‘We found the thing that gives us joy’: Microchild on the microverse, music, and shared language
The wife and husband pair of Shannon Sengebau McManus and Jonathan Camacho Glaser are souls behind the band Microchild.
Since meeting some 15 years ago, Shannon Sengebau McManus and Jonathan Camacho Glaser have been persistent in making their dreams come true together. The pair had always hoped to be able to record their own music and share it with the world, and, as life would have it, the world is all ears.
“We are both CHamoru from the villages of Chalan Pågo and Tutuhan in the island of Guåhan (Guam). And I am also Palauan on my mother’s side from Ngeremlengui and Peleliu in Belau,” Shannon told The Husk.
Microchild has thousands of fans, with their songs amassing tens of thousands of streams online. They’ve performed all over Guam and in different parts of the world, with their signature sound bringing people together from all across the globe.
Before Microchild, there was Shannon, and there was Jonathan. Jonathan was studying music at the University of Guam. Shannon was in the student choir. It was 2010. They were each in different bands at the time. Both had come to meet renowned CHamoru jazz pianist Patrick Palomo.
“He invited us to one of his cafe gigs, and that was it!” Shannon recalled. “We fell in love with jazz and each other and knew then this was what we would commit our lives to.”
“Microchild was a natural progression from there. We had a specific story to tell. I had all these songs backlogged that needed somewhere to live,” Shannon said. “So we decided to record it ourselves and released our first album in 2019.”
Listening to Microchild is a grounding, transcendent experience. Shannon's vocals breezily usher the audience through each song’s journey in tandem with Jonathan and Shannon’s instrumental arrangements, anchoring listeners. Either in lyrics or sound, there’s always something of Micronesia embedded in Microchild’s work.
“Our sound is definitely a blend of genres. It always begins with jazz ‘cause that’s our background, and that’s how we express ourselves best. But it has a lot of indie-neo folk leanings. There is always a strong sense of melody for sure, maybe the most island thing about us,” Shannon said.
Shannon said they find inspiration in Brazilian music, citing it as the couple’s “shared love language” when they first played in a band together.
“Artists like Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento. We still listen to Milton and Lo Borges’ ‘Clube Da Esquina’ once a week. It’s just jam-packed with every genius musical idea you could ever imagine,” Shannon said. “But I think its biggest impact is similar to my Uncle Valentine’s poetry — the writing is masterful. They made revolutionary themes beautiful.”
Shannon’s uncle Valentine Sengebau is also a source of inspiration for the couple. The band name is derived from his poetry anthology of the same name, “Microchild.”
“He is my grandfather’s brother, and the poet laureate of Saipan, where he made his home. This book had a profound impact on me growing up. It felt like no one had expressed the complexity of our lives quite like he did,” Shannon told The Husk. “I still want to write like him when I grow up.”
‘The microverse is everything uniquely Micronesian’
After meeting in 2010 and diving into Microchild, Shannon and Jonathan have steadily created and performed together; each song a new window into life in the microverse, as seen through the lens of Jonathan and Shannon.
The pair aptly note on their Bandcamp profile that “they create songs about life in the microverse in english and their native tongue chamoru.”
Asked about the microverse, Shannon said, “The microverse is everything uniquely Micronesian. There is something distinct about our sound whatever the genre. Because it’s through us. I think Micronesians recognize it in each other. We know who we’re speaking to!”
As they progress in their journey, more listeners are drawn to the band’s sound and message. Listeners become followers and followers become lifelong fans and thus, more people are exposed to the microverse.
Last September, Microchild was named a finalist in the 2024 Pacific Break music contest, in which Pacific island artists compete for a chance to perform at the World Of Music Arts & Dance, or WOMADelaide, festival. Microchild impressed discerning judges and earned a spot as one of 10 finalists in what organizer ABC Pacific says is the largest music competition in the Pacific region and one that garnered over 300 entries.
“That was unbelievable! It really did grow our audience. We have fans now in Fiji, Australia, and Aotearoa who weren’t familiar with any artists from our region before, so the visibility is meaningful. There has been more recognition of Micronesian contributions in Oceania and we’re really proud to be a small part of that,” Shannon said.
Microchild has long been proud to promote the people of the region and celebrate Micronesian culture.
“Growing up as a daughter of educators/ministers in the Marianas, I definitely think it was inherent. Our house was Micro central,” Shannon said. “Singing in CHamoru while proudly claiming Micronesia has always been an intentional rejection of U.S. colonialism. I’m so glad more of us are proudly learning and speaking our language ‘cause it has come at such a huge cost. But really it was never a question of whether or not my Carolinian aunties or Chuukese sisters claimed me, ‘cause if you can sing you’re in! That’s truly our shared language!”
“Singing in CHamoru while proudly claiming Micronesia has always been an intentional rejection of U.S. colonialism.”
‘We need more Micronesian creators in the world’
To Micronesians who are looking to create music or perform, Shannon urges them to follow that calling.
“You don’t have to have fancy gear or visuals to start — just start! We need more Micronesian creators in the world. Your perspective is rare and valuable,” Shannon said. “I know art can change the world but sometimes the most it can do is just add beauty to your life. Maybe, I hope, our music can do a bit of both.”
It is no small feat to do what Microchild has done and continues to do: Have the courage to pursue one’s dreams. Shannon notes that she and Jonathan “still marvel at the fact that (they) managed to record (their) own music and put it into the world.”
“That was a dream we had for so long and had no idea how to go about it. That fact that the music is making a positive impact in our communities is just all the more reason for us to keep creating,” she said. “I’m glad we got past this notion that you have to be Grammy-nominated or someone with millions of streams to have purpose as an artist. We found the thing that gives us joy and makes the hard stuff worthwhile, and that is everything.”
Support Microchild
Purchase their music on Bandcamp. Stream their music on Spotify, Amazon Music or Tidal. Listen on YouTube. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @microchild_.