Macon is Still Makin’ Good Music

Tucked away in central Georgia, Macon is a midsized city that has always made big noise on the music scene, and with each generation, a young star stands out and keeps the momentum going. In the 1940s, a teenage Little Richard grabbed a hold of his gospel roots to guide him to become the architect of rock ‘n roll. In the 1960s, 21-year-old Otis Redding stepped on the scene with his first hit single, which led to a legacy of love songs that we still listen to today. Fast forward to the 2020s, you have another 21-year-old singing sensation whose tenacity for TikTok made him a star, and his name is Mike Clark, Jr.

Bleu sat down with Mike to hear about how one fun night at Applebee’s made him an overnight sensation, and how his hometown keeps him motivated to make his music.

BLEU: So, your music is described as the type that bridges generations. How intentional is that for you, or is it just a natural way of you being who you are?

CLARK: It’s definitely natural, you know? It’s a feeling type of thing. When I make my music, I have to feel it. It does bring everybody together, though. I make the type of music you clean up to, cook to, have a good time to, party to—just anything. It’s just all about the love in it.

BLEU: And the love is shown with “Auntie Outside,” which inspired its own online dance, too, right? What does it mean to you to see people of any age celebrating your music by coming up with a dance made just for your song?

CLARK: Shout out to Miss Tiffany Marie outta Macon for the line dance! I even did a line dance class tour, just dancing and connecting with all my people. Man, ain’t nothin’ like a good line dance that everybody can do! It feels good to see the kids, the teenagers, the adults, our elders, everybody doing it!

BLEU: Let’s talk about Macon, which raised Little Richard, Otis Redding, and you. How does their legacy influence your sound and purpose as an artist in this day and age?

CLARK: Just being from the same city, it hits kinda different, man. Being able to go back and look at their clips and listen to all their old stuff just helps me build around my music. And to be able to have that family behind me pushing me with what I do, it’s just … it’s perfect. They just built the Otis Redding Studio downtown, and when I get the time, I’m gonna go down there and record.

BLEU: Oh, that’s awesome! Now, your producer also helped launch the career of Soulja Boy. What’s the most valuable advice or insight that he shares with you?

CLARK: He always says, “This is just beginning.” Don’t get the big head and just stay humble, you know? Now I get asked for pointers, and one thing about it, people are always watching. People tell me a lot, “Every time I get on my phone, I always see this Mike Clark, this Mike Clark that!” That’s a great look. It’s just amazing.

BLEU: You’ve gone from choir stands to club stages and everything in between. How have all these different spaces help shape your vocal style and stage presence?

CLARK: It’s all practice. I know people used to get tired of me singing—and they probably still do—but hey, who cares? >laughs< I sing all the time, and all that practice is what got me here. I got a vocal coach now, training my voice to be better. And I sing what I sing now, but we still praise God. We still love the Lord. Without God, we got nothin’. God is the reason why this is going on, so you still gotta give praise.

BLEU: Right. And in a time when a lot of artists are chasing trends to go viral, you decide to stay rooted in southern soul and R&B. What keeps you grounded in that tradition?

CLARK: I always had love for R&B. Like I said, people used to get tired of me singing, and my southern soul is going crazy, but I feel like I’m transitioning more into the R&B real heavy. I was doing a lot of covers, and I just wanted to learn how to write my own song and come up with something so I can give the people what they want. What I want my people to take away from mine is to know that good music can always make it better because good music always wins.

Keep up with the latest from Mike Clark, Jr. on Facebook (Mike Clark Jr), Instagram (@official_mikeclarkjr), and, of course, TikTok (@famousmikeclark).