Miguel | |
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Born | Miguel Jontel Pimentel October 23, 1985 |
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Years active | 2000–present |
Agent(s) | Mark Pitts Wayne Barrow |
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Spouse | |
Awards | Full list |
Musical career | |
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Website | officialmiguel |
Miguel Jontel Pimentel (born October 23, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter who specializes in contemporary and alternative R&B. Raised in San Pedro, California, he began pursuing a music career at age thirteen. After signing to Jive Records in 2007, Miguel released his debut studio album, All I Want Is You , in November 2010. Although it was underpromoted upon its release, the album became a sleeper hit and helped Miguel garner commercial standing. [7] [8] The album’s second single, "Sure Thing" reached further success in 2023, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ultimately becoming his most commercially successful song to date.
After Jive's dissolution in 2011, he moved to RCA Records and released his second studio album, Kaleidoscope Dream (2012) to continued success, spawning the hit single "Adorn." His third and fourth albums, Wildheart (2015) and War & Leisure (2017) further experimented with psychedelic and alternative influences; the former peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 while latter contained the single "Sky Walker" (featuring Travis Scott), which received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Miguel incorporates R&B, funk, hip hop, pop, rock and electronic styles into his music, and has been compared to vocalists Babyface and Prince.
Miguel Jontel Pimentel was born on October 23, 1985, [9] and raised in San Pedro, California. [10] [11] He is one of two sons of an African American mother and a Mexican father. [12] Miguel's parents divorced when he was eight years old. [13] At a young age, Miguel was introduced to the older R&B his mother listened to, [12] and his father's musical tastes, including funk, hip hop, jazz and classic rock. [11]
In eleventh grade, Miguel was introduced by a friend to a member of the production company Drop Squad, and he subsequently spent the rest of high school learning his way around a recording studio before seeking a record deal. [11] Miguel is also close high school friends with rapper Blu, who also lived in San Pedro. [14]
Miguel signed a production deal with Drop Squad in 2000. [15] In 2004, he auditioned to be part of the group Fatty Koo, but their label, Columbia Records chose someone else to complete the sextet. Later in 2004, Miguel was signed by independent record label Black Ice and started working on his studio album, [15] Young & Free. It was scheduled to be released on November 30, 2006, [16] but was ultimately shelved. [3] Black Ice released the single "Getcha Hands Up" with a video debut on 106 & Park , but Miguel decided to change his sound and image and walked away from Black Ice Records. [17] He later said in an interview for LA Weekly , "We shot a video, and if you ever see it, you will laugh your ass off. I have a fitted hat on and a white T-shirt and baggy jeans. I was 19 years old and it was the first time anyone had ever given me money."
That album was a huge learning experience. I left the marketing of my album and me as an artist up to the discretion of the label. They marketed me like the typical R&B artist, which I can't really blame them for, because that's what they know. But that's not what my lifestyle was.
For nearly a year, Miguel's manager at the time submitted several songs to music mogul Mark Pitts; after receiving a song titled "Sure Thing"—which Miguel described as a "highly personal ... record that no one was ever supposed to hear"—Pitts scheduled a meeting with Miguel in October 2007. The following month, Miguel signed a recording contract with Jive Records. [13] [17] Miguel recalled that the signing of his contract took place in a "very small room in a very small office in a small corner of the building at Jive". [19] After being signed, he recorded his debut album All I Want Is You, [18] but was sued by Black Ice for breach of contract. [20] Consequently, his album was not released for two years. [18] In 2007, Miguel also contributed vocals to three tracks on the debut collaborative project of Blu and Exile, Below the Heavens, appearing under the moniker "Miguel Jontel". [21]
For the following three years, he contributed to Usher's Here I Stand and Raymond v. Raymond , as well as Asher Roth's Asleep in the Bread Aisle and Musiq Soulchild's "IfULeave". [22] [23] Miguel also released Mischief: The Mixtape; he explained that the title referred to his attempt to "[tell] people that there is an alternative to getting sort of the same thing". [23]
After his protracted contract dispute with Black Ice was settled, [11] All I Want Is You was released in November 2010. [7] It initially performed poorly, debuting at number 109 on the Billboard 200 on 11,000 copies sold, [18] and was underpromoted by Jive, [7] amid the label's dissolution. [24] The album's title track attained radio airplay, while Miguel toured as a supporting act for Trey Songz and Usher. [18] Its following two singles, "Sure Thing" and "Quickie", performed well on the charts, [3] After falling off the chart for three weeks, [25] All I Want Is You became a sleeper hit, [8] as it re-entered the Billboard 200 and climbed the chart for 22 weeks, before peaking at number 37 on May 14, 2011. [25] It ultimately spent 45 weeks on the chart, [26] and sold 404,000 copies in the US. [18]
