PREMIERE | Micah E. Wood, "Stay Right Here" ft. Josh Stokes

The upbeat energy and arts of Micah E. Wood; photographed by Christopher J. Chester.

Baltimore multidisciplinary artist Micah E. Wood has graced the world with everything from a vast array of visual media to a bevy of fun and infectious tracks made with local artists. Active on home turf with works and collaborations that also span the world over; Micah E. Wood announces the arrival of the self-titled album (available May 17), sharing the world premiere of the sensational, snazzy and dance floor ready emotional single, “Stay Right Here”, that features vocal contributions from Josh Stokes. The artist continues a musical mode of painting honest portraits of life events, like their ode to social anxiety and other various irritations with the modern human species on “Club Song”; here imploring an off-stage/long distance lover to share prolonged moments and interludes of intimate exchanges. “Stay” brings all the feelings of longing back to the ballroom floor beat that depicts pangs of vulnerability and the ineffable primal expressions of pure desire for a form of contact more real than the glow of our devices of so-called communication.

Recorded at Moose House Studios with co-production, engineered and mixing by Mateyo; "Stay Right Here" gets a further assist from vocalist Josh Stokes who brings a candid verse to the table and also provides back-up along with sister Bobbi Rush and family. Micah evokes the exhaustion of going through the motions of the day while contending with sleepless nights while someone special and significant stays at the forefront of the consciousness. The pains of arguments and conflicts are exhibited with an emotional gravity as Stokes and company elevates the mood of the chorus upwards with choir-like flair to the song's apex, adding to Wood's reiterated illustrations of immediacy; stay right here all night. The production glimmers with the aura of Shuggie Otis's "Strawberry Letter 23", as it takes a sincerely sentimental sonic detour into the 80s underground of independent débutante and dilettante dance icons. Micah E. Wood's "Stay Right Here" is a statement that seeks some sort of meaning and respite of pause in the fleeting temporal blur and flurry that governs the daily busy bustle of traffic on roads, commuter tram tracks and the bandwidth of our modern connection over digital messaging applications. “Stay” is a monument to the heartache that looks for something resembling the infinite within the finite parameters of our shared material and mortal plane of existence.

Micah E. Wood rocking spring styles; photographed by Amira Green.

Micah E. Wood delivered a preface to the self-titled along with some reflective thoughts on the making of “Stay Right Here”:

I am humbly excited to share with you the first single from my new self-titled album. It is the result of discovering how to love oneself through self-reflection and learning over the course of two years. The majority of my music has a focus on self-doubt, heartbreak and the fickleness of dating. This record is a perspective on change. A transformation in love, discovering myself, building a family, dealing with sudden loss, and most importantly security & trust which are the album's notable themes.

The lead single “Stay Right Here” is a song about long distance love and the struggles & insecurities that can come with that. We live in an era where communicating is no longer hindered by distance. Relationships continue to flourish thanks to the internet: social media, texting, and FaceTime. We have many ways to stay connected, though nothing can compare to being in one another's presence.

“Stay Right Here” [features] Josh Stokes. I met him years ago when he was DJing for a local, amazing rapper Eze Jackson. We played a show together, and at that time, I didn’t realize he was the brother of local singer Bobbi Rush who I was already making music with! We both loved what we heard when we heard each other’s [music], so I asked him years later to be on this song. My favorite part is the stayyy choir in the chorus is actually him, his kids and his sister Bobbi singing together.

Strutting, posing and strolling with Micah E. Wood; photographed by Amira Green.

Micah E. Wood’s self-titled hits the scene May 17, hear more from the artist via Spotify.

Cover art for Micah E. Wood’s self-titled album; courtesy of the artist(s).