mikO Tolliver

As a live act, her shows are a fairie land realized; a stage covered in roses, an altar set with her crystal ball and spell book, a background of smoke and lights and masked musicians all led by a female electrified singer-songwriter guitarist in chiffon, fishnets, and cincher corset.In the studio she is a one-man band, playing all the instrumentation on her Avant Indie Jazz debut release "Heart is Money," which was recorded in the London Lab at OM H Studios by DJ Daris, sound engineer to international rap star Bohemia. Blending Indie Rock music and synthesized jazz, her sound serves to explore the realm of progressive and avant garde while still maintaining its high trance; one part witchcraft mixed with one part soul. Presented with a "straight, no chaser" guitar riff approach of a bohemian style jam thief, mikO Tolliver is the bewitching musical tone of love piracy combining alter egos, pagan anti-heroes and lyrical prose. Culturally creative and intellectual at heart; she is an overcast breath of the independent art scene.

Originally a California native, she was encouraged by her grandmother to start her performance career around the age of four in baby pageants and church poetry recitals and choir, later developed in elementary school for citywide poetry and monologue competitions. In high school she took an internship with an A&R company as a CD reviewer in exchange for free music, sparking her love for independent and underground artists the likes of Jeff Buckley, Skunk Anansie and Cibo Matto. A sweet sixteen birthday present from her dad led her to picking up the guitar at age 16. In college she decided to pursue music seriously, paying for lessons herself and playing various campus shows, eventually branching out into the surrounding music scene and building a small cult following for her eccentric stage performances and pining love songs.
With her Rickenbacker 620 in hand, her guitar playing relies on improvisation and is an homage to jazz piano voice-leading. Blending 90s alternative, jazz, ska, trip hop, new wave and other classic rock and soul influences, she often refers to herself as the "girl love songs Mars Volta." Her avant garde approach is influenced by singers like Bjork and various 80s artists like Grace Jones and George Michael.A lover of songwriting, she tries to combine storytelling with intellectual prose like 90s artists Pearl Jam and Fiona Apple while maintaining the fun girl approach of pop acts like the Spice Girls and an Indie feel similar to The White Stripes and The Strokes.