MKSM @ rbb Studio 3
MKSM @ hr/ ard QUEERTOPIA
MKSM @ ard brisant
LOVING MYSELF, BREAKING MY RULES & USED TO DO
RELEASE: 12/05/2023 & 07/07/2023 – LABEL: Milch Musik
Just in time for PRIDE SEASON 2023, MKSM is releasing the first single of his third EP – supported by German Pride Association (CSD Deutschland e.V.)
Am I beautiful enough? Am I good enough? Am I enough? Everyone has probably asked themselves these questions at some point. LOVING MYSELF deals with the journey to oneself. As a gay late-resettler who was born in Russia, grew up in the Ukraine and stuttered heavily, MKSM tried many things to fit in – and in the end found out: I COULD SPEND MORE TIME ON LOVING MYSELF!
The singer, songwriter, violinist and activist uses his voice to show others that they are not alone in their doubts and that the seemingly long journey to self-acceptance and self-love is worth taking. Nevertheless, everyone should be aware that it is a process: IT TAKES SOME TIME TO FEEL THIS WAY, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE TODAY!
The uplifting pop anthem is full of matching opposites: a string arrangement recorded by MKSM meets an 808 bass, soft vocals meet hard-hitting drums.
LOVING MYSELF was called the “PRIDE anthem of the year” by German media, including major queer magazines. The electronic BREAKING MY RULES is its confident successor.
Influenced by hyperpop and dancehall, the song is edgy, clubby and a bit dark. In the sex-positive pop track, he describes the train of thought – which many of us are familiar with – surrounding a one night stand. Am I sticking to my principles or am I letting go of them? Can more come of this and why am I afraid of it? Do I allow closeness afterwards or is a one night stand doomed to fail anyway? The singer’s soft yet confident vocals describe his inner turmoil and also sing about the “boy” he’ll probably never see again?!
USED TO DO is the newest track: It’s a light upbeat track – influenced by Liquid D’n’B and Hyperpop – about the realization that you and your friend have grown apart.
CHECK MY PHONE
RELEASE: 17/03/2023 – LABEL: Lieblingslieder Records
‘CHECK MY PHONE’ hovers between introverted bedroom pop and futuristic hyper pop – soft vocals meet hard auto-tune. The track is dancy yet intimate – in the song’s two and a half minutes we find ourselves scrolling through other people’s lives while being left out.
The duet is about the loneliness and emptiness that can get to us when we look at our phones. It’s about the end of a relationship, about the painful erasure of the last traces and memories that are still lurking on our screens – and that glimmer of hope, of a little interaction, a text, a call to not feel completely isolated and alone.
PART OF ME
RELEASE: 28/10/2022 – LABEL: Milch Musik
ONE OF MY DEMONS
RELEASE: 09/09/2022 – LABEL: Milch Musik
“One Of My Demons” – musical striptease of the soul that elicits pure goosebumps.
TRACKS IN MINOR
RELEASE: 07/08/2022 – LABEL: Milch Musik
Intoxicating up-tempo sound, the typical UK garage beat, melodies carried by his violin, and lyrics that go straight to the heart — with his new song “Tracks in Minor”, MKSM isn’t just releasing a declaration of love to melancholy and pop-songs in minor. The urban, danceable track details insecurities and fears that everyone can identify with.
Bright images from England, MKSM perform at ‘Cheltenham Pride in the Park’; the mood is wild and rowdy — then a cut: Him alone at a nearly empty intersection in Cheltenham, one-take, and just a few effects. Nothing else was needed to capture the feeling of the track in a visualizer.
With the lyrics he describes, among other things, a kind of hide-and-seek we play with ourselves — wasted talent, missing chances — and then he reminds himself I used to avoid doing things because I was too afraid of doing them wrong or of how other people would react. Run away from the familiar to start over again – until you find yourself again, somewhere new, on your own. Being carried by his own demands of himself, he sings “pushing through with no exception”.
MKSM – suppressing your feelings does not solve any problems – UNBREAKABLE UNTIL I BREAK
Just let go and feel what takes place inside of us – to pop-songs in minor.
The “Tracks in Minor”, “they help me heal” he sings and reminds himself – and us – not to lose ourselves and not to lie to ourselves. The song takes us on the journey to ourselves. “Dive into my pain”, the confrontation of that which we feel doesn’t yet solve our problems, but allows us to begin questioning ourselves and reflecting on our feelings, and that is where the healing begins.
SHARED ROOM
RELEASE: 05/06/2022 – LABEL: Milch Musik
“This song is really special to me because it is, on the one hand autobiographical, the first single of my second EP, and on the other hand the first song where I sing about about a BOY… I needed to take my time to take this step and I’m really PROUD to finally get there. That’s why it feels right to publicly introduce my real partner in the video – that felt the most natural to me!
I love the mix of my soft vocals and the groovy and warm arrangement, and of course it had to have a little hook from my violin! But in this case we also played with some effects so that the song sounds really exciting and fresh.” said MKSM

After winning an “LGBTQ Music Award”, writing campaign songs for LGBTIQ+ initiatives and organizations and performing at the virtual GLOBAL PRIDE on the European Highlight Stage, MKSM released his first EP HIGH ON LOWS in 2021 and the Pride track LOVE IN THE DARK together with the queer artist LEOPOLD.
In addition to numerous PRIDES in Germany, MKSM’s Pride Tour 2022 also took him to the UK and Italy – for the first time ever. After the release of TRACKS IN MINOR, DEEZER described the singer and songwriter as one of the most interesting newcomers in Germany. MKSM’s second EP FEELINGS OF A MISFIT is OUT NOW – it was released on October 28, 2022 on Milch Musik, the label of Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer. ARD Brisant and rbb Studio 3 reported on the release and the artist.