling: “I never liked the idea of getting lessons from a guitar player, and thought it would be more useful to learn from someone who didn’t play the guitar at all — someone who could give musical lessons that were more exploratory, more about trying things out.”[34][35] As of 2024, Gordon's primary instrument is a Fender Jaguar which he strings as a baritone guitar.[35][36]
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".[37]
Tours
Mk.gee performing on the Two Star & the Dream Police World Tour in 2024
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)
^ abBrunetti, Michelle. "Everyone has a story: Linwood teen delves deeper into jazz", The Press of Atlantic City, April 2, 2014. Accessed November 3, 2024. "At 5 years old Michael Gordon, of Linwood, was studying piano and already composing music. After about a year, he picked up his piano teacher's guitar and started to play..... 'It felt a lot more natural than piano,' said Gordon, 17, a junior at Mainland Regional High School."
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