23-year-old Filipino-Canadian artist MICO creates emotionally charged alt pop rock that blends the hook-heavy nostalgia of 2000s/2010s pop punk with modern hyperpop and alternative influences. Born and raised in Toronto, MICO (real name Miguel Veloso) first built a devoted audience online through Discord performances, TikTok, and self-released music before evolving into a rapidly rising global act. Following a series of breakout releases and sold-out headline tours across North America and Europe, MICO now steps into his boldest era yet with his debut album When the lights turn on via Columbia Records.
Written during a whirlwind year of constant travel, personal upheaval, and rapid growth, When the lights turn on captures the emotional chaos of growing up in real time, exploring identity, nostalgia, heartbreak, online perception versus reality, and the strange experience of outgrowing the places and people that once felt like home. Balancing hyperpop chaos, soaring pop hooks, and explosive alternative energy, the album showcases MICO’s most personal and ambitious songwriting to date, cementing him as one of alternative pop’s most exciting new voices.
