Just about everyone has dreams of what they would like their life to be, but not everyone has the courage, strength, and determination to go after those dreams. For some the possibility of disappointment and heartbreak is too much to risk towards going after their visions and they instead settle for a life less ordinary, perhaps wondering in the back of their head what could have been.

In speaking with Atlanta, Georgia native Mika Means, it is evident by her energy and exuberance that she is both focused and motivated to continue pushing her career as an artist, songwriter, and dancer to the highest level achievable. Means recently made waves in the industry with her hit single, ‘Spend Ya Money’, and is currently a member of the emerging new group, The Girls Club, along with close friends D Woods and Shanell.

While Means may just now be hitting the spotlight in the brightest way possible, her path was one that was always connected to performing and her progression has seen her collaborate with the likes of Lil’ Wayne, Usher, Jay-Z, Kelis, Lloyd, and Mya, just to name a few. Having just recently signed a multi-layered, multi-million dollar deal with Universal/Motown, Means is ready to take the next step as one of the game’s premier female voices and the conviction and passion in her voice is a testament to such aspirations.

Means recently spoke out about her life story in an exclusive interview with 24 Hour Hip Hop. From her early days at the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta to her present day situation, Means’ story is one that is based upon the realization of her hopes and dreams. In her own words, these are the aspirations of Mika Means…

Starting out at the Youth Ensemble…
“I got my start in Atlanta, Georgia at the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta. I started out performing with D Woods and others and we instantly clicked. I did that from the age of 12 until college. From there I pursued film and got my degree in film production up in New York. I really liked it but I eventually came back to Atlanta to focus on my music. I had a group at the time that I was working with and I started producing and writing so that we could get a demo, but unfortunately we broke up.”

The Right Place at the Right Time…
“From there I started working closely with Shanell, who is the third member of The Girls Club. She was heavily into writing for other artists and big producers. After a while I wanted to start recording my own stuff and we linked up with this producer by the name of Catalyst. He was my main producer and I worked with him for a year and a half. We developed my sound and the one song that I ended up getting signed on, which was my single. It’s called ‘Spend Ya Money’. It’s the new song that females can relate to. I was just working and ended up being in the right place at the right time. I was meeting different people and I was fortunate to meet Ray Daniels, who was my A & R at Universal/Motown. I met him and he was just blown away by my music. He ended up introducing me to Sylvia Rhone and it was the most important and shortest meeting of my life. We were in there for like 15 minutes and we did nothing but talk during that time and she heard ‘Spend Ya Money’ and she decided to pursue it. I was shocked and joked that ‘You mean I actually get to pay my bills, now?’ I had gotten fired from my job and hadn’t had any money for like six months and I was going through some hard times. I was literally borrowing money to get laundry detergent. I was that broke but thankfully I was able to get blessed with a great opportunity.”

Motivated to Get Up…
“My driving force is vision and my passion. I just love making music and love performing. I love creating anything, even if it is just coloring in the color book. If I can’t create I feel like I am dead. I wake up sometimes and I feel that if I don’t have anything on my schedule I will go crazy and I keep asking what am I going to do to get through the day. I think it’s just in me and I have seen for years where I want to go. Until I get there I am motivated to get up.”

Providing a Voice…
“I think I really provide a voice for the females who aren’t present in today’s urban music scene. I’m just a regular girl who is cool with the guys but also cool with the girls too. I say the things that all girls talk about amongst each other. If women kinda had two little ladies on their shoulder and one was telling them to go for something and the other was telling them to be careful, I would definitely be the one telling them to go do it. I’m really that type of girl who really says what I feel. I really want to appeal to the masses. There are things that everyone thinks about but sometimes people feel it’s not acceptable if they say it. I want to be a voice and say what people are thinking.”

From the Floor Up…
“Within the next year or two I plan on doing a lot of shows. I really believe in the gorilla market and starting from the floor up. I want to hit all the local spots and all the underground clubs. I am working on a mix tape currently that is going to be hosted by a very big DJ. I am going to do that, and it should be out on Super Bowl weekend. I am also just going to keep pushing my single, ‘Spend Ya Money’ and also working on different episodes of the Girls Club, because we are all three very animated ladies, from birth. You will see a lot of webisodes and see us going through our grind and since we are so connected with other artists. It’s exciting because we are all girls and you haven’t really seen girls grind like us. We grind like niggas, no bullshit. It’s just new and exciting.”

Hopes and Dreams…
“You know it was really even before I had gotten to this level that it really hit me how real my vision was. At the time I was actually recording the material that I got singed with but nobody had heard it yet. About a year ago Lil’ Wayne had a yacht party down here in Miami that I ended up attending and it really opened up my eyes just being there. Me, Shanell and D Woods were invited and they brought us down to the party. We were on a yacht and I noticed that all kinds of people were at this party. Diddy was there, Sylvia Rhone was there, and just about any name you could think of might have been there. I was actually looking for Sylvia to talk to her but I could never find her to talk to her. Everybody who was anybody was supposed to be down there on the boat. We were just sitting there all three of us, girls from Kansas, so to say, with big hopes and big dreams, just looking around at everything. I realized that my dreams were real and tangible and that these people were just like me. They were interested in me and what I had to say. It wasn’t like I didn’t belong. We’d always been in those situations since we were young and along the way we have gotten to meet just about every big name in the industry. That party definitely changed the way I looked at things.”



Passions and Interests…
“In the forefront I am looking to be like a female Stephen Spielberg. I have a degree in film production. I’ve written screenplays and I’ve shot short films in film school. I plan on being able to direct and film my own videos. When I get to that next level in my life I want to direct a lot and I really want to explore and create. In school it was really a passion for me and I am excited for music to open up other doors. Even before I got into music I had a job offer in the film business to help out with production but I don’t think I wanted it at that point in my life. That is something that I could do at any age and until it happens I will be focused on music.”

Go Get It…
“If I could have and advice for anyone trying to make it in this business, it would be to be thankful every day for what you do have. Believe that you could have more of what you have and more of what you want. You have to open up your eyes and really see it. Just write it down so that you can remember it. Be sure to envision and see whatever it is that you want in life. Whether it is meditating or cutting out pictures so that you have something to look out, just do whatever it takes to have that vision in your life. You have to have a vision to achieve what you want in life. After the yacht experience my life has been on full speed after that. D Woods often touches on it too; you can’t enjoy the things in life if you don’t really envision it. Your mind responds to those things. Once you see it, go get it.”

Finals Words…
“Please visit my myspace page, which is Mika Means at www.myspace.com/mikameans and also check out the Girls Club at www.myspace.com/TheGirlsClub07. Keep your ear to the street and we really appreciate all of your support.”

Questions and Comments can be sent to Chris at  Trimond@aol.com