Many have associated Bibi’s unstoppable rise to fame all to chance. Many have never accepted that the key to his success was hard work and perseverance.
But why does one feel anger faced with the success of others?
American psychologist Rachel O’Neill explains it in a nutshell: “Sometimes we experience this desire to compare ourselves with others, a tendency that generally triggers one particular reaction: ‘I am not enough.’ To some extent, this tendency to compare-and the subsequent feeling of inadequacy-is natural.
After taking a three-year course in electrical engineering reluctantly completed following his father’s will, Michael left the London rave scene and set off to discover the Southeast Asian world.
It was during this time that he decided to become a DJ, captured by the minimal house sound.
But upon his return to London, the reality had totally changed,he knew no one in the industry and no one was willing to give him a chance; until he finally convinced a promoter to open up a door for him.
He filled the club thanks to his friends from the rave scene and thus took shape what would become his trademark: long sets and tireless promotion. In 2014 he was rejected again when he switched to production. But he persevered, because if there is anything that describes him, is determination to pursue a goal.
Every one of us is looking for something in life, whether it is an achievement, fame, money or peace of mind, some more actively and some passively we all desire to get there.
Michael was looking for acceptance, from others and from himself, not aiming for fame as much as wanting to feel a part of something. He had to go a long way to get there.
Michael’s desire to be accepted goes back to before his music career. During his teenage years he felt inadequate, and he discovered in those years that one way to relate to others was to distribute the mixes he created; they allowed him to find some common ground with his peers.
It was his father’s blues records through an eclectic range of influences from the rave and tech house worlds that led to the creation of his sound.
After six years at the helm of the Solid Grooves record label, in the summer of 2018 Bibi released “Hanging Tree,” a hypnotic track he came across while watching The Hunger Games at the cinema. Focused as he was on the artists under his label, working 18 hours a day to make the imprint???? a hit, he forgot about the track and did not release it until three years later, when a remix he was working on reminded him of the vocal part.
He made the track in 45 minutes, played it that night at Egg London, and it immediately went viral, starting a series of events that catapulted Bibi to superstar DJ status: selling out at London’s Leake Street Tunnel in 15 seconds, winning Best Tech House DJ at the 2019 DJ Awards, and running the highly successful Solid Grooves residency at Privilege Ibiza .
By 2019, Michael was the talk of the town, dates sold out, records on the charts, clubbers idolized him, he was on the cusp of success.But that quest for approval that had always followed him was draining him; he accepted every gigs, after parties, private parties,saying yes to everyone.
That ‘incessant desire to make friends, to please, to be accepted, threatened to burn him out.??.?
“I was at the peak of my career, the point where I always wanted to be, but I was probably more miserable than before.”
Michael decided to take a break, isolated himself in Jamaica, and through meditation and yoga was able to find balance within himself in a short time. This was precisely his point of restart.
“I was going back to the beginning when I was doing music just for fun, just for love.”
