# Mikky Ekko

John Stephen Sudduth, known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville. He co-wrote and was featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay", which charted in multiple countries, becoming his first-charting material. Ekko released his debut studio album, Time, in 2015 through RCA Records. Fame, his second album, was released in 2018 on Interscope Records.

## Early life

John Stephen Sudduth was born in Louisiana and is the son of a preacher. He eventually moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a music career. He began working as a songwriter for other artists, but realized that he wanted to be a singer.

## Career
### 2008–12: Career beginnings

In 2009, Sudduth partnered with producer Tim Lauer and engineer Dan Hansen to record an a cappella version of "Sedated", released under the name Mikky Ekko. That led to his first EP Strange Fruit, which released February 15, 2009. In September 2009, he toured with the Nashville-based collective group Ten Out of Tenn.
Lauer and Hansen collaborated with Ekko for his 2010 EPs, Reds and Blues. "Who Are You, Really?", one of the tracks from Reds, caught the attention of experimental hip hop producer Clams Casino. It was featured in no fewer than six TV series episodes (Teen Wolf, Ringer, Pretty Little Liars, True Blood, The Blacklist and Reign). The video for "Feels Like the End", his second official single, produced by Nick Ruth and Ekko, was released to YouTube on September 25, 2012, with the digital release following on September 25. "Pull Me Down", written and produced by Ekko and Casino, was released digitally on October 30, 2012. The official video was uploaded to YouTube on November 16, 2012. Ryan Hemsworth released a remix of the song to iTunes on December 7, 2012.

### 2012–16: Breakthrough and Time

In November 2012, Ekko was featured on singer Rihanna's seventh studio album Unapologetic on the track "Stay", which became a single in 2013. The song, originally written by Ekko and English songwriter Justin Parker, charted in multiple countries, becoming Ekko's first-charting material. It gave Ekko his first entry on the UK Singles Chart, charting at number four, and on the US Billboard Hot 100 at three. The song charted in the top five of 19 countries, including in Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland. It has sold an approximate 10 million copies globally, making it his best selling single. Ekko performed "Stay" together with Rihanna for the first time at the 2013 Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013. Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times positively reviewed the performance and wrote that it was the most memorable moment of the night.
Ekko released his first official music video on February 6, 2013, for his third single "Pull Me Down" through his VEVO account. "Who Are You, Really?" was featured during the closing credits of HBO's season six premiere of "True Blood" on June 16, 2013. Ekko premiered the video for "Kids" through VEVO on July 8, 2013. It was released via iTunes on September 8, 2013. Ekko co-wrote the song "We Remain" for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, performed by Christina Aguilera.
Ekko's debut album was titled Time. In March 2015, the song "Smile" was used in the trailer for the teen drama Paper Towns. "Watch Me Rise" became an opening theme for the EFL Championship on Sky Sports. In April 2015, Ekko was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month and was featured on NBC's Today show hosted by Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb and broadcast nationally where he gave a live performance of "Smile".

### 2016-2018: Fame

In 2016, Ekko began working on his next project, entitled Fame. Produced by Jay Joyce, the album was recorded in Nashville. The album's first single, "Blood on the Surface", released October 13, 2017. Paper Magazine premiered the song on October 12, 2017, describing it as "synthy retro". "Light the Way", a second song, was released on October 20, 2017. Fame was released on November 2, 2018.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details |
| Time | Released: January 16, 2015 Label: RCA Formats: CD, digital download |
| Fame | Released: November 2, 2018 Label: Interscope Formats: CD, digital download |

### Extended plays

| Title | Details |
| Strange Fruit | Release: February 15, 2009 Format: Digital download Label: Catapult |
| Reds | Release: June 29, 2010 Format: Digital download Label: Colour and Sound Collective |
| Blues | Release: December 14, 2010 Format: Digital download Label: Colour and Sound Collective |
| Tracks | Release: February 8, 2013 Format: Digital download Label: RCA |
| Advance Copy | Release: March 2, 2018 Format: Digital download Label: Interscope |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

| Date | Title | Album |
| 2012 | "We Must Be Killers" | Non-album single |
| 2012 | "Feels Like the End" | Tracks |
| 2012 | "Pull Me Down" | Tracks |
| 2013 | "Kids" | Non-album single |
| 2014 | "Smile" | Time |
| 2015 | "Watch Me Rise" | Time |
| 2017 | "Blood on the Surface" | Fame |
| 2017 | "Light the Way" | Fame |
| 2018 | "Not the One" | Fame |
| 2018 | "Moment" | Fame |
| 2018 | "What's It Like Now" | Fame |

