Miko Marks Information

Miko Marks album Our Country (via Redtone Records) started with a dream - an actual, literal dream. A songwriter by trade, Marks own project has largely taken a backseat over the past decade, as early success and heartbreak in her career made her somewhat disillusioned with the music industry at large. A prolific songwriter, originally from Flint, Michigan and now residing in Oakland, California, Marks stands as a powerful embodiment of the underrepresented voices of Black women in country music specifically and a strong reminder of where the music is rooted. The morning after she awoke from a dream in which she recorded an album with co-producers Steve Wyreman (Jay-Z, John Legend, Rihanna, Leon Bridges) and Justin Phipps (Founder of Redtone Records), a vision of what she was meant to do snapped into focus. In the following months, the trio took a look at what was happening in the country they all loved and penned songs reflecting hard truths and the expansive emotions they were all feeling. Wyreman and Phipps also offered their musical talents with their band The Resurrectors (the Redtone Records house band) becoming Marks backing band for the album. The resulting work is a genre-fluid tapestry of songs woven together by Marks distinctive vocals. Rooted in sounds from country, blues, soul, and roots music, Our Country refuses to be put squarely into one box. While Miko Marks' is no newcomer, Our Country is her first album in 12 years so her name may be fresh to the uninformed. In 2003, Marks made her way to Music City - Nashville, TN playing CMA Fest year after year and fully immersing herself in the country music community. While Marks received well-deserved accolades - "Nashville's Hottest New Country Star" by People Magazine and "Best New Country Artist" by New Music Weekly - her efforts to be fully embraced by the industry in returned proved to be elusive. While her crowd of supporters grew year after year, so did efforts from the industry to diminish her success. "In trying to pursue the gates of ...