![]() The sweet-sounding song comes from "a place of deep self-love and unshakeable belief in myself," a place Michael needed to arrive at in order to make the album, and a place that they believe we're "all striving to get to on some level.” Of all the songs on the album, closer "XO" is Michael's favorite. "As Solange said, ‘I have a lot to be mad about.’ She sort of gave us all as Black people a lot of permission with that song, and it was putting a name to that thing, that rage and then turning it into something righteous that can be fuel for change.” “On some level, this is me deciding I don't really care how beliefs about my anger are received, because in this day and age with everything that's happening in the world, if you're not angry, you're not paying attention," they say. #Mical of love full version#Now, as they hone in on their own work as a musician, they're able to tell the full version of their own story - which is tied to many stories within our culture, and in many ways, the story of our culture at large. As a writer and former Culture Editor at PAPER Magazine ( Disclaimer: Michael and the author of this piece worked together at PAPER from 2018-2019), Michael specialized in telling the stories of other artists. While the songs range in sonic influence, they all connect back to the idea of recognizing that what one is attacked for is often the most powerful - and precious - thing about them. It turns out that that's the most authentic place to make music from because thankfully people have been connecting to it and sending me really nice messages and sharing it.” ![]() I just was making music that I would actually like to listen to. I wasn't trying to make a hit or anything like that. I wasn't trying to make anything that sounded particularly trendy. On their unique sound, Michael adds, “I don't know how I locked into this space, but I just got to a point where I was just making the music I wanted to hear. Michael says that while they "don't identify as a woman or as a man, I do understand what it means to be beholden to the way that other people see you and trying to find your voice despite all of that." "Canary," a cover of Liz Phair's stripped down, piano-backed song from her 1993 album Exile In Guyville, examines the loss of innocence that comes with transitioning into womanhood. "On God" is a spiritual call to action, while "Blueberry" builds off finger snaps and whistles into an 808-based, tender ballad about unrequited love. On synth-heavy "6 Jaguars," Michael offers up a tongue-in-cheek commentary on unchecked white wealth and privilege, singing from the perspective of a woman with six Jaguar sports cars in her garage. ![]() The entry into these topics varies from genre-busting track after genre-busting track. "I feel the pressure every which way/Being enough for everyone," Michael sings. Opening song and lead single "Rope," a gritty grunge track with Nine Inch Nails influenced production examines this very sentiment. ![]() But unfortunately we don't yet live in a society that gives me that.” If I had it my way, I would just exist and I wouldn't have to worry about the things that I find myself being up against. “My very existence as a Black queer, non binary person has been politicized, usually by forces that are not me. "I really just want to drive home the idea that whatever is personal for you is also the source of your power," Michael tells NYLON over a Zoom call from the permaculture farm they spent the summer working on. The 11-track album, produced in under a year with longtime collaborator Rich Dasilva, deals with topics ranging from toxic workplace culture, to capitalism, to love, but they all center around the idea that the personal is not only political, but powerful. That began a journey of self-exploration and artistic output that continues to this day, with the drop of their debut album, XO. ![]() Rather than bottle their emotions up as advised by the patriarchal culture we live under, Michael turned to creation, like so many artists before them.įilling notebooks with stories and poetry turned into writing lyrics and melodies for songs when as a teenager they were given a bootleg copy of Fruity Loops, a music production program, from a family friend. As a queer kid growing up between the South Side Chicago and Gary, Indiana, they (Michael uses they/them pronouns) they were bullied for being too feminine, pushed into sports by their father to better fit in with their brothers. New York-based pop artist Michael Love Michael has never fit into any one box. ![]()
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