Take Note is a spotlight series that features music artists that are arguably not mainstream enough and deserve your attention.
Who: Malcolm Kelley and Tony Oller
Source: thesouthern.com
The two artists met on the set of a 2010 Nickelodeon TV series called Gigantic. They played best friends on the show and quickly became best friends in real life.
Source: Metro Lyrics.com
The name MKTO is a combination of their initials, but also stands for "Misfit Kids and Total Outcasts," representative of who they were in high school and who they want their music to represent. This theme is most evident in their first single released in 2013, "Thank You."
Their dynamic is simple: Oller sings and Kelley raps. It is a formula that worked wonders for them on their second single, "Classic," which peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A full self-titled album followed and the duo recently released an EP entitled Bad Girls and a double A-side premiered exclusively on Billboard earlier this month, "Hands Off My Heart/Places You Go."
Why should we become earbuds?
I'm certain everyone has heard and loves "Classic," but MKTO are so much more than the toe-tapping single. Their album boasts a variety of styles, from rock anthem to heartfelt ballad.
"Thank You" and "American Dream" are lowkey woke, empowering those who dare to be losers and questioning today's culture of fame.
Kelley and Oller each get their one song on the album, Kelley's a quirky rap song about a one-sided relationship and Oller's a piano ballad about alcoholism and its effect on his ability to love. Ne-Yo lends a verse to "Could Be Me," a super fun song essentially about guys in the friend zone.
The album (and their new EP!) does not have one false note. You'll be listening on repeat.
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