Miguel

Known for crafting boldly physical and confident slow songs within progressive R&B, Miguel has traced an intriguing route to recognition. The Los Angeles native spent years edging toward visibility before emerging as a songwriter via Jaheim’s “Finding My Way Back,” a Grammy-nominated R&B success that opened doors to a series of platinum-certified, Top Ten R&B/hip-hop singles released under his own name, among them “All I Want Is You,” “Sure Thing,” and “Adorn,” the Grammy-winning cut from his 2012 Top Five crossover album Kaleidoscope Dream. As Miguel expanded his catalog through markedly distinct projects such as Wildheart (2015) and War & Leisure (2017), he continued to lend his voice to outside recordings, contributing to gold and platinum singles for artists including Mariah Carey, A$AP Rocky, and Mac Miller, before issuing his first Spanish-language project, the Te Lo Dije EP (2019), which marked his entry on Latin charts. Fresh attention to “Sure Thing” in 2023, driven by TikTok, propelled the vocalist to his strongest Hot 100 position to date, after which he delivered the heated single “Give It to Me.”

Born in Los Angeles’ San Pedro neighborhood, Miguel Jontel Pimentel joined the Drop Squad production company at age 16. Three years afterward he received an invitation to join Fatty Koo and featured on the R&B ensemble’s BET reality program, yet he declined the role and later secured a solo contract with major-label distribution through Universal. In 2005 the promotional solo single “Getcha Hands Up!” appeared, its accompanying video—highlighting Miguel’s dance abilities—receiving airplay on BET. Plans for an album titled Young & Free were announced but ultimately abandoned. During this period Miguel gained underground traction through partnerships with Blu, Exile, and Daz-I-Kue.

Miguel inked a solo agreement with Jive in 2007 and kept collaborating with both underground and mainstream acts. Before the decade closed he had contributed material to releases by Musiq Soulchild and Asher Roth. Significant momentum arrived in 2010: Jaheim’s “Finding My Way Back,” which Miguel co-wrote, climbed to number 12 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart and later earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song. He also co-wrote two Jam & Lewis-produced tracks for Usher’s Raymond v. Raymond, an album that reached the summit of the Billboard 200 shortly before Miguel launched his official solo career with the atmospheric hip-hop soul number “All I Want Is You,” a Top Ten R&B/hip-hop hit. The parent album All I Want Is You arrived that November, attaining the Top Ten on the R&B/hip-hop albums chart and the Top 40 on the Billboard 200, supported by “Sure Thing” (number one R&B, number 36 Billboard 200) and “Quickie” (number three R&B). Following the platinum certification of Wale’s Miguel-assisted Top 40 pop single “Lotus Flower Bomb,” Miguel resumed solo activity in early 2012 with the three-song Art Dealer Chic EP trilogy.

Those preparatory releases set the stage for Kaleidoscope Dream, which debuted at number one on the R&B/hip-hop chart and entered the Billboard 200 Top Five in October 2012. The RCA full-length received a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album, while “Adorn,” Miguel’s second number one R&B/hip-hop single, earned three nominations and captured Best R&B Song. The next year “How Many Drinks?” from the same album also received a nomination. Despite rising fame, Miguel remained open to external projects; “#Beautiful,” his 2013 collaboration with Mariah Carey, achieved platinum status. Between albums he contributed to sessions for J. Cole, Janelle Monáe, Big Sean, Jessie Ware, A$AP Rocky (the gold “Everyday”), Mac Miller (the platinum “Weekend”), and Hudson Mohawke.

Miguel’s third album, Wildheart, surfaced in June 2015. Like its predecessor it landed inside the Billboard 200 Top Five, peaking at number two and matching that position on the R&B/hip-hop chart. More groove-oriented than earlier work, Wildheart focused on sensual slow jams and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album. A further cycle of guest appearances, among them a duet with Dua Lipa, and singles such as “2 Lovin U” (produced by DJ Premier) and the platinum-certified “Sky Walker” (featuring Travis Scott) preceded the December 2017 arrival of the urgent War & Leisure. Another R&B/hip-hop chart leader, the album also entered the Billboard 200 at number nine. Miguel sustained outside work through 2018, with Kygo’s “Remind Me to Forget” ranking among his most commercially visible featured turns. His subsequent solo outing, the Spanish-language EP Te Lo Dije, reached number 11 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart in 2019. That same year Alicia Keys’ Miguel-assisted “Show Me Love” began its climb toward gold certification.

A blend of modest solo releases and featured spots marked the early 2020s. Miguel appeared on tracks such as Jhené Aiko’s platinum “Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.).” The Art Dealer Chic EP series continued in 2021 with a fourth installment that included the grinding “Funeral.” After contributing to Diplo’s “Don’t Forget My Love,” Miguel watched “Sure Thing” surge in popularity during 2023 via TikTok; a subsequent reissue climbed to number 14 on the Hot 100, eclipsing “Adorn” as his highest-charting pop single. That April the vocalist answered with the smoldering slow jam “Give It to Me.”