[HA for DROKU] Get to Know Mike Isberto

“I really want to rap these days,” Mike Isberto jokes. Under the rapper name Michael Ray. The singer-songwriter might not be rapping any time soon, but Isberto and his band have been working on multiple EPs since the summertime, including “Fly” released this past October.

“This is my true passion,” says the Loma Linda-raised Isberto, now based in Fullerton, California.

Of course, Isberto’s passion for music was cultivated from a young age. He began singing at the age of six.  Two years later he took up piano, then saxophone at the age of ten, which eventually led to guitar-playing and song-writing. Isberto even joined an a capella group at church to improve his vocal craft; when they split, Isberto decided to turn his focus to composing.

His hard work has not gone unnoticed. In 2009, Isberto participated in Kollaboration Acoustic 3, tying for first place with artist Alfa Garcia with whom he performed as a duo at the more recent Kollaboration 10. Isberto has also been mentioned by Live OC Magazine as a “fresh new talent”

“I didn’t know it was a competition,” says Isberto, who says he decided to participate because he wanted to perform at the Ford Amphitheatre.  Unbeknownst to him, the year he participated, no auditions were held. Instead, the artists were personally invited to perform and compete.

Over the last three years, Isberto has been pursuing music full-time in Orange County, playing shows three to four times a week at restaurants and hotels. And when he’s not performing or winning competitions, Isberto spends his time “ghost writing” songs for other singers.

“I’m a song-writer first, so it was my outlet to get my songs out there,” he says. But ultimately, Isberto’s main focus is his own laid-back acoustic style, which might make you feel that you’re lounging comfortably in a warm coffee shop, steaming cup of joe and a good book in hand.

And he’s got a lot more music in store for his loyal fan following. Normally, an artist will complete an EP in about 10 days; Isberto and his band intend to fully produce six songs every week, recording at a friend’s home studio or at the Los Angeles Recording studio, using all the resources available to them.

And unlike his first EP, “Love is All,” Isberto’s upcoming EPs won’t be acoustic. The intrepid crooner is working to hard to expand his creative repertoire, moving away from the slow heartfelt tearjerkers to a more upbeat pop sound. In the studio or on stage, we expect Mike Isberto’s soul-infused career is on its way up.

Interviewed by: Marina Kamel and Michelle Nikaji