The midwest man. He’s John Prine. He’s Bob Dylan. He's the dude Tom Petty seemed to always be singing about. What do all these artists, with their sing-a-long, storytelling discographies, have in common? They all started somewhere. That somewhere for Michael Marcagi was indeed middle America: Ohio. Leaving his former band behind, Marcagi went solo, where his present day brings him to his recently released debut EP, American Romance; finding himself fresh off the European leg of the tour, prepared to embark on part two across the U.S. – the energy is back to brimming. 

The singer-songwriter has fully experienced the swift ascent characteristic of today's social media landscape. Familiar with the ephemeral tendencies of social media and the promises they hold, Marcagi found himself on the other side of that same coin. The longevity, the hidden promise of today’s risk and tomorrow’s golden ticket. Thrust into the spotlight overnight, Marcagi posted a TikTok accompanied by his captivating song "Scared to Start," imbued with a hope for, perhaps, just enough views to say, ‘Hey, I did it.’

Bringing in listeners with its melody that is sure to linger long after you’ve listened to it, finding yourself humming along in the best way, that very same TikTok post welcomed Marcagi the next morning with not one view, and definitely not a thousand views, but 1 million views. In this digital age, success knows no bounds, and the music can surpass the hometown, can surpass those midwest roots, it can even surpass TikTok. After all, what's a pioneer without a frontier? A dream without a dreamer?

We wonder, and we ask, is social media a time-capsule, a really remarkable introduction to your eventual legacy? To hear from the guy who explained to me in a light-hearted, humble way, he was once, "Just an opener trying to warm up the crowd." There was a definite answer to this question that didn’t need explaining – it’s evident in the anecdotal, sonic storytelling he so effortlessly offers to his listeners. As Marcagi notes, it’s about being appreciative, realizing the moment you take anything for granted is the same moment you are lost to the shackles of it all. It being that one thing no one really wants to ever proclaim, or call themselves: F*mous.

Perhaps it's the nuances of those very same beginnings that keep him afloat during this reverie-esque, entrancing time. It is not lost upon Marcagi how niche or how notable this epochal period is. The infancy of his burgeoning solo-artistry is tenderly acquainted with recounts from childhood, the simple gift of a guitar that can change your life forever. The fondness of storytelling and the echoes of his voice shimmer seamlessly through the EP holding a sense of hope that feels almost tangible for listeners; in the closing track In The Light he encourages, “And if you feel like leaving / You don’t need a reason.”

Marcagi is anything but scared to start, proving himself quite the lyricist, evoking an inspiring and relatable feeling – resonating deeply, and immediately, with those who hear it. Marcagi sits down with FLAUNT to delve a little deeper. 

What are your first memories with music? What has the journey with your sound and skill been like and how does it feel to arrive at your first EP? 

My mom had really good music taste growing up and I remember driving around in the car with her, listening to old folk music and Heartland rock. I grew up on Springsteen and stuff like that. But I also remember really connecting with folk musicians like John Prine. I really connected with storytelling. I've always really enjoyed the simple chords, simple lyrics and easy to understand songs. Then I got a guitar for Christmas when I was in the seventh grade. I'm the youngest in my family, both my older brother and sister were probably going off to college and my parents wanted to get me into something that would pass the time or whatever. I remember getting that and just falling in love with music and writing songs. 

Based on the five tracks from this record, what is your definition of an "American romance"? What beauties are found in the crumbling and the unspoken parts of the love that's advertised to so many people?

I think the whole "American romance" theme was just growing up in the Midwest, especially in the different groups that I've been in. There was always this pressure to get married young and I’ve seen it with a lot of my friends. And then you get a little bit older and see those things kind of crumble. It's the lies that were told at a really young age, it’s not exactly the truth and relationships are a lot harder than what people were telling us. No one has it figured out, no one has the answers. There's almost a kind of beauty in that because there's some freedom in the unknown. 

From start to finish, what does your writing process typically look like? 

I like to have a couple acoustic guitars laying around my house. I'm always just picking up my guitar. I like to write at least a little something every day or at least like to work on stuff, and hum along to the guitar and some chords. I try to find melodies that sound prettier, that sound memorable. Then once I do that and I have some melodies that I'm humming or even ideas, I’ll whistle into my phone. I have so many voice memos on my iPhone that if anybody listened to it, they'd be like, ‘You're a crazy person,’ because it’s like two in the morning and I’m humming– it just sounds insane. Once I find something I’m really attached to I will add lyrics to it. Sometimes when I’m humming along lyrics will pop into my head, but lyrics are always the last thing for me. 

