Q&A: Joey Miceli Releases New Album ‘The Standard Portrait’
☆ BY Kristian Gonzales ☆
Photo by Ryan Harris
A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WE AT THE LUNA COLLECTIVE — introduced you to Joey Miceli with the release of his single “Worry.” Sure to grip at our hidden uncertainties, the track is a vivid glimpse into another rising gem of an artist waiting to share his story. Now, Miceli has his game face on with the release of his new LP, The Standard Portrait, today, out via Dime + Dog Records.
Representing the dualities of life with his tales of dejection and emotional liberation, Miceli explains that he wants his resilience to echo through the ears of his listeners. With five albums under his belt, he’s ready to continue his narrative to the next chapter. Keeping one foot in the past and the other in the future, Miceli links up with frequent collaborator Santino Cardinale, whom he rides with as the house/disco duo SVINT. Meanwhile, Miceli has got new tricks in his bag coming off sessions with Grammy award-winning songwriters Antea Joy Birchett and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins.
Take a deeper dive into the mind of Joey Miceli as he digs into the creative process behind The Standard Portrait, collaborations, and the ever-evolving nuances of his craft below.
LUNA: It’s nice to catch up with you! How anxious do you feel about unveiling The Standard Portrait to the public?
MICELI: Thank you for your curiosity and time. I’m incredibly anxious, but in the best ways. The album has been done for a while now so I’m eager for people to hear it. This was my first time telling a story through a record, so I guess that’s the part that makes me a bit nervous. And I get to sing the entire record live soon too, which I’ve been looking forward to for a long time now.
LUNA: What was your original inspiration when you started to work on this project?
MICELI: I have always embraced art that made me uncomfortable. Once I started reading about art history and the depiction of gender in art, I was really struck with writing about my life through that lens. What does it look like when a man has lost respect and love for himself? Where does he place that sadness? How can I identify that version of myself and learn something from him? My greatest intention was gaining self awareness through vulnerability and ownership.
LUNA: Having five albums already under your catalog, did you already know where you wanted to go musically, or did it take some time to think of your next stage of reinvention?
MICELI: I kind of always have an idea of what’s next. I guess it’s a bit of a blessing and a curse. There is so much I want to do in my career and so much I want to say. I mean, I have my next two or three records lined up. If something changes, then I follow my intuition, but I always want to be inspired and feel like I’m being led by the things that come to me. I’m really grateful I grew up surrounded by many genres and art forms. I think it was immensely formative for me and the way I write. I’m always fearful I’ll never be able to top myself or challenge myself, but as long as I’m making things that I think are my best, I’m happy.
LUNA: With this continuing your collaborations with Santino Cardinale, how important has he been in the growth of your sound and identity?
MICELI: He’s changed my life in a lot of ways. Not only has he creatively motivated me, but he’s my family. I think we really challenge and learn from one another. I have a very chaotic mind so sometimes I can really overwhelm my collaborators, but I hope it’s in a silly manner and not an annoying one. We all continue to grow together and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
LUNA: Did your work with Antea Joy Birchett and Rodney Jerkins add any new elements to your chemistry with Cardinale and your own approach to recording new music?
MICELI: Antea is such a force. I learned so much from her in our time together. She’s a brilliant songwriter and such a kind, giving soul. I worked with her at a younger age, but I will always admire her. I hope we can work together again sometime soon. Her knowledge of the voice and of music is killer. I never got to actually work with Rodney — I cut a demo of his, but … he’s a legend, and for good reason. I grew up studying his production and all the work he’s done. He definitely influenced the new record and will always influence my sound.
LUNA: One thing that strikes me about The Standard Portrait is how mellow and dreamy the production feels as you’re singing about your anxieties and feelings of yearning. How does this contrast allow you to feel more comfortable with putting so much of yourself into your work?
MICELI: It almost romanticizes my anxiety, which was kind of necessary for me to process it all. I shamed myself for a long time for feeling the way I did. When many people in your life decide you’re not being the person they always expect you to be or even making choices that are right by them, you should always look inward and evaluate. I think it’s necessary to be selfless and attentive. Where it was questionable was that no one was willing to understand me. This album really gave me the opportunity to process and distinguish what my strengths and weaknesses are as a friend, paramour, son, brother, and everything that makes me the way I am. I had to find the truth of my pain through the process of writing. I couldn’t allow myself to speak from a place of regret. That’s why the last lyric of the record is “I will always look at pictures of us and remember how lucky I felt to be your love.”
LUNA: With how bittersweet “Pity Party” and “Worry” feel as the first teasers, do these singles indicate a rollercoaster ride of moods throughout the project?
MICELI: Most definitely. There are really high highs and very low lows. I view the record in two parts: the free fall and the crash. “Pity Party” details a frustration with lost love, which I think we beautifully portrayed in the video for it. Whereas “Worry” is all about the infatuation of new love. The switch in the album is a song called “Pretty,” which details how a change of heart can shift who you become. It’s one of my favorite songs Tino and I have made. It completely encapsulates how that night felt for me. From then on in the album, you travel through what that grief felt like and how I clawed my way out of it. Sometimes when you don’t get closure from a sudden end of any type of relationship — you have to find it in yourself. Luckily, I had the writing of this album to find that closure and understand myself better than ever.
LUNA: Outside of the first two singles, which tracks took the most effort — musically and emotionally to create on The Standard Portrait?
MICELI: “Pictures of Us” and “Pretty” were immensely cathartic. Any time I sing those songs, I feel great pain and great relief. I’m proud of myself for really being able to pinpoint exactly where I was in my healing process without being angry. A lot of my humanity and the way I process grief is in this record, so it’s quite scary to show anyone who listens that part of myself. It gets really dark sometimes, you know? And I only ever want to offer constructive principles to the mental health conversation. The beautiful thing about my work with Tino is that songs happen very naturally. If we got an idea, we’re getting it done. “Pity Party,” I believe, was written in about 20 to 30 minutes, and then we cut vocals straight away. Usually that’s our process and how we know something is special.
LUNA: Seeing how open you are in your artistry, how do you hope this album will resonate with your fans?
MICELI: I’d like for people to feel warmth. It’s something I needed desperately while I was writing. What’s interesting is that the record is quite active. A lot of it is spent dancing and moving. It was definitely a purposeful decision, but the juxtaposition is that as the album becomes more active, it becomes more descriptive and desperate. It’s just a reminder that sometimes people aren’t meant for forever. That can be an insanely hard thing to comprehend, but if any beautiful lesson or memory came from or with that person, try to cherish it.
LUNA: Once the album drops, what’s the next big mountain to climb as an artist for 2023?
MICELI: Right now, I’m still very focused on being mindful. I’m eager to learn more about art and perception. Working on more music and allowing myself to experience things without insecurity or doubt. I’m really looking forward to touring and festival opportunities. We put out merch for the new album, which supports an organization I love, Hope for the Day. That will be during the month of March, and in the following months I’ll be dedicating merch drops to a couple other organizations. Ultimately, I just want to keep going. I’m so eager to show people what I’ve got. I’ve been doing this for so long and finally, I feel I’m ready for and deserving of the next steps.
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