In a PR-driven business,
Mishka needs no hype or explanation – his talent is
self-evident, his life story extraordinary.
Born in Bermuda, he lived
with his parents on a sailboat from the age of three
onwards. His early
musical memories included listening to Joni Mitchell
and Bob Dylan, hearing snatches of pop
and reggae on the radio on
trips to Caribbean islands. No doubt there was some
blues and soul in
the
mix too. All those musical elements are, in various
degrees, part of Mishka’s identity, but what
impresses most is that graceful, extraordinary,
assured voice.
Lyrically, Mishka’s
favorite similes are of the sea – he has a bulging
notebook of “ocean songs”. In conversation, he looks
back, without evident nostalgia or myth making, on
an early life growing up at sea. While other
children were glued to the television and video
games, Mishka was offered endless hours in which to
reflect, to draw, to red and to write. Occasionally,
dolphins or whales would swim alongside the boat,
offering companionship. It sounds idyllic, but there
was also loneliness and danger.
