24-year-old Los Angeles native Miguel seems to have cut a swath through the elite world of RnB in a relatively short amount of time. Having released his debut album at the tail end of 2010, he ‘s already managed to score a video with Hype Williams, burn up the stage of the Tonite Show, and get legions of ladies all hot and bothered with his lyrics and on-stage swag. Unlike his female fans, however, notoriety didn’t come quickly for Miguel. In an exclusive interview with VMAN, Miguel speaks about everything, from being influenced by Kraftwerk to his goal of working with Karl Lagerfeld. Patrik Sandberg


PS You just finished a two-night stint at [New York City venue] Joe’s Pub. How was the show?
Miguel It was fun, we had a good time. Those were the first two shows I’ve ever played at Joe’s Pub, but I had seen a few shows there that were really dope. I think they were all local artists.

PS You’re based in L.A., right?
M Yeah, Los Angeles. Born and raised.

PS I read you were thirteen when you started to pursue a career in the music business.
M Yes, that was the deciding year for me. I signed to a production company.

PS What was it like being in the entertainment industry at such a young age?
M I was more obscure. I was known in the industry, people thought I was talented but they said that I needed work, or that it wasn’t my time yet. Some of them didn’t understand it. A lot of the reactions I would receive are “Yeah, that kid’s cool!” You know?

PS What had your perspective been on entertainment growing up in Los Angeles, where much of that industry is based?
M I think my perspective was pretty healthy in terms of the industry. I was very impressionable and naïve. Everything was very hunky-dory and when things didn’t go my way, I was okay with it because I always believed it would work out at some point in time. All of the ugly parts of the business, I was sheltered from. As I got older and started to figure out things for myself, that was when I started to realize the reality of how things work.

PS …Like the time it takes to get an album made. You were signed in 2007 but your record didn’t hit until the end of 2010. What happened during that time?
M There were legal issues that needed to be dealt with. I think that is what took too long, but everything comes at the right time and it gave me a lot of time to figure a few things out for myself. It prepared me for a lot of the situations that are unimaginable and unfathomable until you get to this point. There is a lot of personal preparation.

PS When there is a new artist, a lot of people think they’ve come out of nowhere. I’m not sure people know how much work and preparation goes into making a record.
M It is instant for some people, though. It’s very rare, but there’s always a story. I think anything worth having, you have to work hard for. That’s what life is like, it makes you resilient. It helps you to be able to decide for yourself if you really want something or not. Watching and being in close quarters with people like Usher and Mary J. Blige and watching how they work, they continue to work hard and it reminds me that that is the big thing. Hard work is the name of the game.

PS How does it feel to have your record out on the shelves?
M It feels good! It’s like the gun just being shot before a race. Now we’re running, but we’re pacing ourselves. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. I am focused on this album and making an impact, making a name for myself, and building a reputation that speaks to my brand.

PS How did you arrive at your sound? It is definitely classic RnB but there are also parts that are more eclectic and unique.
M I have a lot of influences and they span a really broad range: Bowie, Prince, Freddy Mercury, The Eagles, Kraftwerk, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, David Ruffin and the Temptations, Donny Hathaway, Madlib, Biggie, Tupac, J Dilla, D’Angelo, I mean the list can go on forever.

PS How do these influences compound when you are sitting down to write and record a song?
M You know the phrase “guilty by association”? It’s like if you surround yourself with great people, then most likely you will become a great person. You would have to or they wouldn’t keep you around. The same can be said if you hang out with shitty people, you’ll become a shitty person. The more I surround myself with and immerse myself in timeless music, the more likely that the product I put out and the art that I make is going to be timeless. I am a firm believer in that.

PS Besides being timeless, what draws you to all these different types of artists?
M The one thing that I think they all have in common is that they are unique. They are also all very honest and their music is about the emotion behind what is being said. I think that is what makes music special: it speaks to our emotions. In my creative process, because I listen to them, they become a part of me. What comes out is my interpretation of what I love most about those guys.

PS How do you feel having your music out in a marketplace where it has to be categorized?
M Categories are made so businesses can help people identify where to find you. At the end of the day, music is a product and who I am as an artist is a product. That’s just the business side of it, and I leave that where it belongs. I don’t think art is created to be categorized, it’s our job as artists to explore emotions and amplify them, using our medium to really give our emotions to our fans. How do you put emotions into a box? That would be a disservice to the art.

PS How does your music inform your fashion aesthetic?
M They’re one and the same. As far as my music goes, I use the term “eclectric”, meaning timeless or nostalgic, but infusing those influences with my unique perspective. What I hope to project is a sense of tomorrow, so things seem within reach but just not available now.

PS Who would you most like to collaborate with in the fashion industry?
M The easy answer for me is Karl Lagerfeld. It’s kind of like, duh. But you and I were talking about Jean Paul Gaultier, and I definitely like his ‘90s Fifth Element period, so if I could I would collaborate with JPG back then, but for now I am intrigued by Karl. His understanding and his perspective is just so broad that I think he would be open to some really cool shit.

PS What about in music? Who would you like to collaborate with there?
M Man, I would love to collaborate with Björk! I would love to collaborate with Kanye West, Francis and the Lights, Flying Lotus, Cut Copy, and DOM… DOM is really dope. I like Phoenix. That’s pretty much what I am listening to right now.

PS What’s coming in 2011?
M 2011 is the year for removing “can’t” from my vocabulary. Hopefully by the year 2012 that word will be extinct. In my efforts to do that, I intend on touring, collaborating with like-minded individuals on fashion, music, film, photography or any artistic medium I can get my hands on. Right now we are touring on the “All I Want Is You” Tour. We’re doing all intimate venues. We’ll be in Europe in a month or two, and hopefully Asia after that.

PS The other night at Joe’s Pub, all of these grown women were flipping out over you, fanning themselves, screaming, crying, trying to touch your abs, the works! What is the craziest thing that has happened to you during a live performance?
M I stage dove into a crowd last night , and when they let me down they would NOT let me go. They just kept holding on, no matter what I did. It was kind of the most bizarre, craziest, and coolest thing that has happened to me thus far. It was kind of like “okay, I’m happy you guys are into me and love the music, but I have to get out of here!” That was definitely one of the wildest things.

PS I saw some girl run up and grab your package!
M Oh yeah. That definitely happened. I think the person that did it tweeted to me and apologized, so everything’s cool.

Photography Cameron Krone

 

www.officialmiguel.com

KEYWORDS: Miguel, VMAN 21