After Jive was shut down and absorbed by RCA Records, Miguel was moved to RCA, where Pitts was named president of urban music, and received a new marketing team. [18] His second studio album, Kaleidoscope Dream , was released on October 2, 2012, to critical acclaim. [27] The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 71,000 copies in its first week. [28] As of February 2013, Kaleidoscope Dream has sold 322,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [29] In February 2013, he released a politically driven video for the song "Candles in the Sun". [30] The album's lead single "Adorn", which had been released on August 7, [31] became a sleeper hit on urban radio. [32] It was Miguel's second number-one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and his highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 17. [33] By September, the single had sold 190,000 copies. [18] According to NPR's Audie Cornish, Miguel "broke through to a national audience in 2012" with both "Adorn" and Kaleidoscope Dream. [34] The second single "Do You..." was released on September 18, [35] and reached number 32 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. [36] On March 3, 2013, "How Many Drinks?" was released as its third single. [37] By February 20, Kaleidoscope Dream had charted for 20 weeks on the Billboard 200 and sold 321,400 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [38]
In August 2013, the new single "#Beautiful" with Mariah Carey became Miguel's third million-seller in the US, following "Sure Thing" and "Adorn". [39] During an energetic performance of "Adorn" at the Billboard Music Awards on May 19, Miguel failed in an attempt to leap across the stage, injuring two audience members in the process. Barely missing the stage, Miguel landed on two women, hooking his right leg over one and knocking the other into the stage. [40] The incident, known as the "Miguel Leg Drop", became an immediate internet sensation and has been satirized in numerous internet memes and gifs. [41] It has also been the subject of controversy, with the show's producers claiming that they had denied the singer permission to attempt the leap, while Miguel's representatives have countered that no objections were raised during earlier rehearsals. [42]
Miguel released his third studio album titled Wildheart on June 30, 2015. [43] [44] In December 2014, Miguel released a 3-track EP entitled NWA.HollywoodDreams.Coffee in promotion for the album. [45] The album was nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Urban Contemporary Album, also "Coffee" was nominated for Best R&B Song. In 2016, Miguel released the single "Waves" that's been remixed by RAC and Tame Impala.
Miguel played a Cuban-American gangster in Ben Affleck's period crime drama Live by Night , which was released on December 25, 2016, [46] [47] He covered Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" for the theatrical trailers of Fifty Shades Darker (2017). [48]
In September 2016, he was an opening act for Sia's Nostalgic for the Present Tour. [49] The tour ran until November 6 that year.
It's important now, more than ever, for us to recognize humanity in one another. I'm just hoping to help educate myself on the realities of our immigration policy and also shed whatever light I can on the families dealing with cruel and unjust treatment in Adelanto.
—Miguel [50]
Miguel partnered with Revolve Impact and headlined the Schools Not Prisons tour, along with other musicians, to spread awareness of mass incarceration throughout California. [51] [52] His music video for "Now" was filmed in Adelanto, which is the location of California's largest immigration processing center, Adelanto Detention Center. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he expresses his advocacy on the corruption and abuse of the immigration system on detained immigrants, "to see innocent people being ripped from their way of life to essentially be incarcerated and used as cheap labor is really crazy to me." [52]
Miguel's fourth album, War & Leisure , was released on December 1, 2017. He describes the album as having "political undertones, because that's what life feels like right now". [53]
Miguel sang a duet of "Remember Me" with Natalia Lafourcade on the soundtrack of Disney Pixar's movie Coco , which debuted in theaters in the US on November 22, 2017. He also performed the song live at the Oscars in 2018. In January 2019, Benny Blanco, Miguel, and Calvin Harris released a music video for the song "I Found You", in tandem with the While They Wait campaign, an initiative by Brooklyn Defender Services, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services and American Civil Liberties Union which raises awareness about the challenges immigrants face while waiting for asylum. [54] In an interview with The Breakfast Club Power 105:1 it was revealed Miguel was working on a Latin album. In April 2019, Miguel released the Spanish EP Te Lo Dije . [55] The EP peaked at number 11 on the Top Latin Albums chart, becoming his first chart entry there.
July 13, 2020 – Miguel began conversations with Twitter users on behalf of a GQ interview. He was asked when he would release a new album. Miguel personally replied physically on the social media platform and clarified verbally in the video to expect another, "project", by the end of the year. The term project may not be a sufficient exchange of a full release album. Or it may mean Miguel has begun collaborative performances with other Latin music artists again.[ citation needed ]
In 2020, he was instrumental in the early stages of Julia Lang setting up the fashion brand VEERT, [56] expressly approving the brand. [57]
In April 2021, Miguel released his new EP Art Dealer Chic 4 via ByStorm and RCA Records. [58]
In early 2023, his R&B hit "Sure Thing" from the album All I Want Is You went viral on TikTok leading to the song to enter several charts around the world, cracking the top 10 for the first time in the UK, and entering the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. The song "Girl With The Tattoo Enter" from the same album reached the Top 100 of Spotify US.
