Mk.gee
Mk.gee (stylized as Mk.gee), born Michael Gordon, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer from Linwood, New Jersey.[1][2] Known for his eclectic style that fuses R&B, indie rock, psychedelia, funk, and classic rock influences with innovative, often unsettling electric guitar techniques, he achieved breakthrough success with his debut studio album, Two Star & the Dream Police, released in February 2024.[2][3] Gordon began his musical journey at age five, learning classical piano and soon composing original pieces for recitals, before picking up the guitar and forming his first band during middle school.[1] After graduating from Mainland Regional High School in 2015 and briefly attending the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, he dropped out in 2016 to relocate to Los Angeles and focus on his career.[1] His early independent releases include the 2017 single "I Know How You Get," the 2018 EP Pronounced McGee—which earned a feature on Frank Ocean's Blonded Radio—and the 2020 mixtape A Museum of Contradiction.[1] Throughout his rising career, Mk.gee has garnered acclaim for his guitar prowess, drawing comparisons to Prince from Eric Clapton and praise from Frank Ocean and Justin Bieber, with whom he co-produced tracks on Bieber's 2025 albums SWAG and SWAG II.[2][1] He contributed guitar to Dijon Duenas's 2021 album Absolutely and has released singles like "ROCKMAN" (2024), showcasing his evolving sound of dreamy instrumentals and genre-defying hooks.[2] Notable live milestones include his debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in April 2024, a sold-out U.S. and European tour that summer, an appearance as musical guest on Saturday Night Live in November 2024, two sold-out shows at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park in June 2025, and a performance at Lollapalooza in August 2025.[1][2][4]Early life
Childhood and musical beginnings
Michael Gordon, known professionally as Mk.gee, was born on September 27, 1997, in Linwood, New Jersey. He was raised in the nearby town of Linwood, a small coastal community in South Jersey.[1][5] Gordon grew up in a family with deep musical roots; his grandparents operated a local jazz society in Somers Point, which hosted workshops and performances that exposed him to improvisational and ensemble playing from an early age. His mother further nurtured these interests by enrolling him in piano lessons at age five, where he balanced structured repertoire with playful renditions of pop songs like those by The Isley Brothers during recitals.[1][5][6] He formed his first band during middle school. By age 11 or 12, Gordon shifted his focus to the electric guitar, learning foundational techniques from an upright bass player who encouraged an experimental rather than rigidly technical approach. In his early teens, he began self-recording original material at home, tinkering with basic equipment to layer sounds and explore production intuitively. These formative experiences were shaped by local influences, including New Jersey rock icons like Bruce Springsteen, alongside broader inspirations from rock, blues, and jazz drawn from his family's environment.[1][7][5][5]Education
Mk.gee, born Michael Gordon, attended Mainland Regional High School in Linwood, New Jersey, graduating in 2015. Building on early guitar skills developed through childhood lessons, he pursued an interest in jazz during his teenage years at the school.[1] After high school, Gordon relocated to Los Angeles to enroll at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music in 2015, joining the popular music program that emphasized genres such as rock, pop, R&B, folk, Latin, and country. The move to Los Angeles, a major hub for the music industry, allowed him opportunities for networking while studying.[5][1] Gordon left the program after one year, dropping out in 2016 to prioritize independent music production in Los Angeles.[1][5]Career
Solo career
Mk.gee's solo career began in 2017 with the release of his debut single "I Know How You Get," initially shared via SoundCloud and marking his emergence as an independent artist.[8] He followed this in 2018 with two self-produced EPs that helped define his early style: Pronounced McGee, released on May 18, and Fool, released on November 23.[9][10] These projects, characterized by intimate bedroom pop arrangements and indie sensibilities, showcased his multi-instrumental talents and garnered attention in underground music circles.[11][12] In 2020, Mk.gee released his debut mixtape A Museum of Contradiction on May 22 through Iamsound and Interscope Records, delving into more experimental production techniques with abstract soundscapes and genre-blending elements.[13][14] The nine-track project highlighted his evolving approach to songwriting, incorporating hazy electronics and introspective lyrics.[15] Mk.gee's first full-length studio album, Two Star & the Dream Police, arrived on February 9, 2024, via R&R, representing a breakthrough in his solo output with polished yet idiosyncratic tracks drawing from '80s pop, rock, and R&B influences.