As Mikey, 25 joins the video call, I can see he’s beaming with excitement to do this interview. I’m overwhelmed, I attended several of RoadTrip’s shows, the band he used to be in. They had 1.3 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.7 million followers across social media. They released EP’s, toured the UK and Europe and even played Wembley. Since leaving the band, Mikey has been up to a lot such as presenting and doing brand deals and he’s looking forward to the future.
The members
of RoadTrip used to live together, which made a full-on environment of creating
content. Mikey left RoadTrip in 2019, excited to start on his own projects. “It
was 100% of our lives, it was so new… you leave, you’ve got no money, you’ve
got no idea what the world’s like from an adults’ perspective,” Mikey said. “It’s
that fear of stepping into the unknown.”
After being
involved with charity in the past, he wanted to get involved with charity again
and use his platform positively. He became involved with Mencap UK,
where he is now an ambassador. They improve the lives and fight for people with
disabilities. “I went from being in a boyband where although I was impacting
people and the band was impacting people because it made people happy, it
wasn’t changing people’s lives.”
He was
offered a place in the 2020 London Marathon to represent and raise money for Mencap
UK, but unfortunately it was cancelled due to the pandemic. Mikey still managed
to raise money however, which all went to the charity. “It’s probably the
proudest thing I’ve done in my life actually,” he said.
He was also
put in contact with Alzheimer’s
Research UK, after his grandad passed away in 2020, after suffering from Dementia
and Alzheimer’s. They worked together and he learnt a lot about Alzheimer’s and
Dementia. They also plan to work together again in the future. “I’ve got a bit
of following still, now I think is time for myself and others to be honest with
you to help improve the lives of other people who are way less fortunate,”
Mikey said.
Not long
after leaving the band, he also received multiple incredible opportunities to
do presenting. “RoadTrip was always a steppingstone for me to go into the next
adventure,” Mikey said. He was offered to go on tour with other artists as a
singer, but he told them he’d rather do presenting. RoadTrip were still together
at the time which Mikey said “worked in his favor” as RoadTrip fans would still
come and see him. “It was weird going from being on stage with four other lads
with me, to all of a sudden I’m on my lemon,” Mikey laughed jokingly.
He’s also
done presenting with Nickelodeon and hosted the podcast Making of Me, which is on Apple Podcasts. It
includes interviews with artists such as Atomic Kitten
and JP Cooper. In these podcasts, he would interview artists
about their lives away from music. Throughout being in the band and outside of
the band, Mikey’s also been on TV multiple times. “When I was a little boy, I
never thought I would get the opportunity to do that,” he said.
He's also
had the chance to do many exciting brand deals, such as Ancestry UK, which he thoroughly enjoyed. “I
will only ever do it if it’s a brand deal that I really care about and that I’m
passionate about,” he said. “It’s good fun, I always like working with new
brands.”
Despite the craziness, Mikey is also looking forward to carrying out a more ‘normal life’. “My plan for 2022 is to reinvent myself and show on social media what I’m actually about,” he said. Fans can look forward to new vlog content, which he’s hoping will include the process of moving in with his girlfriend of three years.
He’s also
taking up boxing with an organisation that works with the LGBTQ community, and
his first boxing fight will happen in May. “I’m heterosexual but I’m a firm believer
that sport and football should be for everyone,” he said. Through this, he is
hoping to document his journey of improving his physical and mental health.
Coming up with a content strategy for this year! Buzzing for 2022!!
— Mikey (@mikeycobban) January 3, 2022
When growing up, Mikey went through different stages
of what he wanted to be. He went through a long stage as a child, where he
wanted to be a train driver as he was obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. Although
he has plans this year, he’s still taking everything as it comes. “I’m winging
my way through life which I think is the best way because I’m doing it with a
smile on my face and I don’t put pressure on myself,” he said.
Follow Mikey’s socials below where you can see what he's up to
First!!! So proud of u
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