Maltese hip hop artist Chris Birdd went number one on the popular iTunes charts, as well as on Malta’s leading radio station 89.7 Bay Radio.

Birdd, the award-winning artist making waves in London and Los Angeles, has received international recognition on his music, with only last week having released his latest single ‘Hitting Different’, making it to the number one position on the iTunes charts.

Born and raised in Malta, Christopher Mizzi, who goes by his stage name Chris Birdd, is a musician, singer, producer, and engineer, and has started making music around 15 years ago. Birdd started finding his own style of music around 2019 and continued putting it into practice since then.

For the past six years he has been going back and forth between London, where he lives, and Los Angeles.

“I’ve been building a big network out here and it is starting to pay off. It has led me to some crazy places,” Birdd said in an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday.

In fact, Birdd has been currently working as the lead sound engineer for former professional boxer Mike Tyson commercials which have been issued on TMZ, Forbes, CNN, NBC and many more.

Asked about the music industry, Birdd explained that unfortunately, the industry has its down sides.

“Everyone is out to get you, and everyone is trying to climb a social ladder,” Birdd said. However, Birdd said that he is at an amazing place, where he has met incredible people within the industry, who do not focus on the materialistic and superficial side of it.

“Luckily, the people I surround myself with have blessed me to see the other side of the industry, which has led me to understand that I don’t need a major label or all these crazy, fancy things, to give my music validation,” Birdd said.

Birdd said that he is in talks of signing a deal in Los Angeles to J2 Entertainment to do production, engineering and song writing for albums and movie syncs.

Birdd spoke about the music industry in Malta, where he said that he was present, and did put out music and perform on a smaller scale. He did not, however, work directly with any labels in Malta.

“The industry is pretty much online nowadays, in terms of getting your name out there. The industry in general is competing against other artists or labels,” Birdd said.

He said that the ‘rabbit hole’ of the industry is when an artist signs to a label which dictates everything for them.

“I’m in a beautiful place where I dictate everything I do. I choose when I drop songs, shoot music videos and more. That freedom allows me to be the true creative I am, and you cannot put a time and a place on creativity,” Birdd said.

He continued that when artists get too caught up with the materialistic things of being in the industry, they fail to understand that they are robbing themselves off the thing they should love the most, which is being a creative.

“I am technically in the industry, but at the same time I am not,” Birdd said, adding that he separates himself from the negative parts of the industry for his freedom.

Birdd said that his experience working with other musicians has been amazing, as he only works with people who he feels a positive energy with.

“If I click with you and we are in the studio making music, that is nothing but a blessing,” Birdd said.

Can musicians in Malta succeed in Malta? Birdd was asked if the different ideas of music as well as the country’s size, limit artists in their ambitions.

“Musicians in Malta can definitely succeed, as with the internet, anything is possible nowadays,” Birdd said.

“However, one thing that people need to get used to is being comfortable with the uncomfortable, and there is a big comfort zone in Malta. It’s okay to make music in Malta, but I do feel that the world is a big place, and the potential and possibilities are endless once you get out of that comfort zone,” Birdd said.

Birdd has had three songs hitting number one for various awards, being ‘Hitting Different,’ ‘Motion’, and ‘Wave Season.’

Asked what his music is about, Birdd said that his music has both elements of sending a message and ‘feel-good’ music.

“As a human, you are not always happy, or sad, or angry. It depends on what mood I’m in. My music is a reflection of myself and moments I have gone through, my experiences and my feelings,” Birdd said.

He said that usually, the underlying message is a positive one, and the majority of his music is about love and relationships, whether past or current ones, or relationships friends and family are going through.

“I write from their perspective,” Birdd said, adding that he writes, produces, and engineers all his songs, as well as does his own graphic design and editing, describing himself as a one-man band.

What’s next for Birdd? “Next is keep putting out music non-stop, aiming at a single every month,” he said.

Birdd said that he wants to keep building relationships and keep growing. He would also like to do a European tour which will hopefully be done next summer.

“I want to keep growing and building a fanbase, and keep the momentum flowing,” Birdd said.

On his fans, Birdd said that he communicated with them all the time, generally starting off with them enjoying his music and supporting him, which turns into conversation.

“I always message my fans and reach out to them on social media. I always thank them for supporting me. I like to be an older or younger brother, or a son to them – human. I think that goes a long way, as support grows even stronger. I am tangible, and reachable, and there is no net between us,” Birdd said.

Birdd won best Hip Hop/Urban act at the Lovin Music Awards in 2019 and has received over 20 million streams across all platforms.