[16] The album peaked at number 12 on the Scottish Albums Chart and number 8 on the UK Independent Albums Chart, achieving over 188 million streams on Spotify as of November 2025.[17][18] Critics praised its warped production and emotional depth, with Pitchfork noting its "strange, murky songs full of anxiety and longing" and Rolling Stone highlighting its "froth and fizz" across genre-eliding compositions.[16][19] The album's lead singles included "Candy" and "How Many Miles" in 2023, building anticipation, while "Are You Looking Up," "You Got It," and "Dream Police" followed in 2024.[20] Later that year, Mk.gee issued "Rockman" on October 18 as his first standalone single post-album, which debuted at number 33 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, marking his initial entry onto a major airplay ranking.[21] No further solo releases were announced by late 2025.[22] A significant milestone came on November 9, 2024, when Mk.gee made his television debut as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "Alesis" from the album and the new single "Rockman" to widespread acclaim.[22]Production and collaborations
Mk.gee began his production career collaborating on early tracks for friends in the indie and R&B scenes, including several songs with Dijon between 2018 and 2020 that highlighted his emerging talent for intricate guitar arrangements and atmospheric sound design. These initial efforts, often recorded in informal settings, fostered his reputation among emerging artists for blending emotional depth with experimental textures.[23] Mk.gee's contributions extended to Omar Apollo's early projects, including co-writing and production on the 2020 EP Apolonio and the 2019 EP Friends, where he added layers of soulful, introspective instrumentation to the project's R&B-infused aesthetic. His work underscored his ability to integrate signature guitar elements into collaborative settings, enhancing the record's intimate and vulnerable tone.[24] A major breakthrough came with his involvement in Justin Bieber's 2025 single "Daisies," which he co-produced alongside Dijon; the track peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, demonstrating Mk.gee's capacity to infuse mainstream pop with indie sensibilities through subtle, evocative guitar lines. In September 2025, he reunited with Dijon to co-produce multiple tracks on Bieber's surprise album Swag II, further exploring themes of personal introspection via layered production and harmonic innovation.[25][26] From 2020 to 2025, Mk.gee collaborated with Bon Iver on various singles and albums, including guitar and writing contributions to the 2025 release SABLE, fABLE, where his playing reignited creative sparks for Justin Vernon during live sessions.[27][28] These partnerships exemplified Mk.gee's role in bridging indie experimentation with broader artistic visions.[29] In a 2024 New York Times interview, Mk.gee reflected on his Bieber sessions, describing the process as a search for raw authenticity amid pop's constraints, and elaborated on his production philosophy of prioritizing intuitive, boundary-pushing collaborations over conventional structures.[3]Artistry
Musical style and influences
Mk.gee's music spans genres including indie rock, alternative, lo-fi, experimental indie, R&B, and soft-psychedelia, often blending these elements into a hazy, impressionistic sound that defies easy categorization.[16][30] His work features innovative guitar techniques, such as distended, pliable electric playing with fingerstyle, dynamics, and vibrato, creating expansive and dangerous sonic textures that evoke a sense of infinite possibility.[2][30] Atmospheric soundscapes are a hallmark, characterized by wobbly, underwater-like effects, fuzzy unresolved elements, and a hazy wash of acoustic guitars, drum machines, and ambient details like wind chimes, which contribute to an overall liminal quality.[2][31] Thematically, his songs explore dread, longing, and frustration through surreal, non-narrative structures with buried or interrupted hooks, fostering a sleazy, vaguely unsettling vibe that prioritizes emotional ambiguity over resolution.[2][3] Influences on Mk.gee draw from a mix of classic and contemporary artists, shaping his eclectic approach. He has cited Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix as key figures who shifted musical trends through unconventional instrument use, with Clapton himself praising Mk.gee in 2024 as his favorite contemporary guitarist for discovering "things to do on the guitar that are like nobody else," likening him to Prince.[30] Additional inspirations include Prince's fearless genre-mixing, The Police's rhythmic precision, Phil Collins' dreamy 1980s pop, and modern innovators like Frank Ocean and Dijon, whose collaborative style influenced Mk.gee's rhythmic and vocal development.[2][16] Earlier ambient and experimental sources, such as The Durutti Column and Boards of Canada, also inform his textural depth, rooted in low-resolution, pirated MP3 aesthetics from his youth.[31] Mk.gee's sound has evolved from lo-fi home recordings, reminiscent of Toro y Moi or Unknown Mortal Orchestra, to the more polished yet idiosyncratic production of his 2024 debut album Two Star & the Dream Police, where murky, twitchy mixes and unusual tones amplify masterful melodies amid chaos.[16][3] This progression reflects a deliberate embrace of imperfection as an aesthetic choice, with critics acclaiming his intentional roughness and meticulous sound placement for redefining musical flawlessness in contemporary indie and R&B contexts.[31][2]Equipment
