This month we’re showcasing a young composer who in a short amount of time has become a very active part of the Flat community: Miraclx. Check out his story below, and don’t miss the big bad musical opinion that could send you into a rage 😉
As always, let’s start with a bit about you and your history with music!
Hello, I’m Miraclx in the Flat Community, I’m 15 years old, and I’m originally from Nigeria although I live in Canada now.
In terms of music, I started playing when I was 6, at my grandma’s church. It was only about 5 minutes away from our house, and I would go there a lot because I could play drums, congas, maracas… basically anything I could get my hands on!
When did you start composing? Do you have any key influences so far?
I just started last year, when I was 14. I found a lot of people in the Flat Community that have influenced me: JM, Bezakos, Kirbo, Chopilizst, Prof P. I think JM would have to be the biggest one in that group, collaborating with him taught me so much about orchestrating music, if I’m any good at doing orchestra pieces it’s probably thanks to him.
Do you see yourself as having a certain style?
Not exactly… My big thing is finding different styles to try out. I guess if I had to pick just one, I’d say orchestra/ensemble pieces. I can’t do piano stuff yet, or jazz, but that’s actually ok with me because *whispers* I think piano’s kinda overrated, sorry guys 😅😅
Ha! How long ago did you join Flat? How did you find out about us?
I found Flat right when I started composing, back in September 2022. I’d first heard of Flat back in 7th grade, when I started playing tenor saxophone. I kept looking for sheet music to play and found the site then (and I didn’t realize then that people composed original songs with Flat, I just thought it was a site for arrangements!).
Do you have a favorite fellow composer on Flat?
Ah, tough one, because there’s the group I mentioned earlier that have been big influences… But if I could pick an underrated composer, I’d point people toward Thomas Prybylski.
Speaking of things people should listen to, do you have a work that you’re most proud of?
Well, I’ve made a ton of pieces that I don’t really like. But I think my favorite pieces are the ones that I do some research on, like “Isekai” or “Bodies in the Attic”.
So there’s some research sometimes - do feel like you have a creative process?
Sometimes it’s just me doing chores and humming to myself. If I like what I just hummed, I’ll stop everything and go write it down. Other times, I’ll pick a genre that I want to do, do some research on it, and see what comes to me.
What place does music have for you? Do you see it as part of your future?
Absolutely - I’d love to become a film scorer. And no matter what, music is such a huge part of my life, hobby-wise and culture-wise. I feel like it’s one of the rare things we all share, every culture has its music, we even can see music in our daily lives, the rhythm of our steps and breathing.
Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start composing?
Take your time and it will come to you. Then when you feel that passion, just go for it, be intense - I’ve had nights where I’d stay up until midnight composing.
And don’t be afraid to ask for help. I wish I had known earlier just how friendly the Flat community is, if I did I would have asked people for help more and I’d probably be a better composer today.
Do you have a favorite Flat memory (like a particular competition or event, etc.)?
I was pretty proud of “predicting” that Bezakos would win the September Challenge!
Anything else you’d like to share?
Just a big thank you to the Flat staff, no other website or app beats Flat in my opinion. I’ve tried others, but none of them have the vibrant community you’ll find in Flat, or the ease of composing.