In an era where everyone seemingly wants to blow up overnight, MICO (b. December 6, 2002) is proof that nothing beats great music and consistency. In the span of a year, the Filipino-Canadian artist has gone from performing his first show in his hometown of Toronto to independently releasing radio hits such as “cut my hair,” amassing over 45 million global streams across platforms, and embarking on his first North American headline tour.

For MICO, the internet isn’t something to be overthought—it’s like his second home. In 2019, he assembled a team of collaborators through friendships he made on SoundCloud and Discord, all while building a dedicated fanbase off of self-written honest indie-pop, acoustic covers, and intimate performances on social media. For two years, they co-produced MICO’s entire discography remotely before he finally flew out from Toronto to Maryland and met them in person. Together, they’ve crafted a sound that blends modern production with heavy 2000s nostalgia, paving a path for newer generations entering the pop-rock space.

Fresh off the release of his third project, the tears we fight, it’s hard to see a possible ending for the rising artist’s legacy in the making.