HI! THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CHAT WITH US! CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, WHO IS MIKAILA MURPHY IN YOUR OWN WORDS?
I’m a super goofy, down to earth, and hard-working young woman. I love to laugh and crack jokes, all while staying super motivated and on top of my work.
HOW DID YOU BECOME A DANCER? PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY.
When I was 2 years old, my grandpa used to babysit me because both of my parents worked. I remember sitting in my family room with him and we would always watch Shirley Temple on TV and dance around. Our favorite songs to dance along to were “Animal Crackers in My Soup,” and the chair scene with Bo Jangles. Because of this, he told my mom she needed to get me into dance classes, so I took my first tap class at the age of 3 and the rest is history!
DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND IN 3 WORDS.
Confident, sexy, and body positive.
WHICH ARE YOUR FAVORITE DANCE FORMS?
This is so tough, because I feel like I can appreciate every dance style, for so many different reasons. If I have to narrow it down to three, I would say contemporary, because in this style I can express myself and tell a story with my body language. I can get out my emotions through this art form. My second one is heels dance, because this style allows me to be in my sexiest and most feminine form; it’s so powerful. Lastly, twerking of course! I just started twerking two years ago, but it’s so much fun, it boosts my overall body confidence, and it’s actually a great workout! Everyone who’s taken a twerk class knows it’s the most encouraging room you could be in.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING THAT YOU ALWAYS KEEP IN YOUR MIND WHILE PREPARING YOUR CONTENT?
That it’s what I love, and not to be hard on myself. If I’m too hard on myself, then that’ll take the love out of what I do and it won’t be fun for me anymore. If content feels forced, no one will want to watch it because it’s easy to tell the difference. I think people love watching and engaging with my videos because the authenticity of what I am doing comes through the camera.
WHAT BRANDS ARE YOU WORKING WITH NOWADAYS?
This one can be tricky to talk about due to NDAs, but I just recently finished a deal with Too Faced makeup line and Cane’s Chicken.
WHAT’S SOMETHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT MIGHT SURPRISE US?
I am a night owl, and I usually get a lot of my content creation done super late at night. I’m talking anywhere from midnight to 3am. For some reason, that is when I’m most productive and most creative. I’ve tried rearranging my schedule numerous times, but I always end up finding myself back to filming during these late hours.
HOW IMPORTANT IS PERSONAL BRANDING IN YOUR PROFESSION AND WHAT DO YOU DO TO GROW YOUR BRAND?
Personal branding is everything. The brands I work with have to have an idea of who I am and what I bring to the social media space, and ultimately to their product. It’s always good to figure out a message that you want to spread to your followers. To grow my brand, I honestly just film every day, I’m always adding new things to it so that there’s more options to work with, and I just make sure to always remember my main goal, which is to have fun with it, and to spread positivity and self-love. Every time I get a message from a fan telling me I have helped them to feel better about their body or that I have boosted their confidence, I am reminded continuously of what my brand is.
WHAT ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL PLANS FOR THE NEAR FUTURE?
Well, I’m actually working on music. Some of what I will be rolling out is a secret at this moment, so that’s all I can say for now, but I’m very excited to share my music with the world as an extension of the Mikailadancer brand. I’ve been working on music for the past 2-3 years now, but I’m finally at a point in which I’m ready to release it.
ANY LAST WORDS?
Take strategic risks. You never know how something will go until you try. If you’re passionate about something, work hard and follow those dreams. You might not succeed right away, but keep pushing, it’ll eventually work out. You’ll be so thankful and happy you went for it. 🙂 Thank you so much to all of my supporters, I love and appreciate every single one of you.
