Miguel – American singer, songwriter, and actor
Miguel’s full name is Miguel Jontel Pimentel. Between 2003 and 2009, he performed as Miguel Jontel. Then he shortened the stage name to Miguel. Pimentel was born on 23 November 1985 in Los Angeles. He has a mixed heritage. The artist’s father was Mexican, who lived in the USA since childhood. His mom had African roots. Miguel’s parents divorced when he was just 8 years old. The divorce had a substantial effect on the shaping of the singer’s character.
Miguel loved dancing since he was five. He was even dreaming of a career as a dancer. However, when Pimentel turned 13, he focused on music. The teenager didn’t have the money to work in the recording studio, so he borrowed a cassette recorder from his uncle and recorded songs at home. Later he met other aspiring musicians in high school. One of them had access to the Drop Squad recording studio.
The singer began his career in 2000. Between 2000 and 2006, Miguel was looking for a chance to sign a contract with a label. At first, he worked with Drop Squad. Then he switched to Columbia Records when performing with the band Fatty Koo. With the group, he recorded an LP, Young & Free, which wasn’t commercially successful.
In 2007, with the help of his manager, Miguel caught the attention of the producer Mark Pitts when performing his song "Sure Thing". In October, he signed a contract with Jive Records. The same year he recorded his debut LP All I Want Is You, but due to some problems with the contract and the label, the album came out three years later. It was produced by Dre & Vidal, State of Emergency, Happy Perez, Fisticuffs, and Salaam Remi. The LP reached the 9th spot on Top R&B/Hip-Hop and climbed the 47th position of Billboard 200.
The artist’s second album, Kaleidoscope Dream, came out in 2012. The LP was recorded at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York and at MJP Studios in Los Angeles. It came in third on Billboard 200 and reached the 13th spot on British R&B Albums Chart. The album was also popular in Denmark and Australia. It earned a platinum certification in the USA. At that time, many fans wanted to book Miguel for their private events, but he was busy recording albums. That year, he also released three EPs and three mixtapes.
In 2015, Miguel presented his third album, Wildheart, which reached the third spot on Billboard 200. A single from the LP “Coffee” became a big hit in Switzerland, Denmark, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia. Another single “Simple Things”, recorded with Chris Brown and Future, also became popular.
In 2016, Miguel began his acting career. In the movie Live by Night, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, he played a gangster.
In 2017, the artist released his fourth LP, War & Leisure. It was recorded with the help of such artists as Quiñ, Rick Ross, J. Cole, Kali Uchis, and Salaam Remi. He LP featured hit songs "Criminal", "Sky Walker", "Banana Clip", "Pineapple Skies", and "City of Angels". The same year, Miguel played secondary roles in the movies Detroit and The Platinum Life.
The artist was nominated for American Music Awards in 2011 and 2012. He also won two BET Awards for Best Collaboration and Best Male R&B Artist. Miguel has several nominations for World Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, NAACP Image Awards, Grammy Awards, and Billboard Music Awards.
The artist continues recording new songs and performing live.
