Meet Mikayla Khramov | Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mikayla Khramov and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mikayla, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
This Hello Roses project has been a breath of fresh air for me. I work full time and gig every weekend, so the thought of recording, releasing, and promoting a new musical project felt overwhelming at first. Now, I am grateful I took that first step at following my gut feeling, and my gut was telling me to just put it out there.

Hello Roses is my Americana-country-rock project, and it’s bringing me back to my own roots. I recorded our debut EP in 2020 with my good pal Travis Daggett, and we finally released it this year, almost exactly 3 years after we got in the studio. At the time we recorded, it was the start of COVID, and it felt like all time was stopping, when in reality, the years were flying by in the blink of an eye.

I wonder why I waited so long to release my new music, but that’s where the idea of balance comes in. In general, I wasn’t balanced in my own life at the time I was working on Hello Roses, but now, I feel I am. And it’s been a great load of fun to get back to playing in the country scene in LA and writing songs that make me feel good.

Between a 10-hour-day job and playing at night, it’s been challenging to find any real personal time, but the energy I get from pursing my passions is all the energy I need.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started playing music when I was around 10 years old. I took my first drum lessons from DJ Bonebrake from the band X. At the same time, my dad, a professional musician, wanted me to learn to read and write. So he gave me his bass trombone to play in my middle-school band.

When I started writing music, I was deeply inspired by my idols; Tom Petty, Chrissie Hynde, and Nick Lowe, to name a few. A lot of my song structure came from them, and experimenting with chords and key changes. My earliest songs were more centered around roots, rockabilly, and classic rock.

Around 2019, I decided I wanted to dedicate one of my many projects to my roots and country music. So I started Hello Roses. The name comes from a certain kind of rose that serves as a greeting symbol, specifically at cemeteries. At Rose Hills Cemetery, where my family is buried, my mom and I used to pick out Hello Roses to give to our loved ones. They were a kind of orange and yellow mixed rose, and I always remembered them throughout the years. Cemetery visits were always fun for us somehow. There was a great flower shop, and in the shop was a little cafe, and the woman who ran the cafe made the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the world. My mom would recreate it for our school lunches. I’ll make it for myself to this day, but it doesn’t quite taste the same as the cemetery woman’s sandwich. She had a magic sandwich-making power. She has since passed away.

So I named the band Hello Roses. And after recording our debut EP, I have been focused on getting radio play and gigging around town. The biggest lesson I’ve learned on my journey through music is patience. I’ve been in a lot of different bands, playing anything from drums to bass to guitar to harp. I’ve had the opportunity to play with some amazing musicians and travel to some amazing places. But when I was younger, I felt needy, like I needed to get to a certain point as soon as possible. In a way, I am grateful I was like that, because it drove my ambition and helped me accomplish some big goals. But the stress was overwhelming. Now, I feel like the right things will come at the right time. And I guess that’s what growing up is all about.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some of my favorite places in LA are the classics. I love the Original Farmers Market on 3rd, I love Canter’s Deli, I love El Compadre, Miceli’s, Musso’s, The Smokehouse. So many more. Somewhere I can get a dirty martini and they give me a little extra on the side. That’s what a classic LA night IS me.

In the day, I would love to take a friend to The Last Bookstore. It’s such a good excuse to read a book.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shoutout to Travis Daggett who recorded my Hello Roses EP. He is a great collaborator and producer. It was a lot of fun developing and arranging the songs with him. Travis is one of the most talented people I know. He can play guitar like he was born holding one.

He is getting married this year to his amazing fiance, Kelly, and the two of them have been great friends for a long time and great supporters of my music as well.

Website: theone-music.com

Instagram: @hellorosesband

Twitter: @hellorosesband

Facebook: @hellorosesband

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVn_5gpxfUM&list=OLAK5uy_njMGOf6Pht9nnqQiDBytzrIHURm5rp__4

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7u7byUXVNI6c51bXtfO1Oz?si=DGlYuY1dR-GzF08Xk_fPGw

Image Credits
Hello Roses Album Photos on Film: Nick James Hello Roses EP Release Photos: Mary-Alex @citrusfruitsnaps