John Michael – SOPHISTICATED
DMV Nation has had a pretty impressive run over the past couple of decades to date, producing Platinum-selling, award-winning musical stand-outs such as Timothy ‘Timbaland’ Mosely, Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Chris Brown, Wale’ and Trey Songz, just to name a few. Well now we can add super-talented and on-the-rise singer/songwriter John Michael to the list. His incredible debut album SOPHISTICATED contains the hit singles ‘Arrive’ and ‘Sophisticated Lady,’ and has garnered an abundance of love from fans of real Rhythm, Blues and Soul music all across the globe. We at PSM recently caught up with brother JM for a brief and enlightening Q.and.A session.
PSM: Define the JOHN MICHAEL brand of musicality.
JM: My brand is all about vibes and grooves. I grew up listening to a lot of Soul and smooth Jazz – where there is always a cool groove and a leading melody, and those melodies never try too hard…They give what is needed. So I tend to make music like that. I partner with the music to make it a perfect match – as opposed to taking it on like a bucking bronco in an attempt to outshine the instrumentation.
PSM: Besides it being your debut full-length album, what makes SOPHISTICATED special from your perspective?
JM: SOPHISTICATED is special to me because it’s rare and dangerous to release an album with so much raw emotion, feeling and sensitivity. That’s Rhythm & Blues to me, and I wrote and engineered these collection of songs to display that.
PSM: What are the key elements to writing and producing timeless hit songs, in your opinion?
JM: To me, timeless music is all about the right mix of ambiguity, structure, and melody. I try not to get way too specific when I write because I want the listener to be able to apply what I’m saying to their life. Sometimes people write and they are overly specific – which just tends to date a song or mark it as ‘novelty.’
PSM: Which artists do you see yourself collaborating with in the near future?
JM: As far as collabs go, I’m working on some things with some of my fellow R&B artists. I spoke to my friends George Tandy, Jr., Shaliek and Bradd Marquis about doing some music, so I’m just waiting on the right backing track now to get that going. I also recently did a collab with Noel Gourdin for the remix to my song ‘Before This Drink Is Done,’ and it came out great and has been well-received.
PSM: For music fans who come to see you perform live for the first time, what can they anticipate from you on stage?
JM: Seeing me perform live is an experience that’s different from the rest. I really connect with the audience on an intimate and personable level. I frequently find myself engaging in discussions with groups of people or maybe one person throughout my time on stage, and that’s where my personality shines through humility and sincerity.
PSM: In five-to-ten years from now with the LORD’s blessing, John Michael will be –
JM: Known around the world as the recording artist that injected the missing ingredients that have caused the tainting of Urban music….I will also be known for breaking the mold of how artist-to-fan relationships operate. I’m much more personable than the average artist.
PSM: Which ten artists (living or deceased) do you feel embody the essence of what PURE SOUL is to be?
JM: D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, James Taylor (Folk singer), Lauryn Hill, Common, Jodeci, Bilal, Jill Scott, Jon B.
By Ross Guity aka R.G. Major