Mike Sabath has always felt like pop’s most interesting secret weapon — a songwriter-producer with credits for the big names (think Lizzo, Jonas Brothers, etc.) but a solo artist who clearly couldn’t care less about playing it safe. His two new tracks, “High” and “Do You Mind”, double down on his signature: messy joy, oddball confidence, and just the right amount of vulnerability hiding under the gloss.
On “High”, Sabath leans into fuzzy, psychedelic-tinged R&B, his voice slipping between falsetto coos and almost sloppy, drunken pleas. It feels like a 2 a.m. voicemail you don’t regret sending — soulful and sticky, but still somehow light. Then there’s “Do You Mind”, the kind of playful, off-kilter funk-pop jam that feels ripped out of the early Pharrell playbook but filtered through Sabath’s own self-aware awkwardness.
Neither song is trying to be perfect, and that’s exactly the point. Sabath thrives in the liminal space between radio-ready and just-weird-enough-to-matter — and with these two, he’s reminding us that pop music is at its most interesting when it’s personal, imperfect, and a little unhinged.
Sabath is behind some of pop’s buzziest records, including the RAYE album which broke the record for most BRITS won in a single night, Shawn Mendes latest record, JADE’s stand-out hit “Angel of My Dreams”+ has worked with all of the top artists – Sabrina Carpenter, Lizzo, Madison Beer, Benny Blanco, Jonas Brothers, Camilla Cabello, Meghan Trainor, the list goes on.
Hear all about it from Mike himself!
You literally “headlined” Bonnaroo out of an RV. That’s got to be the most punk-pop move we’ve seen in a minute. What possessed you to take your show on the road like this, guerrilla-style?
Hahaha that was insaaane. One of my favorite moments ever. The whole “driving around the country playing in public on top of my bus” thing came from a place of wanting to connect with real people in real life. It came from a place of wanting to put myself out there with no barriers between me and A REAL AUDIENCE and see what kind of magic would happen if I offered an open heart like that. And it’s honestly been the most magical experience of my life, probably THE most. I’ve found that people are much kinder and much more open and loving than the media makes us believe. And I drive the bus around as a bridge between myself and real life, reminding each other that we are all still humans behind the screens.
Let’s talk “High” and “Do You Mind” — they’re the first taste of ATTENTION MAXIMUM. What’s the energy you’re putting into the world with these two, and how do they set the tone for what’s coming?
I’m stoooked. This album has literally been over 5 years in the making so I am verrrry excited to finally birth this as my first fully solo album. With “High”, back to the RV side of things, I made that song with my best friends at the top of Yosemite under the stars inside of an RV I rented with some music gear that we put inside of it around the bed in the back. I was inspired to create in these powerful, natural places because I quite literally wanted to put more of that energy into the world through my music. So with “High”, I’m bringing you to the nature and bliss and vastness and pure energy of Yosemite. I think that’s healthy. “Do You Mind” was a last second addition to the album. I made this song about a year ago and with this one I’m just bringing a good time and some perspective on love and space within love.
You’ve crafted hits for everyone from RAYE to Shawn Mendes, but what does a Mike Sabath record sound like when you’re not writing for someone else? Who’s the artist you want to be?
As cliche as it sounds, I just want to be myself. I want to build the world that is inside of my heart so that I can live inside of it… the sounds that I hear, the environments that I see, the clothes that I feel the most myself in… and I want to invite everybody into this world because it’s one that I feel is meant for you to feel free in… free to just come as you are, because that’s the world I want to live in… one where I feel free and safe to just come as I am. So this album sounds free, and gigantic, and colorful, and ethereal… there’s enough space for the entirety of humanity to hang out in it.
The name ATTENTION MAXIMUM is such a loaded phrase — chaotic, urgent, maybe even a little bit meta. What’s behind that title? Are we addicted to being perceived, or is this just your way of saying “watch this”?
Ok funny story here. So, originally, the title came in 2020 when I was working on some songs from the album and I was tripping on mushrooms and I was looking at this lamp at my friends house, and I was awe struck by the way the lamp looked when I stared directly into the bulb so I took a photo of it which for a while was the album cover. And written on the inside of this lamp was ATTENTION MAXIMUM, referring to a caution to not touch the lamp when it’s hot. So, ATTENTION MAXIMUM was the title. But that was 5 years ago before I knew anything about the album or myself as an artist really. And as time has passed, the title has become super meaningful to me which is, pay maximum attention to yourself and the world around you. In other words, live life through awareness. That’s been my goal lately so that’s what the title means to me now. But I guess it can mean whatever you want because I made up the meaning for myself too.
Your pop-up tour feels like a love letter to spontaneity — no big stage, no wristbands, just sound and sweat and community. What’s surprised you most about these impromptu shows across the country?
Probably the way the law enforcement has engaged hahaha. They’ve overall been super supportive of our random pop ups and seeing the hang it creates and being like, this is good you can keep going and that’s been surprising and helpful lol. We get shut down sometimes but way less often that I had anticipated.
You’ve worked on some of the most polished pop on the planet. How do you balance the instinct for perfection with the messy beauty of just making music for the moment?
Trusting the artist. Creation and finishing are two very different steps to me. When creating, I do my best to leave my mind as far out of the way as possible because that’s the way I feel the most magic comes through. Making any art is magic so you have to just trust the nearly intangible process. And then when it’s time to finish, I kinda brush through the songs over and over until it feels finished to me which is also some sort of magic because I don’t even know how I know when a song is finished. It just feels like it is when it is and maybe that’s the “polished” feeling you’re referring to. But when I’m producing myself as the artist in this case, it is trippy and can be difficult. So I just do my best to not judge myself as songs are arriving and just let myself see what happens.
RAYE’s record-breaking night at the BRITs — you were part of that magic. What does it feel like to be behind-the-scenes on history, and how does it fuel your own solo journey?
That night was out of control. The second Raye and I met when we were tiny like 8 years ago, I knew how unbelievably incredible she was. I just feel so lucky and grateful that we seem to bring out the best in each other’s abilities and that’s just a gift for the both of us honestly. So cool. It fuels me on my solo journey just in the feeling of watching and being a part of something go from something I believed in to something that millions and millions of people believed in and feel inspired by. It was a tangible moment of, wow… growth is a real thing and it is possible to get to where you want to go. I’m inspired.
The RV feels like more than a vehicle — it’s giving Main Character Energy on wheels. What’s the most unexpected thing that’s happened during this cross-country chaos?
Hahahahaha damn you’re right. I guess I just believe in what I’m doing and it’s almost out of my control what’s happening right now. I’m just like, I have to share I have to share I have to share and for some reason the way I chose to was playing on top of a bus hahaha. The most unexpected thing… hmmmmm. Probably finding myself designing a DIY fireworks show in the middle of Missouri and lighting them and filming it on a farm that a guy we met in a gas station invited us to. That was absolutely out of control.
There’s something kind of subversive about playing polished pop in raw, unfiltered spaces. Do you think pop needs more dirt under its nails right now?
I just love rawness in general. I feel we live in a time when polished is the “norm” when the reality of being human is we are not polished. We are raw, we make mistakes, we look great some days and horrid others, we forget the words to a song sometimes hahaha. And I personally feel safer in a world where rawness and imperfection is applauded and welcomed and accepted and that’s the world I want to live in and invite people into.
You’ve built hits for the biggest names out there. Now that you’re stepping fully into your own spotlight — what do you hope people hear, feel, or carry with them after a Mike Sabath song or set?
I want them to feel like whatever they’re going through is ok and that they can do fucking anything.
