MetaMoon is gearing up for another two-day festival after its success in NYC last year. This time, the music festival goes to the UAE, at the Expo City Dubai’s Al Wasl Plaza on February 15. Headlining this year is Canadian singer-songwriter Henry Lau, Korean rapper Lee Young-ji, and Hawaiian singer Mikah, alongside special guests DJ Poon and dancer MT Pop, with Chinese American rapper MC Jin hosting again for his second time.
MetaMoon was founded in 2022 by Grace Chen in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment, and serves as a platform that brings Asian talent to the international stage. Chen started MetaMoon to push culture forward and diversify mainstream music. In an interview on Medium, she explained that MetaMoon will provide “an underserved audience the opportunity to see familiar faces on stage and on the screen.”
MetaMoon will also be the lineup’s debut appearance in the Middle East, giving local fans an opportunity to see their favorite Asian performers on a live stage.
As a rising international star, Mikah began his musical journey in Tokyo with the boy band INTERSECTION, releasing a self-titled album in 2019. Soon after, Mikah moved to China for CHUANG 2021, a popular idol survival show featuring 90 trainees. Through four months of intense competition and viewer voting, 11 trainees debuted as the group INTO1. One of the members was, of course, Mikah.
When asked about his experience learning Chinese and fitting into a new environment, all the while competing with other talented performers, Mikah told RADII:
“It was extremely hard to enter a show like that. Prior to going on that show, I wasn’t aware of ‘survival shows’ at all. So when I agreed to go, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, from the dance training, to the challenges of learning a choreography/song within a couple of days, to having to do it all in a different language. Although it was really difficult, I’m happy I went on that show. Not only because it changed my life, but because it was an experience that allowed me to mature and understand how hard I should work to achieve the things I want.”
After INTO1 disbanded in 2023, Mikah began his solo career and released the EP, Pretty Lies, in 2024. His second solo tour is coming up in March, hitting eight cities across China. Mikah tells us, “Solo performances are extremely different from group performances. When I’m in a group on stage, I’m not nervous at all since I can just imagine no one is looking at me and they’re just looking at the other members.”
But when he’s on stage alone, he must fill the gap to become an entertainer. He adds, “In the end, I do prefer being a solo artist as I can be myself, and I have the freedom to create and express myself, which is the reason why I’m in this industry.”
RADII spoke more with the Hawaii-born, Japanese-American pop singer Mikah to learn about his multicultural background and its influence on his creative process.
RADII: Can you describe your childhood in Hawaii? Do your Hawaiian roots ever come up in your creative process?
Mikah: My childhood in Hawaii was very free and adventurous. When I was around one year old, I would go outside with my dad and explore from the mountains to the ocean, and I continued that lifestyle till I left the island.
In terms of my most recent project, Pretty Lies, my upbringing and childhood did have some influence. In the song, “CHASING PARADISE” my idea of “paradise” stemmed from my upbringing in Hawaii, as it is considered a paradise to many. [With lyrics] like “kind of miss the old me,” I was referring back to the person I was in Hawaii when I was simpler and much more innocent.
RADII: You grew up in Hawaii, then lived in Japan and then in China. Does your multicultural background give you an advantage in the industry?
M: I don’t know if I can say it’s an advantage, but I think I’m just a bit different when I compare myself to others since most of my life I’ve been a foreigner in the industries I’ve been in. Due to that, I’ve learned how to navigate so that it’s not a disadvantage.
RADII: For your Chinese songs, is it ever difficult for you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere and mood you’re trying to create?
M: Yes, I still find it difficult to fully immerse myself in the lyrics whilst singing in other languages. Usually, I rely on the tone and sound of the song’s melody and instrumentals to get me into the mood. But I still think I lack the capability to really understand what I’m singing when I’m singing in Chinese. I think the main reason is because my Chinese vocabulary is still very limited, so I presume the more I learn the better it’ll get.
Fashion, MetaMoon, and Beyond:
Alongside music, Mikah also dabbles in the fashion industry, collaborating with top luxury brands such as Bottega Veneta, Tiffany & Co., and YSL. He was introduced to the fashion industry while living in Tokyo, “Not only from magazine modelling but also because of the lifestyle and culture in Tokyo, as there is a huge fashion scene” says Mikah. “And now I regularly challenge myself in the fashion industry, from magazines to creative directing to styling.”
In 2023, he walked down the GQ red carpet wearing a Robert Wun design. In high heels, a long skirt, with his back exposed, coupled with Wun’s signature Broken Pearl look, Chinese netizens loved his challenge of gender norms. One RedNote user praised him as “the celebrity that dares to wear.”
When asked about the MetaMoon festival in Dubai, Mikah tells us: “Overall I’m really excited to perform in Dubai because I’ve never been there before. I don’t know what to expect, but I’m excited to meet my fans and the music lovers in Dubai.” Aside from MetaMoon this Saturday and the Pretty Lies Tour in March, Mikah has a few fresh ideas for songs and music videos in mind, “I suppose I’ll have a new project soon.”
Cover image courtesy of Mikah
