[Interview] Mr.I.L.K. and its colorful pop universe

Danish singer and producer Emil Wilk, under the pseudonym M.I.L.K., has just released his second EP entitled Maybe I Love Kokomo, a mix of pop, reggae and funk, ready for the heat of the summer sun. JustFocus had the pleasure of meeting Mr.I.L.K to know more deeply his musical universe. 

JustFocus: Your real name is Emil Wilk, why adopt M.I.L.K as your artist name?

Mr.I.L.K. : I was with a group of friends listening to my music always wondering about my artistic name. I didn't want something that was too long, too pretentious. So Mr.I.L.K came and immediately a direct link between my personality and my music was established. Later, I added the dots between the letters so it could mean all sorts of things such as Maybe I Love Kokomo, the name of my EP.

JF: Your latest EP is a complete project that encompasses excellent production, image and music. How do you create a logic between all its elements?

Mr.I.L.K. : Before making music, I directed TV movies, documentaries, music videos… It all starts with the music but in a way, it's not over until you have an image, a color; This is where music has a meaning, a universe. In fact, when I'm in the studio, I sometimes describe for my producer the script I was aiming for. I try to paint my own soundtrack and then my producer translates it into music.

JF: In an interview in Happy Magazine, you talk about your crazy love for Paris. Therefore, tell us in detail about this fact and the inspiration behind your song Make My Way To Paris.

Mr.I.L.K. : The idea comes from the last two years when I spent a lot of time in Paris, a new city for me. It's a bit like a computer game: you feel like you've already finished the game, in other words, in my home country and you're starting a new game, in this case in Paris. There really is the same excitement but with a little frustration, because you start from the beginning. I had been living in Denmark for a long time where I knew a lot of people and things were getting easy. This computer game was over for me and I wanted to start another one. So when I started working in Paris, I didn't know anyone, I only had a few demos. 

Make My Way To Paris  talks about this video game called Paris. I had the idea to do it with Benjamin Biolay because in my opinion he has a very classical French voice; Everything he does and everything he touches is French. His melodies, his harmonies, everything.

JF: In the same interview, you talk about the fact that you wanted your songs to be made to "dance on the beach" rather than "relax at the beach". So, what's next for your upcoming projects?

Mr.I.L.K. : On this EP I tried to explore more the rhythms and the production that makes me dance, rather than the relaxed atmosphere of my first EP. I spent a lot of time in nightclubs to find out what kind of rhythm my body was reacting to. So maybe on my next EP I could go back to the casual sounds of my first EP or I could even do something even more rhythmic. There are so many possibilities.

I have demos that point in a lot of different directions. One of the things I really like right now is the Parisian bosanova. This is a musical genre that does not necessarily make you dance but makes you swing; It's something that makes you want to sing. Therefore, I try to create songs with melodies that could have been made in the sixties, but with a topical production. That's where I am right now, but maybe that'll change in a week or two.

JF: One of the great things about the EP is the mix of pop, reggae and funk. What artists did you listen to growing up?

Mr.I.L.K. : I listened a lot to Prince and Michael Jackson. My favorite album of all time is Michael Jackson's Off The Wall, for me it's the perfect album. I also like Daft Punk and the sounds inspired by house. If I think about the music I listen to today, I like Agnes Obel, for example. In general, not everything I listen to sounds like today's sound. When I turn on the radio, I feel that everything is the same. It's so frustrating. It's a shame, because there are a lot of good songs that don't get the right production.

JF: Let's talk about music in general. If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

I would like to work with a jazz band called Bad Bad Not Good and the French hip-hop artist Orelsan. I love it. I have already contacted his management. I would also like to work with Jungle and Rex Orange County, a band from New York. They have an amazing song called Loving is Easy. 

JF: What is the song you would have liked to write?

Mr.I.L.K. : I would have liked to write something classic like Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine or maybe Curtis Mayfield's Pusherman .

JF: Any advice for musicians who want to get a chance in the music industry?

Mr.I.L.K. I would say work as hard as Cristiano Ronaldo and use your elegance like Zinedine Zidan and everything will be fine.

Discover the clip of Slow Emotion!

Mr.I.L.K. will be in concert in Paris on June 21st at the Pop-Up du Label for an evening that promises to be memorable.