Mikayla Cohen ’20, a music theatre major, was part of an ensemble of more than 40 singers and musicians from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and the Berklee College of Music who performed an arrangement of the 2014 hit song.
When they were 11 years old, Mikayla Cohen and Shelbie Rassler teamed up to form “Two of a Kind,” a musical duo whose main audience was whoever would join them in the living room. Cohen, now a senior music theatre major at Elon, would provide the vocals while Rassler, now a student at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, provided the tunes as a multi-instrumentalist.
It was the start of a musical partnership and friendship that continues today. Cohen recently joined students from the Boston Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music for a virtual performance of “Fight Song,” the 2014 hit song by Rachel Platten, that was organized by Rassler.
“I think it communicates a message of hope and community during this time of uncertainty,” said Cohen from her home in Weston, Florida. “It’s so important to maintain that love and support for the arts, and for each other.”
This is the second time this spring Cohen has been a part of a virtual performance arranged by Rassler. In late March, Rassler released a virtual orchestra performance of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David standard “What the World Needs Now is Love” for which Cohen joined more than 70 other performers. The performance has generated more than 1.8 million views on YouTube and extensive media attention.
“She wanted a way to bring people together while also maintaining social distancing,” Cohen said. “So many people wanted to be a part of the video, and when it was posted, it immediately blew up. I was so proud of her and so thankful to be a part of the amazing project.”
For “Fight Song,” Cohen recorded her performance in her bedroom, with Rassler “doing all the magic” to create the virtual orchestra performance. The video, which features female instrumentalists and vocalists, was released in partnership with the Female Quotient, a female-owned business committed to advancing equality.
“As an all-female group, it really drives home the idea of community and love for each other, and the desire to keep fighting,” Cohen said.
The “Fight Song” performance is just one way that Cohen continues to perform while she is away from campus. She has organized a series of “long-distance duets” on her Instagram account that pairs her with friends from around the country, posting multiple episodes each week with a wide range of songs. Also, Cohen had been working on her first EP with Jason Dunn ’20 when she left Elon’s campus when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the shift to online learning. She’s continued work on the album, titled “Same Stars,” and is recording vocals at home in her closet “to get that studio-like effect.” She hopes to release the album in late summer or early fall.
Beyond music, she’s launched a “party princess” business. In high school, she served as a party princess, dressing up as a princess for children’s birthday parties, and realized she could put those costumes back to work. Her business is called “Party Princess in Place,” and she now joins the party remotely for video chats or personalized video messages.
“It just brings me so much happiness,” Cohen said. “I love making the kids happy, and making things feel a little more normal during this weird time,” Cohen said.