Star Spotlight: Mishon

• PRINT
• EMAIL

He may be only 15 years old, but L.A. native Mishon has already made a name for himself as a hip-hop-flavor R&B singer, songwriter and actor as "Tay" on the ABC Family hit show Lincoln Heights. He's been singing as far back as he can remember, but he stepped up to the mic when he was 10 years old and soon released several indie CDs. At 12 years old, he landed the Lincoln Heights gig and took a break from the recording studio . . . until last year. Back he went into the studio, and the result is a brand new, upcoming CD, The Year Book, due to be released early 2009. Check out our one-on-one with the talented Mishon!

Scholastic News Online: As a child did you know that you wanted to perform?
Mishon: No, not at all! It was just spontaneous. It was crazy.  

SNO: And when you first went into the recording studio, how did you see your future?
Mishon: My future? In my mind I was hoping to be just a super-megastar by the time it was the next year. But now I realize that it takes time, it takes a long time, a lot of hard work you have to put in to really get what you need in this industry. Yeah, that's what I pictured in my mind.

SNO: Do you have an all-time-favorite song?
Mishon: I'd have to say "Thriller" by Michael Jackson is my all-time-favorite song.

SNO: Who influenced you besides Michael?
Mishon: Definitely Usher. He's been one of my greatest influences. But other than that, just music itself. Different vibes that people have.  Just seeing everything, going with everything.  

SNO: Do you write songs?
Mishon: Yes.

SNO: Are there any on this album?
Mishon:  There might be a couple on there that I've cowritten.  

SNO: And when did you start writing?
Mishon:  I just started writing when I was 12 but I didn't really get into it until recently—when I was 14.

SNO: Is it hard to write a song?
Mishon: To write a song, you have to feel the emotion. For me it takes time, because I have to feel the emotion, I have to think of the right words to put on that song for it to be a good song.

SNO: Do you keep a pad with you or just use your phone for inspiration?
Mishon: My phone.  

SNO: Who would you like to perform with?
Mishon: I think I would definitely want to open for Kanye West.  

SNO: Have you ever seen him perform in person?
Mishon: No, I've never seen him perform in person, but one time I was at the studio and I got to meet him. We were walking by each other in the hallway. I was just coming from the bathroom—and he was like, "Oh how you doing man?" And we shook hands and everything. It was cool.

SNO: What's the coolest concert that you've ever been to?
Mishon: It's probably the Usher concert. Confessions tour. It was really huge.

SNO: Tell us something that your fans would like to know about you?
Mishon: Something my fans would like to know about me . . . .Well, I like science. I'm a mad scientist in biology!  [laughs]

SNO: Do you like to do experiments?
Mishon: Yeah, I like to do experiments at home a lot.  

SNO: Any specific kind of science?
Mishon: Just everything. Forces, chemistry, any kind of science.  Biology.  

SNO: Who are you listening to now?
Mishon: I like Usher's album. Chris Brown's Exclusive. What else am I listening to? Tank—his album. I listen to a lot of pop, R & B.

SNO: How have your friends reacted to your acting and singing careers?
Mishon: I still talk to some of my friends that I went to school with. Yeah, I've made new friends and everything so.

SNO: Did you find any kids who were sort of jealous?
Mishon: Yeah, there were definitely kids at my school who were jealous and would start rumors, all the drama and all that type of thing.

SNO: How did you handle that?
Mishon: I pretty much didn't deal with it. If people are acting stupid then that's their fault. They don't understand the big picture.

SNO: What are we going to expect from Lincoln Heights this coming year?
Mishon: My character Tay—he's getting more involved in music so I was happy to tie that into the show with my own personal character.  He's starting to write songs and create music and things. It was a lot of fun.  

SNO: Last question . . . a silly one! If you could make a kind of ice cream, what would be in it, and what would you call it?
Mishon: My ice cream would be vanilla, oreo cookies, chocolate chips, and lightning. It'd be called Chocolate Chip Oreo Lightning.


STAR FACTS

STAR CALENDAR
November 22, 2008
Mishon will perform at halftime for the Los Angeles Clippers basketball game at the Staple Center in L.A.

February 2009
Mishon's new CD, The Year Book, will be released

For more info on Mishon, visit his Web site

STAR STATS
Name: Mishon Tarique Ratliff
Nickname: MyMy
Birth Date: February 3, 1993
Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
Siblings: Brothers Mikey and Marcus, and sister Jada
Pets: 2 dogs—Dixie and Precious

STAR FAVES
Fave Sport: Basketball
Fave TV Show: Lincoln Heights; How It's Made
Fave Movie: The Dark Knight
Fave Actor: Johnny Depp
Fave Fast Food: Taco Bell
Fave Midnight Snack: PB&J
Fave Car: Range Rover

Kung Fu Panda-monium!
Scholastic News Online traveled to the Valley of Peace and had an exclusive one-on-one sit-down with the hero of the day, Po, the absolute star of Kung Fu Panda.

POP-Corn: Ashley Tisdale: Picture This!
Tasty tidbits on your celebrity faves!