Your song "Scared to Start” went viral on TikTok. What has your experience been like in tying together your music and social media? What does it take to give yourself exposure and get your music out to the masses, and do you think there's a sustainable future in that tactic for upcoming musicians and for yourself?

It's definitely an interesting thing and something that I think about a lot with social media and TikTok. On one hand, I'm just so grateful and thankful for the opportunity TikTok allowed for me. The doors that it's opened for me have been unimaginable. In one day, my song “Scared To Start” that I put on TikTok got exposed to more people in 12 hours than playing years and years worth of shows. It's one of those things where it's really cool for the reach that it can have.

For musicians, I feel it’s a useful tool because it's one of those things where you don't need a label or management. Anybody can post on TikTok and have a chance to have their song be out there. On the other hand, now, it's a thing where I'm almost expected to post and expected to be on it. There is a pressure of needing to stay up with it and keep using it. I'm trying to have a level head on it. It's really easy for me to get caught up. I remember reading all of the comments and focusing on the negative. It's just an easy trap to get into. I think in general with social media, you have to be able to distance yourself at certain points. It can become a really overwhelming and unhealthy thing if you focus too much of your efforts on it. You have to remember that you're still primarily a songwriter, and a musician, and the social media thing will take care of itself. 

‍How has the tour been for you so far? Musically or personally, what are you learning on the road and what was the energy like when performing live?

The European tour was so fun, we haven't really played any headline shows. I've opened for a lot of people here, but going over there and just seeing people in cities that I had never been to in my life, and never dreamed of ever going to, really, and seeing people come out and sing the songs, it's really hard to describe. I remember being on stage at night and being truly at a loss for words, I never thought I would even be in this city on vacation, let alone people coming to hear my music.

So, it's been one of those things that I’m trying to enjoy. Tour happens so fast, everything's so fast paced, you're in a city and eight hours later, you're in a new one. It’s back to back to back. It’s really easy to lose track, and I’m trying to not take things for granted. It’s been so fun. The response has been awesome. It’s just really cool to see the music and how far it has spread.

Your album art is always in black and white, featuring a landscape with an anonymous man, assumingly you, which seems to be blurred out with a stick of white over the face. What do you think about aesthetics in your music, and do you strive for ambiguous minimalism?

In college, I went and had a specialty art degree kind of thing. I've always really liked when artists pay attention to everything in their branding. It's really cool when everything seems to fit. For the album artwork, I remember thinking that I didn't want it to be the very typical, solo singer-songwriter project where it’s them with a guitar and that same pose. I wanted to do something a little different.

I remember just experimenting with some stuff, and wanted to do things with the paint, like brush over something. Then it looked cool over the face. There was a little bit of mystery because I was this new artist, so then we stuck with it for the rest of the EP. But, now that I'm working on a full album, I have to change it up. I don't know what's gonna be next.

Your lyrics sort of require this vulnerability and honesty, asking the characters in your stories and songs to look at the reality of their lives, or look deeper into themselves and their own decision making. How do these feelings of cognitive dissonance contribute to your songwriting? Especially when you release or perform a track? 

I've always appreciated when musicians open up and really sing about what's going on in their lives. Being specific is really, really cool. The example I always give is how Noah Kahan now has stadiums in different parts of the world, screaming, “I love Vermont” or “I grew up in New England." I think there's something really powerful to connect when you sing about exactly what's going on in your life. That's way more powerful than singing about broad things.

I remember when I was writing, I was trying as hard as I could to sing about what the past couple of years have been like for me, growing up where I did in the Midwest and situations that happened with my family. I've always thought that the audience is smarter than people like to give them credit for. If you think about things that are specifically going on in your life, I think that's way more of a universal thing than being broad. 

What do you hope listeners take from your music? 

I think at the end of the day, I just want people to feel like they're listening to honesty and feel like they have a connection to who I am as a person. I try to be very open and not really hide a lot of things. I hope they feel like they're getting the real me and that they can have a connection to the music, or try to experience a little bit of where I’m coming from. 

With your schedule, and becoming increasingly more busy, what do you do for yourself to decompress and step away from everything to catch your breath? 

And that's what I'm trying to do right now. I think just getting home and getting to sleep in your own bed for a couple of days. I have a lot of really great friends back here that are amazing, supportive, great people. It’s coming back and getting to be normal with them again, unlike being on tour. That’s the complete opposite of normal. Having those relationships just instantly makes me feel energized again. Even if it's just hanging out at someone's house or going to dinner and being around people that you can completely let your guard down with. That’s the thing that always feels normal for me, and coming back and hanging out with my dog.