#### Promotional singles

| Date | Title | Album |
| 2014 | "Mourning Doves" | Time |
| 2014 | "Time" | Time |
| 2015 | "U" | Time |
| 2018 | "Cherish You" | Fame |
Writer/Production/Featured Artist Credits :
| Year | Title | Artist | Album |
| Year | Title | Artist | Album | Writer | Producer | Feat / Vocalist | Vocal Producer |
| 2012 | "Paint It Red" | Two Inch Punch | Non-album single | x | | x | |
| 2013 | "Stay" | Rihanna (feat Mikky Ekko) | Unapologetic | x | x | x | x |
| 2013 | "We Remain" | Christina Aguilera | Hunger Games Catching Fire Soundtrack | x | | | |
| 2014 | "Stranger" | Chris Malinchak (feat Mikky Ekko) | Non-album single | x | | x | |
| 2015 | "Don't Let Go" | Giorgio Moroder (feat Mikky Ekko) | Déjà Vu | x | | x | |
| 2015 | "Surf" | Vince Staples | Summertime '06 | x | x | | |
| 2016 | "Be Somebody" | Clams Casino (feat. A$AP Rocky & Lil B) | 32 Levels | x | | | |
| 2016 | "Into The Fire" | Clams Casino (feat Mikky Ekko) | 32 Levels | x | x | x | x |
| 2016 | "Blast" | Clams Casino | 32 Levels | x | | | |
| 2016 | "Claim My Love" | Jarryd James | High | x | x | | |
| 2017 | "Sideline" | Niia | I | x | | | |
| 2018 | "Break Me Down" | Steve Angello | Human | x | | x | |
| 2018 | "Black Tux, White Collar" | A$AP Rocky | Testing | x | x | | |
| 2018 | "Where We Start" | Vance Joy | Nation of Two | x | | | |
| 2019 | "Days in the East" | Drake | Care Package | x | | | |
| 2019 | "Beyond the Pale" | Cold War Kids | New Age Norms 1 | x | | | |
| 2020 | "Drown" | Martin Garrix (feat Clinton Kane) | Non-album single | x | | | |
| 2020 | "Promised Land" | Future Utopia (feat Mikky Ekko) | 12 Questions | x | x | x | x |
| 2020 | "Fear or Faith Pt 2" | Future Utopia (feat Idris Elba) | 12 Questions | x | x | | |
| 2020 | MMXX - III | Diplo (feat Mikky Ekko) | MMXX | x | x | x | x |
| 2020 | MMXX - IX | Diplo (feat Mikky Ekko) | MMXX | x | x | x | x |
| 2021 | "Breaks My Back" | Meg Myers | Non-album single | x | | | |
| 2021 | "Lovesick" | Maroon 5 | Jordi | x | x | | |
| 2022 | "Cry On Me" | Ella Henderson (feat Mikky Ekko) | Everything I Didn't Say | x | | x | |
| 2022 | "Collider Particles" | Madison Cunningham | Revealer (album) | x | | | |
| 2022 | "Coast" | Hailee Steinfeld (feat Anderson .Paak) | | x | | | |
| 2022 | "Before We Panic" | TOBi (feat Mikky Ekko) | | x | | x | x |
| 2023 | "Fire Sign" | TRY (feat Mikky Ekko) | | x | | x | x |
| 2023 | "Long Way To Go" | Pink feat The Lumineers | Trustfall | x | | | |
| 2023 | "I Don't Wanna Be Like You" | Ruel | 4th Wall | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Set Yourself On Fire" | Ruel | 4th Wall | x | | | |
| 2023 | "In Pieces" | Chloe Bailey | In Pieces | x | x | | |
| 2023 | "The Hardest Part" | Olivia Dean (feat Leon Bridges) | | | | | x |
| 2023 | "How Do I Love Again" | Rowan Drake | Dear Ella | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Lose Control" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 1) | x | | | |
| 2023 | "The Door" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 1) | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Suitcase" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 1) | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Bad Tattoo" | Cannons | Heartbeat Highway | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Devastation" | X Ambassadors w/ Pame | | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Set It On Fire" | Jenny Owens Young | Avalanche | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Biting My Tongue" | Duncan Laurence | Skyboy | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Growing Up Is Hard" | Chelsea Cutler | Stellaria | x | | | |
| 2023 | "Drain Me" | Towa Bird | | x | | | x |
| 2023 | "Looking For" | Brenn! | | x | | | |
| 2024 | "World Brand New" | Bowen Young | Us | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Red Sky" | 21 Savage | American Dream | x | | x | x |
| 2024 | "Spokane, Washington" | Benjamin Francis Leftwich | Some Things Break | x | x | | |
| 2024 | "Lesson Learned" | Matt Hansen | | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Hammer To The Heart" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 1.5) | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Love Hotel" | leftovermax | | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Victory Garden" | The Lone Bellow | | x | | | |
| 2024 | "To The Bone" | Bowen Young | Us | x | x | | |
| 2024 | "UFO" | Smith and Thell | | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Let Go" | Kygo (feat Sasha Sloan) | KYGO | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Blame" | Lucky Daye (feat Teddy Swims) | Algorithm | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Funeral" | Teddy Swims | | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Big Love" | Suki Waterhouse | Memoir of a Sparklemuffin | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Bad Dreams" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 2) | x | | | |
| 2024 | "The End" | Bilmuri | American Motorsport (420cc Edition) | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Too Late" | Bilmuri | American Motorsport (420cc Edition) | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Human" | Marc Scibilia | More To This | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Dark Room" | A Calmer Place | | x | x | | |
| 2024 | "Memory Of A Day" | Phantogram | Memory of a Day | x | | | |
| 2024 | "I Wanna Know" | Phantogram | Memory of a Day | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Attaway" | Phantogram | Memory of A Day | x | | | |
| 2024 | "Pushing Daisies | Ashe feat Suki Waterhouse | | x | | | |
| 2025 | "Not Your Man" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 2) | x | | | |
| 2025 | "Funeral" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 2) | x | | | |
| 2025 | "You're Kind of Crazy" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 2) | x | | | |
| 2025 | "Bad Dream" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 2) | x | | | |
| 2025 | "Black & White" | Teddy Swims feat Muni Long | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 2) | x | | | |
| 2025 | "If You Ever Change Your Mind" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 2) | x | | | |
| 2025 | "Hammer To The Heart" | Teddy Swims | I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Pt 2) | x | | | |