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RAGSTORICHES S
R&B STAR MIGUEL HAS GOT WHAT ONE MIGHT CALL A CLASSIC MUSIC- INDUSTRY CINDERELLA STORY
BY TOMIKA ANDERSON
ure, he has snagged a Grammy, is the artist behind massive hits like “Adorn” and even made Time Magazine’s 100
Most Infl uential People list this year, but none of these accolades came to him on a silver platter. Rather, the eclectic Mexican-African-American singer — whose style often earns him comparisons to Prince — was forced to climb over a punishing pile of obstacles before he reached the Promised Land. First there was the independent la-
bel deal the 27-year-old songwriter and producer signed nine years ago that went sour, causing the album he had spent years recording to be shelved. Then there was the major-label
deal the Los Angeles native inked with Jive Records three years later that prompted his original label to fi le a breach-of-contract lawsuit against him. (As a result, the crooner’s second album was stalled for two years.) Bad timing was responsible for
Miguel’s third heartbreak: By the time Jive fi nally got around to releasing what would become his well-received debut, All I Want Is You, in 2010, the label was in the midst of dissolving, causing it to slack off promoting the project properly. As a result Miguel initially sold only 11,000 copies. He was penniless and forced to go
live with his father. All the close calls and disappointments were enough to
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give a brother the blues — literally. “There were times where I was
really depressed about the whole thing,” admits the mohawked croon- er, who dropped his second critically acclaimed album Kaleidoscope Dream last October. “The fi nancial struggles, the legal battle, fi nally be- ing released and then being under- promoted — it was really rough. But there was not a single day in this life — not a minute, second, hour or millisecond — that I ever doubted this is what I was placed here to do. What I went through built character.” Miguel, who is currently touring
with Alicia Keys, says having the un- wavering support of friends and family in the leaner years was instrumental in his not giving up, as was having the backing of networks like BET. “BET has been a leading sup-
porter of my music since the very beginning,” he says. “[The network] invited me to be a part of its Music Matters campaign, supported my videos, had me perform on 106 & Park — everything. I feel like the majority of my videos, performanc- es and awards were documented on BET fi rst. They’ve always shown love and I appreciate that.” The singer looks to return the
love when he performs at the BET Experience alongside Beyoncé, Ken- drick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and others. He says the show he’s planning will be an experience, indeed. “I’m a very
passionate musician and individual,” he says, “so that combined with the way I interact with my band, the way that I design my lights, and the way that I interact with the fans, is truly unique. This show is something that I want people to walk away remem- bering for the rest of their lives.” And that’s not all Miguel is ex-
pected to soon deliver sizzling-hot.
He says his third, untitled album will be released at the top of next year. “It’ll be a marriage of my fi rst
two albums — still pushing boundar- ies sonically while staying true to my larger soul and classic-rock infl uences,” he predicts. “Those two things kind of juxtaposed should make this project even better than the last two.”
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