R&B singer Sebastian Mikael shares thoughts on his latest EP, soul music, and the importance of authenticity. (Photo: Tabbytha Ferguson)

Conformity is the last thing on Sebastian Mikael’s mind.

With just over 10 years under his belt as an artist, the singer is all too familiar with the ramifications of conformity, the stifling of creative freedom, and the placement of a label’s expectations at the forefront. However, he has no desire to return to that place.

Nowadays, the Sweden-born, Boston-raised, and Brooklyn-based artist stays true to himself and to God’s process. On April 12, he released Paradigm Shift, an EP that combines his soulful sound with a jazzy cadence.

Comprised of three songs – “NEXT CHAPTER,” “YESTERDAY (ft. Theophonixx), and “NOTHING COMPARES (ft. Emmavie & Theophonixx) – Paradigm Shift embodies the nuances of forward-thinking, love, and growth. To shift a paradigm is to cultivate a major change within a widely accepted way of thinking, and it is through his music that Sebastian Mikael has shifted our understanding of all that modern-day R&B and Soul music can be. 

With hopes to release a full-length album and eventually tour overseas this year, Paradigm Shift serves dually as a taste of what’s to come and as a culmination of all that he has worked toward since finding himself as an artist. 

“The artist I am today is authentic to who I am as a person, and the music is a true and honest expression of that,” he told The Rhyme Suite. “I just strive to be the most authentic version of myself and hope to share that with the world.”

Mikael’s journey has been marked by a number of ups and downs. Though his 2013 debut led to collaborations with artists like Wale, Rick Ross, and Teyana Taylor, he didn’t have the creative freedom to develop the sound that he was truly searching for, which led to a four-year hiatus. 

But he has since found his sound– a funky, soul fusion that contains influences from the greats that he grew up on like Ms. Lauryn Hill, Marvin Gaye, and D’Angelo, while still remaining unique to him and his creative process.

“I create a safe space for myself where I can be as transparent and free as I want to,” he said. 

Paradigm Shift serves as a follow-up to PHILEO, a six-track EP that came out in 2022 and spawned his first headlining tour as an independent artist. It also resulted in his first-ever A COLORS SHOW appearance. Performing “Scene 1” amidst a blue background, the track contains traces of that classic Neo-Soul, Soulquarian-esque sound but with a futuristic twist. For Mikael, “soul is the main ingredient,” and his sound is often rooted in the sincerity of his raw expression.

“To me, [soul] is a raw expression that usually stems from one’s struggle or pain,” he said. “It’s the feeling behind the words and melodies, and the passion that comes out when you’re being true to it.”

Describing this current phase of his life as “transitional,” Mikael is ever-inspired by God’s creations and by the wisdom he has gained from his life experiences– namely, the idea that we are all called to be ourselves.

“My biggest lesson has been to trust God’s process and not conform to or be influenced by what’s trendy at the moment musically, but following my heart– staying true to me,” he said. 

With dreams to collaborate with musicians like Roy Ayers and Lonny Liston Smith, Mikael has much to be proud of. He owns his masters, he continues to work with amazing talent, and he is backed by a more-than-dedicated team.

“I’m very grateful to have a team around me that believes in me,” he said.

By the end of the decade, the singer hopes to tour more regularly, put out more music, start a family, and even dabble in production/ vocal production for other artists. His dedication to his craft is raw, authentic, and sincere. It is no surprise that he names sincerity as a favorite trait that he possesses.

As he states in “God is Love (Outro)” –which is one of his favorite songs that he has ever worked on– “When everything else is gone, the only question that remains is how we love,” and his music serves as a grand declaration of love to the creatives, the soul lovers, and anyone else seeking control of their destiny. 

You can catch him performing his latest project Paradigm Shift live on April 23 at NUBLU, which is located in NYC’s East Village.