Michala Todd Reveals her Identity in Millions of Pieces

Keeping friends, family and work balanced is all part of the fun for Michala Todd.

Along with the release of her debut record Millions Of Pieces, Toronto’s Michala Todd has recently graduated from high school and celebrated her 18th birthday. Performing since the age of seven, Todd’s music is inspired by the high-school experience. Todd’s talents don’t end at singing - she also co-wrote a number of songs on her debut album and is currently honing her skills on the guitar. In a recent phone interview, I got the chance to talk to Michala about the recent success of her debut EP, how she deals with life in the spotlight and her work with the D.A.R.E. (drug abuse resistance education) program. 
 
YT: What was it like to release your EP Millions Of Pieces?
MT: It was a really great experience. I got to go to Nashville and it’s my first EP that I got to co-write on! I got to experience how to write a song and the process of putting the track together. Coming up with the title of the EP was pretty hard. We went through a bunch of different titles and we couldn’t really get the right one but we finally came up with Millions Of Pieces. All these songs that I sing and all these songs that I helped write are pieces of me, so it’s like a big puzzle of who I am.
 
YT: You’re currently gearing up for a huge international campaign around your single, Make It Work. What can you tell us about the upcoming video for this song?
MT: I finished shooting the Make It Work video in North Carolina and that was really fun. It was my first music video so I didn’t really know what to expect. We shot it in three days and we have the finished product - we’re just waiting to release it. So, yeah! We’re excited for everyone to see it!
 
YT: How would you describe your live show? Do you have a favorite song to perform?
MT: I really like Make It Work. It’s one of the more upbeat dance songs and I feel the crowd really gets into it. We’re hoping to do a full-length album, so that’s kind of the direction that I want to take the next album, more of the upbeat dance songs, kind of modern.

YT: Some of your songs are clearly aimed at teenagers facing high-school struggles, what was your high-school experience like?
MT: It was pretty good, actually, no really big issues. I had really great friends... I figured out who my true friends are - you know when you get into high school versus elementary school. I think the biggest thing was that I really found people who supported me, whether I was recording or doing a photo shoot or just performing.
 
YT: How do you find a balance between music, school and a normal teenage social life?
MT: It’s pretty easy. I always set out time each day to practice my music and guitar and sit down and do some songwriting... I always find a balance. I’ll hang out with friends on weekends and focus on my music during the week.

YT: Do you have any other interests or passions besides music?
MT: I love skiing in the winter! I’m not very good at it, but I really like it! Nobody in my family wants to do it with me so I just go by myself (laughs). I also love working out, which is kind of good because it gives me time to think. I’ll be working out and be like, “Oh this would be a good idea for a song.”
 
YT: I read on your Twitter page that you recently started guitar lessons, how is that going?
MT: I started taking lessons about a year ago and knew the basic stuff, and I kind of stopped and I wanted to get back into it. It’s just really good for being able to write songs - have the chords behind it and eventually I want to be able to perform with the guitar.

YT: Criticism can often be hard to take, how do you deal with feedback from critics and fans?
MT: I like getting the criticism. It helps me grow as an artist and helps me see what people like and what people don’t like. I mean, I want my fans' honest opinions; they’re going to be the ones buying my stuff and coming out to the concerts so I want to hear all the criticism and be able to change stuff.
 
YT: Is there anyone’s opinion that you value most?
MT: My mom's. My parents keep me grounded and I really trust their opinions. Also my sister... she’s younger than me but she knows what’s good in teen music and stuff (laughs). She helps me get ready for performances and helps me choose outfits.
 
YT: In your eyes, what has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
MT: Well, I work really closely with the D.A.R.E. program. I took D.A.R.E. when I was in elementary school; it’s a drug awareness program for kids. It helps them understand the negative effects of drugs and alcohol and how to stay away from them - and how to stand up to peer pressure and to believe in their dreams. I really like working with that program. I get to sing to the kids and they get to hear my songs and it’s a demographic that I want my music to go to, so that’s really great. I also get to talk to them and see them after. Also, I got to go to Nashville and sing at the Opryland Hotel for the international D.A.R.E. conference, I got to bring my whole band and I got to sing in front of I think it was like, 2000 officers, so that was a lot of fun.