Mikky Ekko Live Stream Concert Announced For Thursday [WATCH]

Mikky Ekko — the other half of Rihanna's "Stay" duet — is making history on Thursday:

The singer will be the first musician to live stream a concert on YouTube.

Wait, no. That's not right.

Ekko will be the first musician to live stream a concert on YouTube from a hotel.

Thursday's 8 p.m. EST show will take place at Hilton Times Square in New York City, and the live stream will be available on Hilton's YouTube channel.

Why tune in? Even if you're not a fan of Ekko, he is one of pop's budding songwriters (he co-wrote "Stay," too), and he's unveiling his new single — "Smile" — one day before its official release on Aug. 15.

"Stay" hit No. 3 on the U.S. singles chart this winter, and thrust Ekko into the mainstream. The 29-year-old Louisianan has never made a mark on the charts otherwise, but has released songs with David Guetta ("One Voice") and Chris Malinchak ("Stranger") since the smash-hit duet.

Ekko sat down with Interview Magazine earlier this spring and revealed what it was like to sing onstage at the Grammy's.

"The whole thing was funny to me," he said. "And not comedy funny. My knees were shaking as I waited to go onstage. But as soon as I heard the music, I felt calm in the eye of the storm."

From a songwriting and production standpoint, he's not a dead-red pop artist. He said Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is his OK Computer.

"I love desperate-sounding music," Ekko said. "I love things so intensely that if I don't set them free, I'll crush them. I want to create new places. You'll just have to trust me that I won't crush you if we go there.

"Uneasiness — terror and beauty — is so fascinating. I see every day as beautiful and terrifying. That's fun to me."

A hotel seems like a strange place to broadcast a live concert, but Hilton has an interesting music history. Washingon Hilton's International Ballroom once hosted a sold-out, two-night Jimi Hendrix residency, and John Lennon is said to have written "Imagine" on hotel stationary while staying at the New York Hilton.