Mica Paris is the undisputed British Queen of Soul, having achieved countless hit singles and albums over the last thirty years. She has also frequently appeared on TV and radio as a popular presenter and actress.
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IRENE:
I'm really excited to be here with you today, thank you. You are celebrated as the Soul Queen, and you have had a career that spans over three decades. Can you tell me a little bit about how you started?
MICA:
I was born of Jamaican heritage, and raised by my grandparents who were hardcore Christian Pentecostals. If you remember the Blues Brothers, that movie where you see them all jumping up in church and doing backflips, it was a bit like that. It was very strict, Jesus all day long and all night long, but what was wonderful about it was that it was a great place to hone talent. When I was about five, my grandmother heard me singing around the house Rupert the Bear, which used to be a great TV kid's show, and she started ringing up the whole family saying “Oh, Michelle, she’s got talent.” From then, she made me sing in church and basically, I got discovered. I think I must have been about 14 when I won my first award at Wembley for the gospel community and then when I was 17, I got signed by Ireland Records. I put this album together with fantastic A&R people and the first thing they asked me was, “What kind of record do you want to make?” and my response was to make a record that would last for 50 years. At this point, I was desperate to get away from the church, so I chose this great writer with whom I wrote songs together and the album went double platinum straight away. I was terrified because I was only 18 and I was everywhere, all over the world. I was on David Letterman, touring the States and basically living out of a suitcase. It is like being in the eye of a storm, you know it is all going on around you and you are sitting there going, “Wow, I can't believe this is my life.”
IRENE:
How did you deal with that sudden fame and manage to then sustain a career for so long whilst staying so grounded?
MICA:
I remember there was a show called Top of the Pops, and if you were on that show, it meant that you had arrived. When I was told that I got on it the first time, I ran back to my grandparents’ house to visit them that weekend, and I was terrified. I thought that my career was over. From my own experience, all the people I looked up to took years to get there, so I could not understand why it was so fast. So I went about to make sure that I would not be a flash in the pan, by reminding myself that everything I did, did not necessarily have to be a hit, it just had to be from my heart. I had fights with the industry, they were really not happy about it because they wanted me to make the same record all the time, and I didn't.
This is for everyone who is creative and passionate about what they want to do: Always do what your heart wants to do, not what the system tells you to do. You just have a different presence when you are coming from your heart, and you are doing what you love. I know it sounds corny, but that is literally all I did, I stuck to what I love. It was a nightmare because obviously, you are not following the party lines. I can imagine you probably had the same challenges doing your thing. That is what you have to do when you are really passionate about something. So overall the reason why I made it go on for three decades is that I am the same person I was when I was 18. I am still there, I haven't changed.
IRENE:
It is International Women's Month, and I know we celebrate women all year round, but can you tell me a little bit about your experiences as a woman in this industry?
MICA:
You know, it's funny, you say all year round, but I do not think we have time to celebrate how great we are as women. We are just at it, always doing it. We live in a patriarchal system which I think is finally crumbling and on its way out, which is great. We love men, I am a humanitarian and I know that it is not their fault, but the system's. This said, although it has to shift because it is far too difficult. It is just difficult when you are female. I used to always have to have a male manager to get my ideas through because they would not accept me on my own. I went through that for a long time. What is nice now is that you are being accepted for your ideas and not ridiculed just because you are a woman. The only way that it can happen is by being consistent. I always looked at record companies as banks, I never saw them as my career. This is because if they love you, they give you everything and that's great but if they don’t you cannot give up, you stick with the people that still love what you do and you make them the focus. Make them happy, and make special events for them.
IRENE:
I guess that's the kind of advice you would give to some aspiring female artists today as well.
MICA:
I also believe it is for anyone who is a female and doing something they are passionate about. I had to diversify to survive. When the industry shuts the door and tells you that you had your hits, and moves to the next one, the younger model, you have to push further. I went and did radio, becoming the first radio host of Radio 2, the biggest radio station in the UK. I was terrified because I had never done radio before, but it is about doing things, that are not too far away from what your core is, but diversifying what you already do. Moving to the radio industry, I started talking to other artists like Amy Winehouse. I was the first person to interview Amy Winehouse, and that is why I am the head of her charity. So overall, it is about doing things that might not be familiar to you and it might be frightening because you're learning all the time. It was in 2001 when I got my first Radio 2 series, and here I am in 2023, still doing Radio 2, having my own series. Just keep going with things, but always from the heart.
IRENE:
So, it is about pivoting and kind of learning to adapt?
