OUT OF THE PARK
Duke baseball player’s campus videos launched rap career
Mike Seander is a perfect example of a musician in today’s world. The 27-year-old began his career by posting videos on YouTube. After a few years, with more than 10 million views, Seander is beginning to see his profile rise in the music industry.
And he’s released his latest album, “These Days.”
“It’s been a whirlwind,” he says. “I’ve been lucky to have a really good viral following. I just roll with everything that comes my way.”
Seander is a rapper, and he performs under the stage name Mike Stud.
His rise to fame has been slow and steady.
After a baseball career at Duke University, Seander dived headfirst into his music career. And he’s never looked back. “While at school, I would post videos online, and these were the kids who began to follow me,” he says. “Then it has become a word-of-mouth following. That means the most to me. I owe a lot to the kids who follow me online. This is where it all started.”
Seander is now in transition to becoming a radio artist.
His single “Closer” from his previous album was one of the first to be played on the radio.
“Hearing the song on the radio blew my mind,” he says. “From that point, everything just started moving faster. I try to keep up and keep moving forward and creating music that is interesting to me.”
With all of his newfound success, Seander chooses to remain humble because he knows it can all end in an instant.
“With the music industry today, I can be forgotten as quickly as people found me,” he says. “It’s important to stay on top of the game and keep giving people what they want. This album is the next chapter in my life, and I hope that it connects with people.”