Love Music : What's the story behind your stage name?
I wanted something short and simple and easy to remember. My real name is Miqael Persson but I didn't think that it sounded country. I'm from the southern part of Sweden, grew up in a small town and I'm a hick so I thought Hicks would be perfect.
Love Music : What do you contribute to the final product of your music?
I'm a solo artist... I sing, play guitar and write. I also have my own label and music publishing company KashKow Music. So it's music 24-7.
Love Music : What is your personal idea of success? At what point will you feel like you've "arrived"?
Success can be so many different things. I've won a lot of awards and got tons of nominations. I got airplay all over the world, had my songs reaching #1 on a lot of charts. Had hundred thousands of spins on every single that I've released. Been invited to play and headlines festivals around the globe. Got to work with some of my heroes I grew up listening to. Been on TV shows in UK, USA, France, Germany, Sweden, Australia... Had my songs cut by artists from all around the world. So yeah I think I have arrived.
Love Music : Have you experienced any embarrassing yet funny failures in your music career thus far?
I haven't really had any super embarrassing moments. If I f-ck up on stage I make a thing of it, or the guys in the band make a thing of it. So we get to laugh with the crowd. And maybe do it again on purpose later in the show just to laugh even more about it.
Love Music : How long did it take before you could actually finish a song and think, "THIS IS GREAT STUFF!"?
I think you're on that learning curve as long as you keep writing... I've been writing songs as long as I can remember. I think I was around 15 or 16 when I started to feel that "hey this is pretty good" When I got my first cut with another artist and that album went Gold and they won a Grammy for best album. I felt "I must be doing something right" And that gave me a lot of confidence to write even more. But like I said before, as long as you write you keep learning.
Love Music : What would be your backup plan if you weren't so invested in your music?
If I wasn't working with music I would probably work as a physiotherapist of some sort. I am trained to be a Polarity Therapist. I'm very interested in health and helping other people to feel better. I had my own practice in my old hometown. But I got so busy working with music so I closed it down and started focusing on my music career. I don't regret that one single second. I spend an hour in the gym almost every day. keeping fit and healthy is my religion :) As you can see in my latest video "Stomp A Little Louder" I try to stay in shape.
Love Music : How much time do you put into your music career?
I do something every day... I don't really know how many hours I put in. One day it could be just one hour while other days it could be ten... It's a labor of love.
Love Music : Who would your dream collaboration be with?
I've had a real dream collaboration. My latest single "Stomp A Little Louder" did I actually write with Mr country legend himself Steve Wariner. And he plays the guitars on the track alongside his son Ryan. I would love to do a duet with Brooks And Dunn... I know they parted ways a few years ago but that would be such a dream come through. I'm a huge Brooks And Dunn fan. it broke my heart when they split up. Mutt Lange is one of my favorite producers, to work with him on a few songs or even a whole album would be amazing. I'm a big fan of Jeffrey Steele's writing. I think he is one of the best songwriters in the world. So carve some tunes with him is high on my bucket list.
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