MICA:
Yes, I would say to go for the human part of the product that you do, the emotional side. So instead of just making a product and giving it to someone, you have to think about why you like it and why that music or dream speaks to you. You have to make that part of your brand and part of what you are, so then you become a thinking entity. You are not just another box of whatever. I think that is what it is. Even with my radio shows, my last one was a gospel one talking about inspirational music, not necessarily being religious, but just what it feels like when you hear it, how it lifts you out of depression and makes you feel better. The other series was about females such as Gladys Knight, Candi Staton, and Sister Sledge and their stories. I wanted people to hear what it is like for females in this music industry and how hard it is to maintain a career and have a husband. When you hear their stories, about how they gave up their careers for their husbands and then they went off with a younger model, I believe that could help other women. Seeing how they survived is so empowering. So, I am not just a singer now, I am someone that cares about the journey and what it means to be someone of inspiration. That is what I tell people, women, whatever you do, go for that human side, too. Do not just be a product, because everyone can benefit from your story.
IRENE:
I know you do a lot of charity work, tell me a little bit about all the things you are doing.
MICA:
The reason why charity is really important is that we are in a time right now that is all about “me.” I come from a time of “we” and this whole “me ”thing, which is incredibly self-absorbed, is frightening. So I do charity, not because I am trying to gain points, I only do things that I am passionate about and believe in. I believe in Amy because she was really not about that “me” thing. She was a real artist and that is why people cannot stop talking about her. You become special when your intention is for others. I want to bring awareness to the things that I believe in and that I feel are being ignored. Center Point is very important to me, and I have been with them for a long time. Walking down the street, you see these tents and it is absolutely freezing, and just by doing one night of taking care of some of those people, giving them food or whatever feels good. The people at Center Point are there every night, and these things really mean a lot to me. I believe no one should be homeless, and no one should be starving and by working with them, I tried to do something about it. The Lady Garden Foundation is quite recent for me, I have just recently become an ambassador. I love what they are doing, and I think it is so powerful. In a nutshell, I think when you are an artist, a creative, you have other interests besides just being up there, being the star. It does not necessarily mean that you have to do charity, but that whatever you create, you want it to make a difference in people's lives. That is my intention. If your intention is only to be seen and be famous, don’t do it.
IRENE:
Exactly. Well, let’s talk more about you and how amazing you look. What do you do to keep your skin looking so good?
MICA:
Look at you! You are absolutely gorgeous. I wrote a book in 2007, my very first book. I wrote it after I had a very big series, with my friend Lisa Butcher, that was called “What Not to Wear.” After the series, I had all these women writing to me. So, I decided to answer them with a book, called “Beautiful Within.” Going back to your question, what is really important is self-care. When you start looking after yourself, you start looking after everybody else; it is a mirror. I was very fortunate to have a mother who is so vain. My mom is getting her nails and hair done every two weeks, she is not messing around. Then I got my dad who is Mr. Dapper, dressed to the nines, and my grandparents, that would dress up for church in their special Sunday clothes. So I come from this environment of self-care. Mostly because they were immigrants, they were the new kids on the block in the UK back then in the 50s, so they came with a sense of pride from Jamaica. They felt like they had to always look their best in this country called Great Britain. They went through a lot of racism, so for them, the sense of pride was always to look great. With time, what I realised is that it is deeper than just how you look from the outside. I started to look after myself by running four times a week, going to Pilates on a Friday, having two steams a week and drinking spirulina for 20 years. I also stopped drinking alcohol four years ago and gave up smoking ten years ago. By doing all of these things, I started to realise that when I feel great, I treat everyone better. Even with my children, I had to create boundaries. When it is a spa day for mum three times a week, they do not bother mum. After that you got me, but when it is my day, you are not allowed. Self-care then becomes routine, drink and take the right things, skin care. I also believe that steaming is the best for the skin. When they tell me that I do not even have one wrinkle, it is the steam and the spirulina, I am telling you.
IRENE:
It is the 360 degrees approach.
MICA:
Of course. It is that positive mindset. When I am on the treadmill 40 minutes a day, I am like Rocky. I come off it feeling like Superwoman, and I am ready to go. Things like this really start to make you feel good, and when you do not do it, there is a massive difference. You start to age, which is that you literally go down and then you start replacing it with alcohol and I feel rubbish about it. This is why I tell women this all the time; make time for yourself. It is important because then you become a better parent and wife, and you are happier. When you are just giving all your time, which is what women do, then you are sad.
IRENE:
I completely agree with you, that is why I got into the wellness world. Everyone always asks me what my best skin tip is, but overall, it is a self-care kind of 360-degree approach. Of course, there are creams that are good and can revolutionize your skin, but it is a combination.
MICA:
I say this all the time to everyone. Everything in this world is about intentions. If your intention is to be a better person to then be better for everyone, that is it.
IRENE:
Well, I think we can leave it at that. It has been an honour to have you.
MICA:
Bless your heart, you are very kind.
IRENE:
Thank you.