Miguel identifies himself as part of the new wave of R&B artists that include Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and Elle Varner. [18] About.com editor Mark Edward Nero characterizes his music as "eclectic, artsy R&B-pop". [4] Miguel cites musicians Prince, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury, Phil Collins, Donny Hathaway, The Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West, Saul Williams, Queen, Usher and Pharrell Williams as influences [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] in addition to expressing his admiration for Stevie Wonder, John Lennon and Diane Warren. [23] Miguel revealed his desire to have worked with James Brown, whom he considers the "last innovator for me when it comes to soul". [19] In addition to singing, Miguel also plays the guitar. [19] Miguel has also shown off his dancing ability in multiple music videos and performances like “Told You So”. [65] [66] [67]
Miguel incorporates R&B, funk, hip hop, rock and electronic styles into his music. [17] [22] [62] Miguel described his sound as "nostalgic in a sense that it's familiar ... it's shocking, edgy, energizing". [22] In an interview with Paper magazine, he regarded his music as "fly, funkadelic, intergalactic-hip-hop-meets-sexy-orgasmic crazy, dope shit". Miguel is often compared to Babyface and Prince. [19] His vocals are influenced by classic rock bands such as The Beatles, Queen, The Police and Def Leppard. [68] Brian McManus of The Village Voice writes that "Marvin Gaye, Prince, and (his comparison) Van Morrison all linger in his voice." [69] In LA Weekly Salaam Remi states: "Miguel is letting his art rule his whole flow, and that's the best place for an artist to be. To me he kind of feels like Prince, where he's doing this eclectic blend but still coming back to focused songs." [11] Speaking in 2021, media personality and culture critic Charlamagne tha God called Miguel "the greatest R&B singer of the past decade", adding that, "There's a lot of other brothers and sisters doing they thing man, but I'm just talkin' 'bout when it comes to like, that old OG traditional R&B that I love, you know. Jodeci type sh*t and you know, Dru Hill, Guy, 'Piece of My Love.' That soulful mmm! It's always been Miguel for me." [70]
Miguel has said that Transcendental Meditation is the key to balancing his lifestyle: "It's good to take a breath from everything and just center yourself. That is the best way of describing it." [71]
Miguel was in a relationship with model Nazanin Mandi from 2005 to 2022. In January 2016, it was announced that they were engaged. [72] The couple married on November 24, 2018, at Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana, California. [73] In September 2021, the couple announced their separation, [74] which was called off in February 2022. [75] On October 4, 2022 Mandi filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. [76]
In 2017, Miguel was accused of sexual assault by Xian Bass, a fan of his music. [77] Miguel denied the accusation, calling it "bizarre" and "twisted," as well as claiming that Bass' story of what transpired is not accurate. [78]
Studio albums
Confessions is the fourth studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on March 23, 2004, by Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003 to 2004, with its production handled by his longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Lil Jon, among others. Primarily an R&B album, Confessions showcases Usher as a crooner through a mixture of ballads and up-tempos, incorporating musical genres of dance-pop, hip hop and crunk. The album's themes generated controversy about Usher's personal relationships; however, the album's primary producer Jermaine Dupri claimed the album reflects Dupri's own personal story.
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12 Play is the debut solo studio album by American R&B and soul singer-songwriter R. Kelly; it was released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. The album follows his tenure with R&B group Public Announcement, with whom he released one album, Born into the 90's (1992). It went on to top the R&B albums chart for nine weeks straight, while reaching the second position on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Glenn Jones is an American R&B/soul singer. He is best known for his songs "Show Me", "We've Only Just Begun " and "Here I Go Again", which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1991/1992 as well as the track "I've Been Searching ".
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo is an American R&B singer-songwriter and rapper from Los Angeles, California. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by their record label, The Ultimate Group that same year and was marketed as the "cousin" of B2K member Lil' Fizz to cultivate her own following, although they are not related. Her debut album, slated for a 2003 release through the label with Epic Records, was shelved due to Aiko instead further pursuing her education.
No Mercy is the seventh studio album by American rapper T.I. Originally titled King Uncaged, It was released on December 7, 2010, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2009 to 2010. Production was handled by several high-profile record producers, including Kanye West, Polow da Don, The-Dream, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, The Neptunes, TrackSlayerz, Jake One, T-Minus, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Rico Love, Alex da Kid, DJ Toomp, Jim Jonsin, Danja and Dr. Luke, among others. The album also features guest appearances from several prominent artists such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Scarface, Chris Brown, Eminem, The-Dream, Trey Songz, Pharrell, Drake, Christina Aguilera and Rick Ross, among others.
