Grammy Award-winning R&B singer-songwriter Miguel is a music genius that is extremely versatile and talented, offering his own unique spin on his songs, which makes him stand out from the range of R&B vocalists in the mainstream right now. He provides us with his sultry, smooth R&B vocals coated in a creative backdrop as he blends his vocals with sub genres of Pop and Rock, leaving his audiences singing for days and wanting more from him. Not only is he a singer-songwriter, he is also composer, producer and dancer, proving to be the complete package. This is why his latest single “Simplethings” is my tip for Best New Music this week.
Born and raised in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California to a Mexican father and African American mother, Miguel was introduced to a diverse range of music genres from a young age. With his mother loving the classic R&B and his father loving Funk, Hip-Hop, Jazz and classic Rock, it has had significant influence on the type of artist Miguel is right now. Apart from his musical influences, he had an interest in dancing and pursued it for a little while but clearly music was were his heart was and from the age of 13, he started pursuing music as a potential career.
In 2007, Miguel was signed to Jive records and three years later, he released his debut album titled All I Want Is You. Although it was a good album, it only debuted at #109 on the US Billboard Album Charts selling a measly 11,000 copies in its first week but despite the poor sales, the title track attracted a lot of radio play whilst Miguel toured with Trey Songz and Usher. Along wth “Sure Thing” and “Quickie” also from the album, the three singles from his debut gained him a huge following and subsequently propelled his debut album back into the Billboard Charts’ top 40.
Fast forward to 2012 and he joined RCA records were he released his second studio album Kaleidoscope Dream which did outstandingly as he broke through further into a more national audience, with his album debuting at #3 on the Billboard Album Charts. With the album’s leading single “Adorn” marking Miguel’s third number one single on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, it was clear from then on that he was going to have a long dramatic effect in the music industry for years to come.
To start 2014 off, the 28-year old unveiled his new single “Simplethings”. The track is featured on the new soundtrack album Girls Vol. 2: All Adventurous Women Do, for the new season of hit HBO show Girls. Released on February 11, the soundtrack album also features new music from Lily Allen, Beck and Vampire Weekend.
Often times in life, we receive the most gratification from the simple things which end up being some of the more important things in our lives and this is the sentiment behind Miguel’s new offering. “Simplethings” is a slow, distorted heavy number about Miguel explaining his desires for the simple things in life. The hazy electric guitar production and his sultry vocals blend beautifully together to create a laid back and sensual track, while the mid-tempo percussion and mood setting synths make a perfect artistic blend, creating a great piece of music which is why we love it!
“Simplethings” has an edge to it that displays Miguels vocals in a new light, which is why it is definetly one of the best new tracks of 2014 so far. Without any doubt, the song is a great piece of music and can only leave you excited for Miguel’s forthcoming third album which is set to be release sometime this year. Have a listen to “Simplethings” below.
Purchase: Girls, Vol. 2: All Adventurous Women Do (iTunes)
Words by Joannie Scarsbrook // Edited by Ayo Adepoju