Mk.gee's primary guitar is a Fender Jaguar, often configured in a baritone setup with flatwound strings to achieve a warm, distinctive tone characterized by its depth and sustain.[32] This modification allows for lower tunings, such as Bb to Bb, enhancing the instrument's versatility in his recordings and live performances.[33] He further extends the guitar's capabilities through a MIDI setup featuring the Roland GK-2A pickup, which enables seamless integration of synthesizer sounds and effects directly from the instrument.[34] In his early recording efforts, Mk.gee relied on the Tascam Portastudio 424 MKI, a compact 4-track cassette recorder that imparted a lo-fi, analog quality to his demos and initial tracks.[32] This device, with its built-in mixer and effects, facilitated hands-on experimentation in a portable format, aligning with his DIY production approach during his formative years. Mk.gee's pedalboard is a cornerstone of his experimental sound, incorporating a range of effects pedals to layer reverb, delay, and modulation. Key components include the Rainger FX Reverb-X for atmospheric reverb with pressure-sensitive control, the Boss DD-20 Giga Delay for versatile time-based effects, and the Chase Bliss Audio Mood for granular synthesis and micro-looping capabilities.[32] Other essentials, such as the Electro-Harmonix Hum Debugger for noise reduction and the Empress ParaEQ MKII for precise tonal shaping, allow him to craft intricate textures during both studio sessions and live shows.[32] For live performances as of 2025, he incorporates the Soma Pulsar 23 drone synthesizer to generate unique granular and atmospheric effects, notably for drum sounds in tracks like "new low."[35] Post-2020, as his career gained momentum, Mk.gee transitioned to more professional studio setups, incorporating high-end recording gear like the Neumann U87 microphone for vocal and instrument capture, the BAE 1073 preamp for warm analog coloration, and the Universal Audio UAD-2 Satellite for DSP-powered plugin processing.[32] These tools, combined with digital audio workstation software, have enabled more polished productions while retaining his signature experimental edge.[32] In 2025, he adopted a custom touring rig designed by Clibbus International, further supporting his genre-blending live performances with enhanced reliability and sonic options.[36] This evolution in equipment has directly influenced his ambient and genre-blending style, providing greater sonic depth and integration of electronic elements.Tours and live performances
Headlining tours
Mk.gee's inaugural North American headlining tour took place from April 23 to May 21, 2024, spanning 18 dates across cities including San Diego, Los Angeles, Austin, Toronto, and New York City.[37] This run promoted his debut album, featuring singles like "Dream Police," "Candy," and "How Many Miles," performed in intimate venues like the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.[38] The tour garnered enthusiastic reception for its raw guitar-centric energy, with multiple shows selling out months in advance and critics noting Mk.gee's ability to captivate audiences through extended solos and improvisational flair.[39][40] In support of his debut album Two Star & the Dream Police, released on February 9, 2024, Mk.gee launched a world headlining tour from September 2 in Vancouver, Canada, extending through December with stops in North America and Europe.[41] Key venues included the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Terminal 5 in New York City, and Paradiso in Amsterdam, where the production scaled up to accommodate larger crowds.[42][43] Setlists evolved from the spring tour's focus on previews to a fuller emphasis on album tracks like "Are You Looking Up," "You Got It," and "Lonely Fight," interspersed with fan-requested earlier cuts and moments of direct audience interaction, such as call-and-response during choruses.[44] The tour achieved widespread sellouts, with reviews highlighting its immersive atmosphere and Mk.gee's commanding stage presence, often described as a "sonic journey" blending mystery and emotional depth. The tour extended into late 2024 with dates in Australia, including performances in Sydney and Brisbane in December.[45][46][47] Mk.gee extended his headlining activity into 2025, headlining the July 26 kickoff of Rolling Stone's Gather No Moss tour at the sold-out Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado.[48][49] The performance featured high-energy guitar work, including furious solos on tracks like "ROCKMAN" and extended renditions of album staples, further evolving the setlist with fresh improvisations that encouraged crowd participation.[50] This show, supported by openers SEES00000 and Black Noi$e, reinforced Mk.gee's reputation for genre-bending rock delivery, drawing praise for its unpredictable honesty and redefinition of live guitar heroism.[51]Festival and supporting appearances