Cole World: The Sideline Story is the debut studio album by American rapper J. Cole. It was released on September 27, 2011, by Roc Nation and Columbia Records, with distribution from Sony Music. The album is his first studio release, following three successful mixtapes. In 2007, the album was first recorded and ended, and then began to take place from 2009 to early 2011, featuring the production that was handled mainly by Cole himself, with some production from high-profile producer No I.D. It includes four guest appearances from Trey Songz, Drake, Jay-Z and Missy Elliott.
All I Want Is You is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Miguel. It was released on November 30, 2010, by Black Ice Records, ByStorm Entertainment and Jive Records.
American rapper Wiz Khalifa has released seven studio albums, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, three extended plays (EP), two collaborative albums, 84 singles, sixteen promotional singles, twenty-one mixtapes, and 82 music videos. After signing to independent record label Rostrum Records at a young age, Khalifa released his first mixtape Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, and his first studio album, Show and Prove (2006). Following the release of Show and Prove, Warner Bros. Records signed Khalifa in 2007 as part of a joint deal with Rostrum. At Warner, Khalifa released the singles "Youngin' on His Grind" and "Say Yeah". The latter became his first song to appear on a Billboard chart, peaking at number 20 on the US Hot Rap Songs. Disagreements with Warner over the release of a purported major-label debut album led Khalifa to departed from the label, and release his second studio album Deal or No Deal in 2009 on Rostrum Records alone.
Gabrielle Serene Varner is an American singer-songwriter. Born into a musical family in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Los Angeles, Varner studied at New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music. In October 2009, she signed with RCA Records along with a co-publishing agreement with Sony Music.
R.E.D., is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, first released on October 31, 2012, in Japan. The album follows the disappointing commercial performance to 2010's Libra Scale and is Ne-Yo's first album with new label Motown Records after being appointed as the label's senior vice president for A&R. The album contains songs that crossover different genres of music, combining elements of R&B, pop and dance-pop.
American R&B singer Miguel has released four studio albums, twenty-three singles, four mixtapes and seven EPs.
Kaleidoscope Dream is the second studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Miguel. It was released on September 25, 2012, by Black Ice Records, ByStorm Entertainment, and RCA Records. After the commercial breakthrough of his debut album All I Want Is You (2010), Miguel pursued a greater creative role on Kaleidoscope Dream as its principal writer and producer. He recorded most of the album at Platinum Sound Studios in New York City and MJP Studios in Los Angeles, working alongside producer-musicians Oak Felder, Jerry Duplessis, and Salaam Remi, among others.
"Adorn" is a song written and recorded by American singer and songwriter Miguel. It was released as the lead single from his 2012 studio album Kaleidoscope Dream. The recording was produced by Miguel, who was inspired by his girlfriend and a series of dreams he had prior to writing the song.
"Do You..." is a song by American R&B singer and songwriter Miguel. It was released on September 18, 2012, as the second single from his 2012 album Kaleidoscope Dream. It was written by producer Jerry Duplessis, co-producer Arden Altino, guitarist Paul Pesco, and Miguel, who recorded the song at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City. "Do You..." is a love song built around gentle guitar strumming and a playful rhythm section. Its lyrics pose flirtatious, rhetorical questions and feature both metaphorical and literal references to narcotics, inspired in part by Miguel's occasional use of MDMA.
Carl Eugene Lilly Jr., better known by his stage name Gudda Gudda, is an American rapper from New Orleans. He was originally a member of Sqad Up with Kidd Kidd and Lil Wayne. After forging a long-time friendship with Wayne, he signed to Young Money Entertainment, and later Republic Records.
Mark Pitts is an American record producer, manager, and President of RCA Records and CEO of ByStorm Entertainment. He has managed a number of artists and produced musical tracks for performers including Notorious B.I.G, Faith Evans, Miguel, J. Cole, Jawan Harris, Kardinal Offishall, Ciara, Chris Brown, Usher, TLC, Anthony Hamilton, CeeLo Green and Ro James. Pitts executive produced the Netflix film, Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell, co-produced Notorious (2009), and Blue (2009).
Wildheart is the third studio album by American R&B singer Miguel. It was released on June 29, 2015, by Black Ice Records, ByStorm Entertainment, and RCA Records.
Nazanin Aliza Mandighomi , known professionally as Nazanin Mandi, is an American actress, singer, model, and life coach.
'I just started looking into Transcendental Meditation,' he said. 'A lot of people don't understand that voice in your head that is consistently going, or thinking. There is a way to take a break from that, and just kind of be in the moment. That is what that whole meditation is about. It's just brilliant.'
The truth about Nazanin is that she seems really sweet, and I like that she's been with Miguel since forever. How cute were they back in the day? This was their first date in 2005.