MkX Makes Pop Nostalgia Feel Alive Again in “UP”
It takes only a few seconds for “UP,” the new single from artist MkX, to bring back memories of early 2000s Britney Spears, angelic face, braided hair, and schoolgirl uniform. Packed with synths, layered and distorted vocals, and a magnetic tone of voice, the track explores a deep, almost obsessive love while blending the essence of pop’s golden era with meticulous production built to be enjoyed and danced to.
Behind that dazzling, infectious aesthetic is a creator obsessed with detail. MkX produces, designs visuals, crafts costumes, and builds an entire universe with every release. Surrounded by tapes, CDs, and recorders as a child, he gravitated toward music and technology even though his parents worked in the toy industry. By the age of three, he was already recording vocals, and before he even learned guitar, he was experimenting with visual effects.
After a decade of touring, he graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music and set out to craft his own artistic identity. His inspirations range from icons like Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, and Tinashe to groundbreaking producers like Max Martin, SOPHIE, The Neptunes, and RedOne. The result is an explosive blend of pop, electronic music, and nostalgic nods that somehow always sound futuristic.
As a live performer, MkX has become one of the most sought-after acts on Pride festival lineups. Over the past year, he’s lit up stages in Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Charlotte, and Oakland, culminating in a massive show at World Pride in Washington, DC, where he opened for Doechii in front of 30,000 people.
All of this journey leads to “UP,” a single that perfectly captures MkX’s obsession with bottling the essence of Y2K pop and reimagining it for 2025. Produced by MkX himself and co-written with Myah Marie and Brandon Colbein, the track draws inspiration from Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and Janet Jackson’s “Doesn’t Really Matter,” which also inspired the robotic dog featured on the single’s cover art.
“UP” is both then and now, the culmination of meticulous detail and uncontainable creativity. It’s pop nostalgia reborn for today, thanks to an artist whose craft thrives on memory, precision, and a discipline as unshakable as his talent.