Mk.gee began gaining prominence through supporting appearances, including opening slots for Omar Apollo during his early tours in 2019, where his guitar-driven sets showcased his emerging experimental style and earned praise from audiences for their raw energy.[52] These performances helped build his reputation as a compelling live act, bridging his studio collaborations with Apollo—such as co-writing on tracks like "Useless"—to onstage synergy.[53] A pivotal milestone in his live evolution came with his debut on Saturday Night Live on November 9, 2024, where he performed "ROCKMAN" and "Alesis" in a dimly lit, haunting setup that emphasized his atmospheric soundscapes and multi-instrumental prowess.[54] The appearance, hosted by Bill Burr, highlighted Mk.gee's transition from underground collaborator to national stage presence, drawing acclaim for its enigmatic intensity.[55] In 2025, Mk.gee expanded into major festival circuits, starting with a top-billed set at Governors Ball in New York on June 6, where his alt-pop fusion of funky riffs and layered effects created a multidimensional experience amid fog and portal-like visuals, lauded by peers like Lil Yachty as one of the best live shows attended.[56] Mk.gee was longlisted for BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2025 and performed at the live showcase on December 2, 2024, at Maida Vale studios. Although Chappell Roan was named the winner, the recognition underscored his rising international profile among industry tastemakers.[57][58][59] Summer 2025 festivals marked standout moments in Mk.gee's live development, with experimental soundscapes dominating his sets. At Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 2, he closed the Grove Stage with a commanding, hour-long performance that deconstructed indie pop through cacophonous transitions—atmospheric noise linking songs like ethereal reworkings of "Alesis" and a crowd-singalong "ROCKMAN"—blending 1980s influences with effects pedals and synths for a wall of immersive chaos.[4] Similar innovative elements appeared at events like Austin City Limits, Rock en Seine in Paris, and Paredes de Coura in Portugal, where extended guitar passages and unpredictable honesty evolved his sound into genre-bending spectacles. In fall 2025, he appeared at III Points Festival in Miami in October.[60] These appearances, alongside supporting the Rolling Stones' Gather No Moss Tour opener in July, tied directly to his 2025 collaborations, such as with Justin Bieber on Swag, amplifying his role in high-profile bills.[49][61][62]Touring band members
Mk.gee's touring band has primarily consisted of a core trio since 2023, featuring guitarist and backing vocalist Andrew Aged alongside multi-instrumentalist Zack Sekoff on drums, bass, and samples.[34][63] This configuration allows for dynamic live adaptations of Mk.gee's studio recordings, with Aged adding layered guitar textures and harmonies to amplify the intricate arrangements, while Sekoff's sampling and percussion create atmospheric depth and rhythmic complexity.[64][4] In early 2024 tours, the band maintained this tight-knit trio setup, emphasizing improvisation and electronic elements to translate Mk.gee's experimental indie sound to the stage without additional personnel.[64] No distinct prior or guest members have been documented for those initial outings, underscoring the stability of the group from its inception.[63] By 2025, the band's dynamics evolved further during high-profile appearances, including Mk.gee's contributions to the Rolling Stone Rock Tour, where Aged and Sekoff's interplay enhanced the unpredictable, honest energy of the performances, blending live instrumentation with pre-recorded samples for immersive sets.[49][2] Their roles proved essential in headlining configurations, supporting Mk.gee's vision of beguiling, genre-defying live experiences.[34]Discography
Studio albums
Mk.gee's debut studio album, Two Star & the Dream Police, was released on February 9, 2024, through R&R Records.[65] The project serves as his first full-length solo effort, following a series of extended plays and mixtapes, and features Gordon handling primary production, songwriting, and multi-instrumental performance across its 12 tracks.[66] Recorded largely in his home studio, the album emphasizes experimental layering of guitars, synthesizers, and vocals, with occasional co-production credits to collaborators like Dijon Duenas on select tracks such as "DNM" and "New Low."[16] The album's track listing is as follows:| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "New Low" | Gordon, Duenas | 2:06 |
