Artist Information
After living what seems to be multiple lives over, Miko Marks has finally come into the life she was born to live. With a unique sound that deftly blends Americana, blues, southern rock, and even gospel, her powerful voice and warm, soulful spirit literally bring every audience to its feet. Her life as a Black woman in country and roots music is only a small part of the story.
Miko was born in Flint, Michigan, to a politically active single mother who raised her to fight for equal rights for all. As her mother spent nights working third shift at the automotive factory, Miko’s grandmother played a pivotal role in her upbringing. For Miko, the women in her life were of utmost importance; their hopes and dreams for her were cautiously optimistic yet pragmatic, given the barriers they had faced in their own lives.
Even with a show-stopping voice, it seemed singing was mostly just a hobby, not a career to pursue. She attended Grambling State University, studying Political Science with her sights set on law school. Those plans were paused after marriage and young motherhood. With some encouragement from her husband, she began to sing again and released two country albums - 2005’s Freeway Bound and It Feels Good in 2007. Though she received great critical praise and was a regular participant at CMAFest in Nashville, growth was stymied by industry gatekeepers.
After over a decade-long hiatus and no grand vision of success, Miko recorded a few songs with bandmates Justin Phipps and Steve Wyreman. That collection of songs became Our Country, which Phipps released on his small non-profit label, Redtone Records. Soon after, she released a covers EP called Race Records, which shone a light on the arbitrary divisions forced upon artists and audiences in the early days of music marketing in the 1940s.
In 2024, she released the deluxe version of her acclaimed 2022 record Feel Like Going Home, a project that captures where she’s been, where she’s going, and everything she’s learned in the in-between. Once unsaid, these stories now rise with clarity and purpose - songs rooted in healing and restoration.
