Nevan Doyle, aka Mishko, is an artist in many senses of the word. Not only does the LA-based creative make textural, experimental pop music, he also has a passion for design. One glance at Miskho’s Instagram feed reveals his multimedia approach: known for vibrant, trippy, often text-based graphics, Mishko has garnered significant attention both for his music and his visual work. His Spotify artist bio reads, simply: “best known from how to train your dragon 2 and food network.” It’s surprising at first, on a musician’s page — but indeed, Mishko’s design clients include Disney, HBO, Calvin Klein, Apple Music, The Atlantic, Adobe, and more.
Mishko has been creating as long as he can remember, but music was his first love. Growing up, his mother took him to music festivals, and in high school he began playing guitar. Mishko’s interest in graphic design started with creating posters for his high school band, and quickly grew into the foundations of a career. Lately, though, he’s shifted his focus to music. With a debut EP on the way, Mishko is inspired by R&B, jazz, and electric rock. Mishko’s music informs his visual work, and vice-versa. “When I listen to a song, it's like I see a scene from a movie that hasn't been created... A landscape or some sort of imagery,” he said in one Vice interview. “I like to tap into the surreal side and go to wherever the music takes my mind.”
For his Algorhythm, Mishko recognizes the 2005 chart-topper that changed his musical perspective:
“My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas changed my life forever. I was in third grade sitting on the school bus when one of my peers pulled out her CD player and showed me the most fire of beats and arguably still the best lyrics ever written. Growing up with older hippy parents in a small logging town in Oregon, my exposure to hip hop was basically non-existent. It's silly, but this song really threw me into a whole other world of music that I'd yet to experience. I think I would've eventually found myself obsessed with rap regardless, but it's important to show appreciation for that iconic hit. Will.i.am's beats hold up more than ever. And really — where would the world be without Fergie answering what she was gonna do with all that junk in her trunk? Truly a powerful moment in music.
Mishko’s latest single, Changing, was written and filmed during Black Lives Matter protests in LA. Give it a listen, and check out our full Algorhythms playlist here.
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