Sunday, May 5, 2024
PARTY TIME: Micah Young, left, filmed the last scene of his music video for his single, “Ms. Shift Manager,” during a birthday party on June 28. His grandmother, Linda Oldham Husong, middle, and one of his best friends, Jackson Dyer, far right, also played parts in the music video.
STRIKE A CHORD: Micah Young, left, and Jackson Dyer, perform inside the Hood County News office while filming scenes for Young’s first music video and single, “Ms. Shift Manager.”
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA: Jackson Dyer, left, prepares for a scene as Micah Young, middle, and Morgan Young, far right, set up the shot in the Hood County News conference room.
The Hood County News is always bustling with activity during the week as employees work hard to put out quality content for its readers.
But as 5 p.m. hit on June 27, the HCN office was teeming with a different kind of energy.
As cameras, lighting and other filming equipment were being set up, the HCN was transformed in the blink of an eye, making employees feel like they were in an actual episode of “The Office.”
The idea for using the HCN as a backdrop came from 20-year-old Granbury native Micah Young, who needed an office setting for the debut of his first music video and single, “Ms. Shift Manager.”
Young, who attended Lakeside Baptist Academy, fell in love with music when he received a record player and first heard “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hound Dog” by rock ‘n’ roll legend, Elvis Presley.
“That was like, my segue into music and so I started taking piano lessons and guitar lessons,” he said. “I fell in love with the 50s and that kind of style of music, and then that just progressed into a whole world of music."
The inspiration for writing “Ms. Shift Manager” came to Young while he was working at a coffee shop and needed to ask for a day off.
“The song is about a guy asking off of work kind of in a childish way. The inspiration came from me,” he said. “I had to ask off from work, and I just started singing that little tune in my head, and at the time, I was really, you know, feeling really inspired, so I basically wrote a whole story about it. The whole point is that I wanted to have something that was relatable, but yet, fun to listen to. It's lighthearted — and it also gets stuck in your head.”
The music video features Young, his childhood best friends, Ellie Feemster and Jackson Dyer, along with his brother, Morgan Young, and his grandmother, Linda Oldham Husong, the latter of whom portrayed the shift manager.
“I want to be able to express the kind of music that I made, and I haven't been able to have this outlet before to be able to show people who I am as a musician,” he said. “I feel like this song represents my characteristics very well.”
Young currently attends Bible Baptist College in Springfield, Missouri, where he plans to pursue a church study major with a focus in worship ministry.
By the time he graduates college, Young said he would like to find a career in music by becoming a studio or session musician.
“(I would like to be) somebody who people can hire in to record on tracks or help write music and be my own freelancer musician, per se,” he said. “I would like to make music a career — that’s definitely the goal. I’m hoping that by the end of these next few years, I have enough skill to be able to do that professionally.”
Young is self-publishing his first single, “Ms. Shift Manager,” under his artist's name, My Dream Yacht, which is based off of his initials, M.D.Y.
“I've always had a love for music,” he said. “My favorite thing is to perform music. It really is where I find a lot of joy. I never really did anything else that most kids my age did. I'm like the least athletic person I know. Other than, like, coffee, music is the only hobby-like thing that I do all the time. Music really is just pretty much most of my life.”
Back when Young was in high school, he performed 40s, 50s and 60s music at the local nursing homes in Hood County and he performed in front of Taste & See, the yogurt shop on the square that is now permanently closed. He competed in the Granbury Live competition hosted by Hank FM in 2017. He also performed at a gig in Las Vegas, where he performed as Elvis Presley.
Young’s new music video and single are set to release on Aug. 19, with the song releasing on Spotify and Apple Music and the music video releasing on YouTube.
“I'm just thankful for everybody who's helped out. It's been a crazy (couple of) weeks just getting it all together, and you know, it doesn't end here. There's still a lot to do to get the song out, but we're working on it to get it out on our goal date,” he added. “The best way to follow what's going on is going to be through my socials — that's where I'm gonna be most active on updates and the whole process, so if people want to follow along with the journey, it'll be on Facebook and Instagram.”
To follow Young on his musical journey, follow his Facebook page, My Dream Yacht, his Instagram at my.dream.yacht.music, his TikTok at my.dream.yacht.music and his YouTube channel, My Dream Yacht.