| 2 | "How Many Miles" | Gordon | 2:21 |
| 3 | "Are You Looking Up" | Gordon | 2:46 |
| 4 | "DNM" | Gordon, Duenas | 1:58 |
| 5 | "You Got It" | Keuch, Gordon | 2:14 |
| 6 | "Rylee & I" | Gordon | 2:22 |
| 7 | "Candy" | Gordon | 2:54 |
| 8 | "I Want" | Gordon | 3:38 |
| 9 | "Alesis" | Gordon | 3:18 |
| 10 | "Breakthespell" | Gordon | 4:27 |
| 11 | "Two Star" | Gordon | 2:19 |
| 12 | "Dream Police" | Gordon | 2:49 |
Extended plays
Mk.gee released his debut extended play, Pronounced McGee, on May 18, 2018, as an independent digital release available via Bandcamp and streaming platforms. The EP features nine tracks showcasing his early lo-fi guitar experimentation and indie pop sensibilities, with a total runtime of approximately 39 minutes. Key tracks include "I Know How You Get," which served as the lead single from his prior solo work, and "Roll with the Punches," highlighting his raw, bedroom-recorded production style. The tracklist for Pronounced McGee is as follows:- "If He"
- "Roll with the Punches"
- "I Know How You Get"
- "You"
- "Unaware"
- "Priorities"
- "Over Here"
- "Dreamin"
- "A Little Bit"
Mixtapes
Mk.gee's sole mixtape, A Museum of Contradiction, was released on May 22, 2020, via IAMSOUND and Interscope Records.[14] Comprising nine tracks, including "Intro," "cz," "Overtime (pt. 1)," and ">;0" featuring Vegyn, the project showcases his experimental approach through lo-fi production and genre-blending elements like breakbeats, ambient dissonance, and indie-electronica fusions.[14][68] Self-produced by Mk.gee in a home setting, the mixtape emphasizes raw, natural sounds with white noise and DIY techniques, highlighting his innovative bedroom producer style.[14] Thematically, it explores contradictions in emotional and musical realms, merging playful pop with abstract introspection to create a boundary-pushing listening experience.[14][5] Distributed primarily through streaming platforms such as Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music, the mixtape received critical acclaim for its production innovation and eclectic energy, with reviewers noting its role in elevating Mk.gee's profile in the indie scene.[14][68] This release served as a creative bridge to his subsequent full-length album.[5]Singles as lead artist
Mk.gee's singles as lead artist primarily consist of digital releases through labels like IAMSOUND and R&R, often serving as previews to his EPs, mixtapes, and albums.| Title | Release date | Format | Album/Mixtape | Chart performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "I Know How You Get" | May 19, 2017 | Digital download, streaming | N/A (standalone debut single) | Did not chart |
| "Untitled" | December 6, 2019 | Digital download, streaming | N/A (standalone) | Did not chart |
| "cz" | February 28, 2020 | Digital download, streaming | A Museum of Contradiction (2020 mixtape) | Did not chart |
| "Candy" / "How Many Miles" | August 11, 2023 | Digital download, streaming | Two Star & the Dream Police (2024 album) | Did not chart |
| "Are You Looking Up" / "You Got It" | October 20, 2023 | Digital download, streaming | Two Star & the Dream Police (2024 album) | Did not chart |
| "Dream Police" | January 19, 2024 | Digital download, streaming | Two Star & the Dream Police (2024 album) | Did not chart |
| "Lonely Fight" | August 23, 2024 | Digital download, streaming | N/A (standalone) | Did not chart |
| "Rockman" | October 18, 2024 | Digital download, streaming | N/A (standalone) | Debuted at No. 33 on US Adult Alternative Airplay (December 2024); also entered US Rock & Alternative Airplay |
Songwriting and production credits
Mk.gee has earned recognition for his songwriting and production work on releases by prominent artists, often incorporating his distinctive guitar stylings and experimental production techniques. As of November 2025, he holds approximately 55 credits as a producer, songwriter, and performer across various projects, spanning indie, pop, and alternative genres.[69]Notable Credits
| Artist | Release | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Bieber | "Daisies" (from SWAG) | 2025 | Co-writer, co-producer; the track peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Pop Airplay.[70][25][71][72][73] |
| Justin Bieber | SWAG (additional tracks, e.g., "Love Song") | 2025 | Songwriter, producer.[74][75] |
| Omar Apollo | Apolonio (EP, multiple tracks including "Useless" and "Stayback") | 2020 | Co-producer, guitarist, co-writer.[76][77][78] |
| Dijon | "The Climb" (single) | 2019 | Producer.[23] |
| Dijon | Absolutely | 2021 | Producer (multiple tracks).[79] |
| Dijon | Baby (tracks: "Another Baby!", "HIGHER!", "Yamaha", "Loyal & Marie", "Kindalove") | 2025 | Co-writer, producer.[80][81] |
| Bon Iver | SABLE, fABLE (track: "From") | 2025 | Co-writer, guitarist.[27][69][82] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | BBC Sound of... | Sound of 2025 | Himself | Longlisted | [83] |
| 2025 | Libera Awards | Breakthrough Artist | Himself | Nominated | [84] |
| 2025 | Libera Awards | Record of the Year | "ROCKMAN" | Nominated | [84] |